Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-22

EVERY way" he insisted. You
are not handicapped by caring for
any other man."
How do you know?" she asked.
Just a hunch," eF'yfe smiled. IF
YOU did he'd have beaten me to the
rescue long ago-if he were the sort
of man you could care for"
NO" she admitted, there isn't
any other man. but there might be.
Think how terrible it would be If 1t
happened-afterward
Fyfe shrugged his shoulders.
Sufficient unto the day." he said.
There is no string on either of us
just now. We start even. That's
good enough. Will you?"
you have me at a disadvantage"
she whispered. You offer me a
lot that I want, everything but a
feeling I've somehow always be-
lieved ought to exist, ought to be
mutual. Part of me wants to shut
my eyes and jump. Part of me
wants to hang back. / can't stand
this thing I've got into and see no
way of getting out of. Yet l dread
starting a new train of wretched-
ness. I'm afraid-whichever way
turn"
Fyfe considered this a moment.
We'll" he said finally, that's a
rather unfortunate attitude. But
I'm going into it with my eyes open.
I know what 1 want. You'll be max
ing a sort of experiment. Still,
advise you to make it. I think
you'll be the better for making it.
Come on. Say yes"
Stella looked at him, then out
no q a
dreary discomforts, the mean drudg-
cry, the sordid shifts she had been
put to for months rose up in dis
heartening phalanx. For that
moment Jack Fyfe loomed like a
tower of refuge. She trusted him
now. She had a feeling that even
IL she grew to dislike him she would
still trust him. He would play fair.
II he said he would do this or that
she could bank on it absolutely.
She turned and looked at him
searchirgly a long half minute.
wondering what really lay behind
the blue eyes that met her own so
steadfastly. He stood waiting pa
tiently, outwardly impassive. But
she could feel through the thin stuff
of her dress a culver in the fingers
, that rested on her shoulder and that
repressed sign of the mans pentup
feeling gave her an odd thrill,
moved her strangely, swung the pen
duum of her impulse.
YES" she said.
Fyfe bent a little lower.
Listen" he said in characters
tically blunt fashion. You want
to get away from here. There is
no sense in our fussing or hesitat-
! ing about what we're going to do,
is there?"
mo, 1 suppose not" she agreed,
"Ill send the Panther down to the
| Springs for Lefty Howe's wife," he
! outlined his plans unhesitatingly.
She will get up here this evening
| Tomorrow we will go down and
/ take the train to Vancouver and be
married. You have plenty Of good
! clothes, good enough for Vancouver
! 1 know"-with a whimsical smile
because you had them when you
| came last summer, and you've had
no chance to wear them out, Then
we'll go omewhere-Californ
| Florida, and come back to Roaring
Lake in the spring. You'll have all
! the bad taste of this out of your
mouth by that time"
Stella nodded acquiescence. Better
| to make the plunge boldly, since she
had elected to make 1t.
| "All right. I'm going to tell Ben
ton" Fyfe said. "Goodby till to-
morrow"
She stood up. He looked at her q
long time earnestly. searchingly. one
of her hands imprisoned tight be-
! tween his two big palms. Then. be-
fore she was quite aware of his in
tention, he kissed her gently on the
mouth and was gone.
This turn of events left Benton
dumfounded, to use a trite but ex-
pressive phrase. He came in. ap-
! parently to look at Stella in amazed