Deming graphic., 1919-12-09

sy wINIFREp c. o'sRIEN.


SeSJJeSgS9SgSeS SeS4SeSeSeSe
The canoe drifted lasily with the
current close to the low bank OF a
placid. narrow river that ran through
the woods. A young man lay In Its
bottom with eyes closed, his face
marred by the expression Of bitterness
and the stern set mouth. Edgar Raw
ley. noted young painter and received
In the best society, was seeking balm
for bruised heart and hurt pride.
He had asked Marion Bracebridge.
one OF the beauties Of the debutantes,
to marry him. and after few months
engagement. she had. without warning.
sent back his ring with cruel little
note that "she thought that they were
not congenial enough to marry"
Then the news came Of her engage
ment. and the engagement Of the sea-
sons belle. Marjorie Brooke; Marion
to Alan Coe. the banker, and Mar
jorie's to Stanley Lewis. the poet. Half
the young girls and all the women
were frankly In love with Stanley and
they envied Marjorie her possession.
Just as he was sending the canoe
out into mId-stream with a sweeping
stroke, he heard a loud call for help,
and looking up the bank he espied a
girl In a pink dress with her hands
held in front Of her, seeming to push
some object away. With spring. Ed
gar landed on the bank and picking up
q large club which was sometimes used
to push boats out into the stream, he
hastened to the scene.
When he neared the girl he gave a
start of surprise as he saw that II was
Marjorie Brooke, but he stifed a cry
Of alarm for there on the log was a
three-fOot diamond rattler. swishing
nearer and nearer, and rattllng fierce
ly. With well-aiined blow the club
landed with stinglng force on the head
Of the rattler. crushing II Immediately,
and both watched the Shiny body with
Its beautiful diamond markings writhe
In its death agonles.
Then he turned to the girl: There
nre not many Of those large rattlers
around here. l am surprised that this
one should have ventured out at ALL"
Suddenly she made little rush, and
throwing her arms about him kissed
him firmly on the mouth and then flew
up the path before he had vaguely
sensed her action. Somehow IL was q
pleasurable thought that she had kissed
him, he that thought that he must be
lacking in something so that no wom-
an could love him. He turned slowly
and then his eyes caught book which
she had dropped, and STOPPING he
picked It up, also little lace-bordered
handkerchief. without realizing what
he was doing he had read the page
that was lying open. "Hdw could l
ever have thought that was In love
with that person.
II will never be deceived by my feel.
ings again. mean never to fall In
love II can help It"
There was more on the closely writ
ten page, but that was all that Edgar
read before he came to himself that he
was reading girls personal secrets.
Thinking to send them to Marjorie
on the following day, he dropped them
In his pocket and turned the canoe
homeward. A few hours later In his
den. smoking. suddeily he had an In
spiration. and hastily he ran up the
short flight of stairs to his lighted stu
dlo. There was an unfinished painting
there OF the low bank, the stunted hr
trees and the sweeping forest beyond
the placid river. With quick, sure
strokes he sketched In the figure Of a
young girl In pink dress, with large
shade hat hanging down from her
shoulders, her hands stretched out and
an expression of such fear that invol-
UNFAIRLY would make one shudder. and
lastly the venomous snake, with Its
diamond markings. He called the pic
ture Fear" and knew without doubt
that II would be well received at the
prize exhibition In the fall.
The following afternoon he made his
way to the little cottage which Mar
jorie occupied and found her drying
her hair by the hedge. She thanked
him rather distantly for the return Of
her property, and then began to talk Of
the various nothlngs that make up
conversation when two persons are oc-
cupied with their own thoughts Sud-
denly he said II did not know that you
broke your engagement to Stanley
Lewis, until read the paper yester-
day."
She looked at him for n moment and
then said: "weil, II Is a woman's
privilege TO change her mind" Then
she hastily changed the conversation
to other matters that concerned the
world which they had left behind.
The days slipped by, and the sum-
mer was drawing slowly to close and
both vaguely felt that parting would
be hard. yet neither would acknowl.
edge to themselves that they had
grown to care. Then, one afternoon
Marjorie was not at her accustomed