Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-04


the broad cushions of the tonneau with the
Countess, part OF the time holding Rose
mary, who was clamoring for food, and the
rest of the time holding my breath IN the
fear that we might slip over preclpice.
We stopped for breakfast at small noun
tain inn, fifteen miles from our starting
place The Countess, a faint red spot in
each cheek, and a curiously bright, feverish
glow in her dark eyes, talked almost inces-
sanity, and chiefly about matters entirely
foreign to the enterprise in hand.
The more see of women, the less | know
about them. Why she should have spent
the whole half hour devoted to breakfast to
surprisingly innocuous dissertation on
Schopenhauer and NietzSche 1S-or was
beyond me- How was | to know that tears
Law close to the surface of those shimmering,
vivacious eyes? How was | to know that
sobs took refuge behind simulated interest
in philosophy?
We had luncheon, picnic fashion, halfway
to our journeys end, diverging from the
main road to find secluded spot where we
could spread our cloth and open our ham,
pers without fear of detection. 1t was rather
a Jolly affair. The strain of the first few
hours had slackened. Success seemed as
su-ed We had encountered no difficulties,
no dangers, in town or country. And SO we
could afford to be gay and confident. We
even went SO far as to arrange for jolly
reunion in New York City at no distant day.
GO far as l am able to judge there was alb
- solutely no heroism displayed during
our flight through the hills and valleys. But
wait. There was an example of bravado on
my part that shall not go unrecorded. 1t
happened lust after. luncheon. The Count
ess suggested that we-that is to say, the
e {1,a Of
picturesque spot while the Others were max
ing ready for the resumption of our journey.
In the most obscure spot in all those an
Gent hills | succumbed to an execrable I'M
pulse to take her forcibly in my arms and
kiss herl | don't know why did it, or how;
but that is just what happened. My shame,
nv horror, over the transcendental folly was
made almost unbearable by the way in which
she took it. At first l thought she had
swooned, she lay so limp and unresisting in
nv arms. My only excuse was that |
couldn't help doing what | had done, and
that | deserved to be drawn and quartered
for taking advantage of my superior strength
and her gentle forbearance. Strange to say,
she merely looked at me in a sort of dumb
wonder and quietly released herself Her
cheeks, her throat, her brow, grew warm and
pink with Just Indignation; her lips parted,
but she uttered no word. Then | followed
her dejectedly, cravenly, back to the road
side.
Her vivacity was gone. She shrank down
into the corner of the seat, and, with her
back half turned toward me, gazed stead
tasty at the panoramic valley we were
skirting. From time to time | glanced at
her out of the corners of my eyes, and
eventually was somewhat relieved to see
that she had closed her own and was doing
NV soul was in despair. She loathed, de
spised, me! | could not blame her.
And yet my heart quickened every time
allowed myself to think of the crime had
committed.
SHUTDOWN found us only twenty-five
- miles from our destination. Not caring
to run the risk Of prolonged stay in the
town. we drew up at roadside inn ard had
our dinner in the quaint little garden, after
ward proceeding leisurely by moonlight
down the sloping highway.
Billy Smith met US six or eight miles out,
and we stopped to parley. He examined the
Countesss passports, pronounced them
genuine o., and then gave us the cheerful
news that everything was O. K. The train
for the coast was due to leave at ten-five, and
we had an hour to spare. He proposed that
we spend it comfortably at the roadside
while Britton went through the pretense of
repairing Our tires.