The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1916-01-27
CHAPTER XIV.
Gall Breaks a Promise.
~

der way except Tor the delay OF the
gay little Mrs. Babbitt and her admir-
ing husband, who sent word that they
could not arrive until after dinner. so
the yacht long and low and slender
and glistening white, lay in the middle
OF the Hudson river. while her guests.
bundled warmly against the crisp
breeze, gathered In the forward shelter
deck and watched the beginnings OF
the early sunset.
Il like Doctor Boyd in his yachting
cap" commented Lucille, as that
young man joined them, with happy
mother on his arm.
1T takes away that deadly clerical
effect" laughed Arly. His long coat
makes him look like the captain, and
he's ever so much more handsome"
Il don't mind being the topic of dis
cussion SO long as I'm present" COM
mented Rev. Smith Boyd, glancing
around the group as IL in search OF
someone.
1T rather restricts the converse
tion." Mrs. Helen Davies observed.
The cherub-cheeked Marion Ken
meth glanced wistfully over at the rail
where Dick Rodley, vying with the
sunset In splendor, stood chatting with
easy Ted Teasdale and the stiff Ger
aid Fogland.
Where's Gail?" demanded the
cherub-cheeked one.
It's time that young lady was up
on deck" decided Arly, and rose.
She's probably taking advantage OF
the opportunity to dress for dinner"
surmised Mrs. Davies. I'm fact.
think It's good idea for all of u.s."
but the sunset was too potent to leave
for few moments, and she sat still.
Where indeed was Gail? In her
beautiful little curly maple bed, and
digging two small fists into the maple
brown coverlet. The pallor of the
morning had not yet left her face. and
there were circles around the brown
eyes which gave them a wan pathos:
there was crease of pain and worry,
too, in the white brow.
Gail had come to the greatest crisis
one Of what had occurred that morn
ing. When she had rushed into the
rector's study he had sprung up, and,
seeing the fright in her face and that
she was tottering and ready to fall. he
had caught her in his strong arms, and
she had chung trustfully to him. half
~feint. until wild sobs had come to her
relief. Even in her incoherence, how
ever, even in her wild disorder of emo
ton, she realized that there was dam
ger, not only to her but to everyone
she loved, In the man from whom she
had run away: and she could not tell
the young rector any more than that
she had been frightened 1t was strange
how instinctively she had headed for
Rev. Smith Boyd's study; strange
then, but not now. In that moment OF
flying straight to the protection of his
arms, she knew something about her
self, and about Rev. Smith Boyd. too.
She knew why she had refused those
others who had wooed her; Willis
Cunningham and Houston Van Ploon
and Dick Rodley; poor Dick! and AL
lison and all the others. She frankly
and complacently admitted to herself
that she loved Rev. Smith Boyd, but
she put that additional worry into the
background. 1t could be fought out
later. She would have been very hap
py about 1t IL she had had time, al
though she could see no end to that
situation but unhappiness
Where could she turn for advice, or
whom could she get to share In the
burden which she felt must surely
crush her. There was no one 1t
was burden she must bear
alone, unless she could devise
some plan of effective action, and the
sense Of how far she had been respon-
sible for this condition of affairs was
one which oppressed her, and humbled
her. and deepened the circles about
her woe-smitten eyes.
Gail took her fists from their pres
sure into the brown coverlet, and held
her temples between the finger tips
of either hand; and the brown hair,
springing into wayward ringlets from
the salt breeze which blew In at the
half-opened window, rippled down over
her slender hands, as II to soothe and
comfort them. She had been wasting
her time in introspection and self
analysis when there was need for
decisive actionl Fortunately she had
a respite until Monday morning. In,
the past few days OF huge commercial
movements which SO vitality interested
her, she had become acquainted with
business methods. to certain extent.
and she knew that nothing could be
done on Saturday afternoon or Sun
day: therefore Uncle Jim was safe for
two nights and day. Then Allison
would deny the connection OF her
Uncle Jim's road with the A.-P., and
the beginning of the destruction OF
the Sargent family would be thor.