The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-11-09

VANCE
CHAPTER xIV.-continued.

Mans got-no business courting-when
he amt In training.
Lydia laughed aloud. Impossible to
resent the extravagances Of this IRE
pressible boy! "I'm in no hurry" sne
countered, hint of malice making
piQuant her occurrences.
Il got you'll" said Peter, breathing
heavily.
Suddenly Lydia realized that Peter
was the cheerfullest soul she had ever
known. Shed be sorry to lose him,
with his high spirits and honest. out
spoken friendliness.
But she was bound to lose him; and
not him alone, but all her new-found
friends. THIS night had demonstrated
indisputably In her understanding that
Craven's mode of life could never be
hers. They lived and thought on diff
ferent planes. Downing streets secret
agent must of necessity have mis-
secrets and guard them jealousy; but
love and loyalty could not endure In an
atmosphere of petty deception, useless
persistent f1bbing, feigned emotion In
trinsic selfishness.
She meant to leave him without de-
lay. Come morning, and she would
strike out for herself. And that In
vOlved forfeiture not only of her IA
Their, but of his friends that now were
hers. 1t would be impossible to keep
on terms of equality and companion
ship with those amiable creatures OF
exalted responsibility, and spend her.
days-behind a counter! She felt very
forlorn, lonely, young and inexperi-
enced.
She turned at length from unseeing
contemplation of Central parks dismal
perspectives, to look curiously at Peter,
who forthwith grinned gracelessly.
"What do you want-madman"
"Just to talk to you," he replied
frankly. "You keep to yourself so
much-I get lonesome and desperate.
Think what it must mean not to see
you in over twelve hours to man OF
my mercurial temperament! Honest,
was feeling awful low when you
showed up just now. In another hour
I'd we been taking things seriously
the same as you"
"What makes you say that?''
Because you show it."
DO /, really| she pleaded anx-
iOusly.
"Not SOS anybody'd notice it but me.
You'll have to learn that you can hide
nothing from me. Consider what
swell time you'll have when we're mar
Red"
"No-don't Joke, please. II am not
very happy tonight
"You aren't?" Peter sat up at atten-
ton, serious for once at least.
"It's nothing-don't ask me, please.
I'm just bit low-spirited."
Nothing doing" declared Peter
firmly. Discrimination isn't your long
suit. l knoww He nodded with I'M
mense gravity. you're fretting about
that cussed necklace" He drew long
breath and lied magnificently. you
see, we were talking it over when you
came in: Quoin calling Betty down for
making Craven try to smuggle, and
Betty fighting back like a good one
the whole story coming out. l don't
care If Tad is your father, he hadn't
any right to put a raw deal like that
over on you. Now" Peter wOunA UP
defensively, turn loose the heavy aEt1)-
leryI I've spoken my mind when II
was none of my business, and It's up
TO me to take the count without
whlmper."
! Lydia was silent, her face averted.
~No," she said presently, I'm not
angry with you. Why should be2 /
myself don't think 1t was right. It
MS pleasant to know somebody sympa-
thixes. when everybody else seems to
think 1t nothing at all"
"Not my way of looking at It," Peter
insisted. Listen to me nowl Why not
marry me and chuck the whole game
-Retty. Tad, Quoin, the whole OUTFIT
Think how good 1t would be to know
YOU don't have to care what they think !
Inst say Peter. you're onP and we're
of-winter in Egypt-everything like
that. You seer Not bit Of use fret
ting about people when life makes IT
self so easy"
'sPlease don't, Peter. 1t makes you
seem-unsympatb after ALL"
@Dou't you believe ii. I'm so full Of
sympathy for you that 1t hurts me.
please won't you marry mef
Il can't listen % jon II you win 60
On this xayT" she cried. half distract
N ~Tm not thinking Of marrying any
hody