The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-06-20
CHAPTER XIV.
The End OF the Iioad.

The End OF the Road.
IL was that evening. In the
glowing richness and repose of
the dining room in the pink mar
BILE villa, now reinyested with the
dignity of home. that the core
of the late situation was touched.
Once more Allan Gerard was
intent upon the study of Flavia's
young beauty as she sat near him.
Mr.. Rose was leaning back and
idly watching the ice dissolve I'm
his glass, when Corrie broke the
pause.
Take away those oysters, Per-
kinsl want my soup right off.
and a lot of Il. I'm about
starved- He stopped. him
self struck by the words.
The evoked recollections of
that last dinner together were too
much. Mr.. Rose carefully put ths
glass down, his strong jaw set
ting. Flavia's eyes flashed wet as
they went to her brother.
"Corrie, Corrie, 1 can under
stand how you began" escaped
Gerard impulsively. But how
could you carry II on month after
month";"
The color ran up to Corrie's
forehead.
lit didn't take me long TO see
| made an awful bungle of
things" he confessed, half-shy
and hesitant. And Il got worse
and worse as | saw wha: I had
done to you people. Yet I'd given
my word. IL was all too much
for me to think outl But-isn't
there something said about a fell
low who puts his hand to the
pillow not taking II OFF,
Dear, IL you had only spared
yourself what you could" Flavfa
grfeved. You could have said IL
was an accident at least; that you
never meant to hurt Allan"
Corrie's eyes sought his father.
I mot much, Other Fellowi No
tricks for mine; l had to tell just
the truth or shut up. No. sir,
| whatever he looked like. Corris
Rose had to pillow a straight fur
row"
Straight burrows lead home"
said Allan Gerard, muslingly.
He looked toward Mr.. Rose,
and the senior nodded slow agree
| ment.
They do. Gerard. And we get
more, sometimes, than we've any
RIG hit to expect from anything We
give. Where we spent this sum-
mer, Flavia and I like the peo-
| pie. What we did for them dfdnt
cost us much, we were not look
ing for any returns. But the
news of II got out, somehow, and
was cabled TO New York days be-
fore We arrived here. One of the
journals got the story and worked
up a Sunday article about what
an American millionaire had done
for Val de Rosas, and printed the
whole thing along with a photo
graph of Corrie In his racing
clothes, as my son. New York pa
pers go everywhere. The South
erner whom Isabel was IN love
with brought that article about
her family to her, as an excuse
for an early call, the morning he
asked her to marry him. She says,
herself. 1t was the picture of Cor
RE In the motor dress she last
had seen him wear on the day of
the accident that broke her up
so, and when her lover proposed
she told him the whole truth. IL
! hadn't paid the taxes for Val de
Rosas. Corrie would have been
bearing a false charge yet"
The silence held many
thoughts; a silence broken by
Corrie himself.
Tomorrow we'll write a Jolly
note to Isabel" he affirmed con-
tentedly. She doesn't need to
worry on her honeymoon. poor
kid; she has squared up. There
doesn't seem to be any need for
anyone to worry, ever, while
they're trying to keep straight.
slice the scheme is a Square Deal.
you know"
The two older men exchanged q
glance.
Il guess some of us need more
than square deal, Corwin B.,
his father pronounced. But it's
all right; we get that. too"
THE END.