The Snowflake herald., 1918-06-07
nough experience for the place."

inquiry. III course Cnat nOuSeHSe'
What did he tell you?"
something like that. He will marry
Mrs. Mallory, think, though he doesn't
know it yet"
"You mean she will get him on the
rebound" said Diane bluntly.
"That isn't nice way to put it. He
has always liked her very much. He
is fond of her for what she is. What
attracted him in me were the things
his Imagination gave to me-"
"And Gordon likes you, suppose,
for what you areY'
Sheba did not resent the little note
of friendly sarcasm. Il suppose he
has his fsncies about me, too, but by
the time he finds out what l am he'll
have to put up with me-"
The arrival Of Elliot interrupted COLI
f1dences He had come, he said, to re-
ceive congratulations.
"What in the world have you been
doing with your face?" demanded Di-
ane. AS an afterthought she added:
"Mr. Macdonald is all cut up too"
"We've been taking massage treat
ment" Gordon passed to subject of
more immediate interest. 'Do l get
my congratulations, DIP"
She kissed him, too, for old sake's
sake. II do believe you'll suit Sheba
better than Colby Macdonald would.
He's a great man and you are not. But
it isn't everybody that is fit to be the
wife of great man."
'That's a double, left-handed cOmpi-
ment," laughed Gordon. "But you can't
say anything that will hurt my feelings
today, Di. Isn't that your baby hear
crying? What heartless mother you
arel'
Diane gave him the few minutes
alone with Sheba that his gay smile
had asked for. "Get out with yOu,"
she said, laughing. go to the top of
the hill and look at the lovers moon
I've ordered there expressly for you;
and while you are there forget that
there are going to be crying babies
and nursemaids with evenings out in
that golden future of yours"
"COme along, Sheba. Well start now
on the golden TRAIL" said Elliot.
She walked as if she loved it. Her
long, slender legs moved rhythmically
and her arms swung true as pendu-
lums.
The moon was all that Diane had
promised. Sheba drank 1T in happily.
81 believe l must be pagan. love
the sun and the moon and | know it's
all true about the little folk and the
pied piper and"
eff it's paganism to be in love with
the world, you are a thirty-third degree
pagan"
"Well, and was there ever a more
beautiful night before"
He thought not, but he had not the
words to tell her that for him it's
beauty lay largely in her presence. Her
passionate love of things fine and
brave transformed the universe for
him. 1t was enough for him to be near
her, to hear the laughter bubbling in
her throat, to touch her crisp, blue
black hair as he adjusted the scarf
about her head.
"GOd made the night" he replied.
$50 that's a Christian thought as we'll
as a pagan one."
They were no exception to the rule
that lovers are egOists. The world for
them tonight divided itself into two
classes. One included Sheba O'Neill
and Gordon Elliot; the other took in
the uninteresting remnant of humanity.
No matter how far afield their talk be-
gan, it always came back to them
selves. They wanted to know all about
each other, to compare experiences
and points of view. But time fed too
fast for words. They talked-as lovers
will to the end of time-in exclama-
tiOns and the meeting of eyes and lit
tie endearments.
When Diana and Peter found them
on the hillside, Sheba protested, with
her half-shy, half-audaciOus smile, that
it could not be two hours since she
and Gordon had left the living room.
Peter grinned. He remembered a hill
IOp COnS0CIdLSU " Ills OWn
of Diane.
The only wedding present that Mac
donald sent Sheba was a long envelope
with two documents attached by clip.
One was from the Kusiak Sun. 1t an
nOunced that the search party had
found the body of Northrup with the
rest of the stolen gold beside him. The
other was a copy of legal document.
It's effect was that the district attorney
had dismissed all charges pending
against Gordon Elliot.
Although Macdonald lost the coal
claims at Kamatlah by reason of the
report of Elliot, all Alaska still be-
lieves that he was right. In that coun-
try of strong men he stands head and
shoulders above his fellows. He has
the fortunate gift of commanding the
admiration of friend and foe alike.
The lady who is his wife is secretly the
greatest of his slaves, but she tries not