The Pulaskian., 1919-10-03
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, WAY OF THE HEART
By wINlFRED c. o'BRIEN.
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The canoe drifted lazlly with the current close to the low bank of a placid. narrow river that ran through the woods. A young man lay in it's 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 hls ring with cruel little rote that "she thought that they were not congeniat enough to marry"
 Then tue 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 enYied Marjorie her possession.
 Just as he was sending the canoe out into m.d-stream with a sweeping stroke, he heard a loud call for help, and looking up the bank he espied girl in a pink dress with her hands held in front of her, seeming to push some object away. With a spring, Ed gar landed on the bank and picking ID a 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 1t was Marjorie Brooke, but he stified cry of alarm for there on the log was a three-foot diamond rattler. swishing nearer and nearer, and rattling fierce Iy. With a well-aimed blow the club landed with stinging force on the head of the rattler. crushing it immediately, and both watched the slimy body with it's beautiful diamond markings writhe in its death agonies.
 Then he turned to the girl: There are not many of those large rattlers around here. I 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 pleasurable thought that she had kissed him, he that thought that he must be lacking i'll 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 a little lace-bordered handkerchief. Without realizing what he was doing he had read the page that was lying open. How could ever have thought that I was in love with that person.
 T will never be deceived by my feel ings again. I mean never to fall in love If I 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 10 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, suddenly he had an in- spiration, and hastily he ran up the short flight of stairs to his lighted stu dio. 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 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- untarily would make one shudGer, and lastly the venomous snake. with it's diamond markings. He called the pic ture Fear" and knew without doubt that it 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 hy 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 conversation when two persons are oc- eupied with their own thoughts. Sud- denly he said T did not know that you broke your engagement to Stanley Lewis, until read he paper yester- day"
 She looked at him for a moment and then said: Well. it 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 a close and both vaguely felt that parting would be hard, yet neither would acknow1- edge to themselves that they had grown to care. Then. one afternoon, Marjorie was not at her accustomed place and Edgar learned that she had