The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-04-01
BY MARY. CAROLYN DAVIES.


"The boat sails at midnight" he
answered quietly.
How long shall you be abroad?"
continued Keith Hartley carelessly.
The women in the group turned to
hear Warnings reply The orchestra
began the waltz, slow dream move
ment.
II probably shan't come back"
explained Waring courteously. My
relatives are in England, you know.
This is our dance, l think" He
turned to Keith's wife, She rose.
They moved out together past the
circle and glided out on the floor to
the insistent tones of the waltz.
The blaze of lights, the lure of the
mocking waltz, and the nearness to
him, were too much for Clarice's
self-control.
Take me back to the others, Don,"
she said, speaking verify slowly to
keep her voice under control. l
can't stand it."
His face was white, but he man
aged to keep his tones even. 'If you
really want me to, Clarice," he said.
But I must see you. | must!" he
cried out suddenly. The vehemence
In his tone startled her. Il have
to leave in half an hour. The boat
sails at midnight. Clarice, do you
realize it?" His voice was pleading,
insistent, vibrant with pain. Then
he added, more quietly, Il must see
Unrl o1nna for ypnnopt -
Shall we sit out this dance, them"
she asked lightly, smiling gaily as
they passed someone they knew.
Take me to the conservatory, Don,"
she finished, in low tone. I'VE can
talk there"
The half-soothing, half-mocking
rhythm of the waltz followed them as
they slipped away. She sank in a
little white heap on bench behind
the palms and flowers, and Don
seated himself beside her.
They could see the flash of the
white dresses in the room beyond,
and the bits of laughter and gaiety
that floated in to them seemed very
far away.
There was moments silence. Now
that this had come, Clarice tried
madly to put it off. In desperation
she strove to think of some trivial
thing to speak of, anything, any
thing to gain time. But only the one
thought kept feverishly beating into
her mind, and, try as she would to
keep it from her lips, she found her.
self saying: $50 you're leaving,
DOM" She tried to make her tone
careless, noncommittal, but she knew
that he understood what lay beneath
the little trembe in it,
Don stared flxedly away from her.
His voice was tense.
"You know why I'm going,
Clarice," he said
Clarice looked at his ayerted face,
and blushed painfully. TITS not be-
cause of me?' she ventured lamely.
"Oh, no, it's not because of you,"
he flung out bitterly, and the irony
in his voice seemed to make him sud-
denly older
She listened helplessly. with hurt
look in her eyes
Suddenly he smiled over at her,
with all his old boyish mischief, that
had been one of the things about
him that attracted her most. He
held up his left hand, and with the
other hand elaborately laid the fin
gers, one by one, over each other.
He held it up to her, fingers
crossed" NO" he repeated teas
ingly, "it isn't at all on your ac-
count"
In spite of the trouble in her face,
Clarice smiled back at him, aban-
donedly.
But all the fun died out of his |
face, presently, and only the pain re-
NAMED.
"Clarice," he said gently, I'VE
can't let things be this way | can't |
live my life without you, and" he
added reverently, you love me, too"
1t was partly question, partly a
triumphant assertion, but mostly an
appeal, "You know it, Clarice," he
went on more gently. you've known
1t ever since-that night"
Yes" breathed the girl, so low
that he bent his head 20 her, "I've
since that night"
His eagerness stopped her. "Ther,
why not" he began. 20. Clarice,
come with me. We'll never be happy
otherwise" He scowled heavily at
the floor, but did not seem to find
any answer to the problem.
prncopt1y ha wont on stJ ,,,nda ~