The Benson signal., 1917-09-15
.Ask him to come along"


"Ill stay here at the door while you
CO."
Irresolute, she iet her eyes rest
again for a fraction Of second on his
| eyes; when she drew a breath after
that pause everything was over. I'D
| better give him his medicine first" she
said, looking toward the SickrOom door.
| His monosyllabic answer was calm:
"Do." Then as she laid her hand on
the knob of the door to enter the room:
"Can help any?"
"Oh, nor she cried Indignantly.
He laughed silently: "I'll stay here"
Nan disappeared. Lounging against
the windowsill opposite the door, he
waited. After long time the door
was stealthily reopened. Nan tiptoed
out. She closed it softly behind her:
81 waited for him to go to Sleep" she
explained as she started down the cor
ridor with De Spain. "He's had so
much pain today hope he sleeps"
II hope so, too," exclaimed De Spain
fervently.
Nan ignored the implication. She
looked straight ahead. She had moth
ing to say. De Spain, walking beside
her, devoured her with his eyes; lis
tened to her footballs; tried to make
talk; but Nan was silent.
Standing on the wide veranda out
side the front door, she asSented to
the beauty of the distant illumination,
but not enthusiastically. De Spain
declared it could be seen very much
better from the street below. Nan
thought she could see very well where
they stood. But by this time she was
answering Questions-dryly, it is true,
and in monOsyllables, but answering.
De Spain leading the way a step or
two forward at a time, cOaXed her
down the driveway.
She stood again irresolute, he drink
ing in the fragrance of her presence
after the long separation and playing
her reluctance guardedly. "Do you
know" she exclaimed with sudden re-
sentiment, "you make it awfully hard
to be mean to yOu?"
With a laugh he caught her hand
and made her walk down the hospital
steps. "You may be as mean as you
like" he answered indifferently. "Only,
never ask me to be mean to you"
81 wish to heaven you would be-"
she retorted.
"Do you remember" he asked, "what
we were doing a year ago today?"
"No." Before he could speak again
| e,I,o oI1o do
remember. If I said mo- you'd be sure
to remind me of what we were doing.
We can't see as we'll here as we could
from the steps,"
"But from here, you have the best
view in Sleepy Cat of Music mountain"
eve didn't come out here to see Mu-
sic mountain"
81 come here often to look at it. You
won't let me see you-what can do
but look at where you live? How long
are you going to keep me awayY
Nan did not answer. He urged her
to speak. "You know very we'll it is
my people that will never be friendly
with you," she replied. "How can ]
be?"
They were passing q lawn settee.
He sat down. She would not follow.
She stood in a sort of protest at his
side, but he did not release her hand.
''Tll tell you how you can be-" he re-
turned. snake me one of your people,"
'That never can be-" she declared
stubbornly. "You know it as we'll as
I do. Why do you say such things?"
she demanded, drawing away her hand.
'Do you want to know?"
"No."
"It's because I love you."
She strove to command herself.
whether you do or not can't make
any difference" she returned steadily.
eve are separated by everything.
There's a gulf between us. 1t never
can be crossed. We should both of
us be wretched if it ever were crossed"
He had risen from the bench and
caught her hand. cts because we
haven't crossed it we're wretched," he
said determinedly. "Cross ii with me
now!" He caught her in his arms.
She struggled to escape. She knew
| W1idL was COlIIuS anu W Keep
her face from him. With resistless
strength, and yet carefully as a mother
with an obstinate child, he held her
slight body against his breast, relent-
lessly drawing her head closer. ''Let
me go!" she painted, twisting her avert
ed head from the hollow of his arm.
Drinking in the wine of her frightened
breath, he bent over her in the dark
ness until his pulsing eagerness linked
her warm lips to his own. She had
surrendered to her first kiss.
He spoke. "The CULTS crossed. Are
you SO awfully wretchedw
They sank together down on the
bench. "What," she faltered, twill be-
come of me now?'
"You are better off now than you
ever were, Nan. You've gained this
mOmont q hiy brother 1Ovpr Won CON