The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-17

" Aosss'
time. The first thing, Of course, i!
whether We are going to hang together
or not"
Talbot had rather a weird sense o
humor. He suggested that the wore
"hang' be changed to "remain."
We've been doing well. Wen d.
all right again, too, as soon as thi.
thing blows over. It was unlucky, bur
we've been pretty fortunate. Now WE
can do one of two things. For Elinor's
sake, / suggest the first"
"And that is" Elinor's voice was
unsteady.
Send Boroday to Paris to dispose OF
your jewels. Then get a conservative
lawyer to invest the money"
And after that?"
Forget you ever knew any Of us"
Huff, across the table from her, went
white, but said nothing.
you said there was an al~ternatiye?'
Elinor was white, too. The room was
profoundly still.
ITO keep on as we are at present.
with you, Elinor, acting in your ia
Tiers stead, receiving and transmitting
messages, and-keeping the vault in
charge"
Boroday was on his feet In a mo-
ment. protesting. He would take the
jewels and send them abroad. It was
risky, but 1t could be done. But this
outrageous arrangement that had been
suggested
What we are. we are by choice" he
finished. "You have never had a choice.
and now it is given to you. For Gods
sake, child, 60 away now, while you
may"
Elinor's reply, when it came, was
unanswerable.
"Where could I 60? / know in all
the world only you four, and old Hen
riette, and a governess of mine who
has gone into a convent in France. l
shall stay here with you ALL"
So 1t a settled.
That was in eventful evening, with
ElinOr, misty-eyed. moving into her IA
theirs chair at the table, and the band
swearing the simple oath Of allegiance
which held them together. And when
they had moved from the dining room,
Walter Huff, following Elinor out onto
the terrace, told her he loved her.
The starlight above, and those near
er stars that outlined the streets be-
low, threw a soft radiance yer her.
She was dressed in white; old Hilary
had disliked mourning garments. Eli
0 vas looking down into the village.
The great spire of Saint Jude's tow
cred above the town. Huff. young and
ardent, thrilled to the girls presence
close beside him.
"You are very aloof tonight" he said.
She smiled up at him.
"Not that surely. I was only think
"Of what?"
"Oh. Of different things-of the peo-
Pile down there In their houses-their
lives, the things they believe; we think
they are narrow. but I wonder, after
all, il you and l. who believe zone of
those things, are not the narrow ones"
Huf was not subtle. Possibly he
would not have understood. had not
the Saint Jude's chimes rung just then.
symbols like that seem to mean SO
much to Them" said Elinor, and fell
silent.
In the warm silence, HUFF felt for
and found her hand.
Cali this time, when I couldn't see
you," he said ~unsteadily, I've been
thinking of you here alone. and IN
Sometimes / thought I couldn't
stand 1t. that I'd have to come out and
see you, If only for five minutes"
IT have always been more or less
Sometimes I think ii I had been
sent away to school, had known ether
It would have been better. I
have had any friends-except
you. and the Others"
Huff released her hand and faced
her.
II don't want to be your friend. Eli
nor. l want to be much MORE"
She was rather shocked at first. She
stood, looking up at him, her lips
parted.
II? You-yOu-want-"
II love you. I want you to marry
me. DEAR"
There was no doubt Of the boys sim
It rang true. He stood with
his arms out, and after a moment she
went into them. Except for the father
who was gone, this was the first love
that had come into her life. She took
It hungrily. In the starlight she held
up her lips like a child for his kiss. :.