Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-20

she was sincerely sorry; the association
simply must be discontinued.
And that, she declared in her solitude,
was all there was about II.
BY the time she had succeeded In COM
posing a note which seemed sufficiently
grateful in tone to- excuse the ptiful in
adequacy of her excuse for absconding-
that she was "out of her element" on
the island, an outsider. and didn't be
long" and never could-the chill light
OF early dawn had rendered the electrics
garish.
She read the note over with hypercriti-
cal sensitiveness to its defects, but de-
cIded that 1t must do. Besides, she had
used the last sheet of note paper in the
rack on her desk; more was not OBJ
tainable without trip to the living room.
Then in desperation she appended, under
the sign OF the venerable p, s., a prayer
that this might prove acceptable In lieu
of more gracious leave-taking, addressed
the envelope to Mrs. Gosnold, and left 1t
sticking consplcuously in the frame OF
her dressing mirror,
Studiously she reduced her travelling
gear to the simplest requisites; the hand
bag she took because she had use for
it, nothing less than to serve is cover
for the return of everything she wore.
She was determined to go out of this
island world, whose ether was too rare
for her vulgar lungs, with no more than
sho had brought into IT,
At length the laggard hands OF the
clock were close together on the figure 6.
She rose. let herself out of the room,
and by way OF that memorable side
door issued forth into a morning as
island knew. 1t made renunciation
doubly difficult. Yet Sally did not falter
nor once look back.
Her way to the village wharf was short
est by the beach. None saw her stealing
through the formal garden, with eyes
averted from that one marble seat that
was forever distinguished from all others
in the world, and vanish over the lip
of the elm by way of its long, zigzag
stairway. Few noticed her as she de-
bouched from the beach into the village
streets; her dress was inconspicuous, her
demeanor even more than retiring.
Her hope was favored in that on this
earlier trip of the boat there were a
few passengers other than natives Of
the Island.
On the mainland she caught an accom-
mediation train which wound halting
way through the morning and set her
down In Providence late in the fore
noon. Then ignorance OF railroad travel
made her choose another accommodation
instead OF an express which would have
cost no more and landed her In New York
an hour earlier.
Her night was financed by a few dol
lars left over from her bridge winnings
OF the first day at Gosnold House after
subsequent losses had been paid. Their
sum no more than suhiced; when she
had purchased a meager lunch at the
station counter in New Haven she was
pennlless again; but for the clothes she
wore she landed in New York even as
she had left IT,
The city received her with a deafening
roar that seemed OF eXultatiOn that its
prey had been delivered unto It again.
The heat was even more Oppressive
than that Of the day on which she mad
left-or perhaps. seemed so only BY con
rast With the radiant eoolness OF the
Island air
Avoiding Park avsAus abe sought u.