Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-12
DAILY NOVELETTE,
THE WAY OF II
4
H., NNt,;f.oJ ~ n,D,.a.
BY Winifred C. O'Brien
TIIE canoe drifted lozily with the cur

l. rent 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 married by
the expression of bitterness and the
stern set mouth. Edgar Rawley, noted
young painter and received in the best
society, was seeking balm for a bruised
heart and hurt pride.
He had asked Marion Bracebridge,
one of the beauties of the ~debutantcs,
to marry him, and after n few months
engagement, she had, without warning,
sent back his ring with q cruel little
note that "she thought that they were
not congCnial enough to marry"
lust as he was sending the out
into midstrcam he heard aloud call for
help, and looking up the bank he espicd
n girl in n pink dress. With a spring,
Edgar landed on the bank and picking
up n large club ne fastened to the
scene.
When he ncarcd the girl he gave n
start of surprise as he saw that it was
Marjorie Brooke, but he stihCd a cry of
alarm. for there on the log was a three
foot diamond RATHER, swishing nearer
and nearer, and rafting ferccly. With
n we'll aimed blow the club landed with
singing force on the head of the rat
tier. crushing it Immediately, and both
watched the Shiny body with its beau
tiful diamond rattles writhe in it's death
a%gOnics.
Suddenly she made a little rush and,
throwing her arms about him, kissed
him firmly on the mouth and then flew
up the path before he had vaguely
scnscd her action. Somehow it was Il
plcasurable thought that she had kissed
him he had thought that he must be
lacking in something so that no woman
could love him. He turned slowly, and
then his eye caught n book which she
had dropped and, STOPPING, he picked it
up; also n little lace bordercd hand
kcrChief. Without realizing what he
was doing, he had read the page that
was lying open: "IOw could | ever
have thought that l was in love with
that person?
Thinking to send them to Marjorie
the following day, he dropped them in
his pocket and turned the canoe home
ward. A few hours later in his den,
smoking. suddenly he had an i~nspira-
ton, and hastily he raD up the short
flight of stairs to his lighted studio.
There was an unfinished painting there
of the low bank. the stunted fir trees
and the sweeping forest beyond the
placid river. With quick, sure strokes
he sketched in the figure of a young
girl in a pink dress. with q large shade
hat hanging down from her shoulders,
her hands stretched out and an express
sion of such fear that involuntarily
would make one %shudder, and lastly
the vcnomous snake. with its diamond
~rattlCs. He called the picture Fear"
and knew without doubt that it would
be we'll 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 nothings that make up cOn-
vcrsation when two persons are occupied
with their own thoughts. Suddenly
he said, II did not know that you
broke your engagement to Stanley
Lewis. until l read the paper ycstcr-
/ day."
She looked at him for n moment and
then said, "Well. it is a woman's priv
ilcgc to change her mind" Then she
hastily changed the conversation to
other matters that concerned the
world which they had left behind. 1t
now became the usual event of cacf
afternoon for Marjorie to be seated
IN the log when Edgar would come by
in his cauOe. They had luncheon to-
gcthcr many times and spent many
hours of pleasure in each others com
pany. Each knew that the other was
seeking to forget a bitter experience.
The days slipped by, and the summer
was drawing slowly to n close, and both
vaguely felt that parting would be
hard, yet neither would acknowledge tc
themselves that they had grown tc
l care. Then, one afternoon, Marjorie
was not at her accustomed place and
Edgar learned that she had left sud
denly for home and that she said t.
thank him for many happy hours ant
> to say gOOd-by.
| Three months later, in the large
drawing room at the fashionable tow
home of one of the great society lead.
; "rs, an exhibition of the prize paintings
was held. and the prize picture which
had won the medal at the academy wa
to be shown for the first time. Whit
the polite chorus of "ohs' and "ahs'
was ripping through the room, out il
the conservatory where Edgar had fol
lowed Marjorie just after his picture, a'
the prize picture, had been exhibited
there was another scene for n delightful
picture. but you see l knew that l wal
beginning to care and So" But tn,
:, rest of the words were mumbled agains
: his coat sleeve and for the second TIM
! the dainty lips were pressed agains
Edgar's.
The next complete ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Vacation.