Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-01

of Europe? She searched among her
acquaintance, and when she found
some one who had been divorced
she FASTENED to invite them to din
ner, watching them with the curios-
ity of child, trying to divine wheth-
er at bottom they were really happy
If they suffered from the feeling
of the worlds criticism.
The evil shadow in all her struq-
giles toward an honest recognition
of her duty was the thought OF Irma
Dellabarre. Irma had taken her re-
venge; Irma was the element that
aroused all the worst in her-Irma.
who stood as her rival, not only in
the present of Andrew, but in the
past of Monte Bracken.
She had tried to put Monte out
OF her thoughts. She was afraid of
him; not his brilliant side-the mind
that awoke her mind, the dramatic
touch about him that awoke her
imagination-but the gentler side,
exquisite Difference toward her, his
tact, his patience, and the longing in
his eyes to hold forth his hand. the
deeper side of the man which she
had reached; the Bracken who, since
the night of their return over star
, lit waters, she knew loved her. In
the end she yielded to the need of
knowing him at hand. When he was
in the room she had a sensation of
electric strength to which she went
avidly in the utter weakness of the
lonliness in which she wandered
Every day, somehow or other. she
managed TO see him, but always in
the presence of others, and at times,
when she thought no one was
watching, her eyes fastened them
selves on him-his destiny, his hap
piness, too. lay in her hands.
And then, abruptly, without pre-
arrangement, a week when Andrew
had been called west, the solution
precipitated itself.
1t had been dry day in July, but
toward evening a little breeze had
set the bay to ripping and the even
ing had been delicious. They had
gone for sail in Bracken's racing
sloop, the Water Sprite, a marvel
of light grace and speed, which he
was preparing for the races at the
end of the month. From the glow
ing decks Kitty and Amy, stretched
in an ecstacy of langour, dozed in
feline daydreams. Above them, the
white spread of sails hattened |
against, the brittle blue sky. Across |
the wrinkled waters, moving like a |
fairy wrath, Challoner's rival yacht, !
the White Streak, slipped easily at
their side, with Gladys and Irma |
lounging at the bow. Between the |
two men all intense rivalry existed, |
which the fleeing boats seemed to |
comprehend in the swift coquetry |
of their agile maneuvering, the |
sweeping descent on each other for
an attempted blanketing, the chal-
lenge of the right of way which |
brought them from time to time in
perilous proximity, only to glide
easily away under a swerving tack.
From where she lay under the
creaking boom that passed and re-
passed in the light breeze with the
ease of a swallows darting, Amy
Forester, through half closed eyes,
watched Monte Bracken. He was
bareheaded, the dark hair a little
loose about the temples, the tanned
throat and arms revealed in the
creamy shirt, a pipe in his mouth,
his body balanced against the slight
fitting of the deck, where below, a
beaded edge of waterly lace curled
on the Hurried blue From time to
time he gave staccato order to a
sailor at the ropes, studying the set
of the topsails or watching with APP
praising eyes the answering chal-
lenge of the White Streak, jibing,
flinging out a great, lazy |
balloon sail, testing the qualities of
his adversary. Yet in all this solicit
tude of the master, occasionally his
glance came back to her, rested a
on her half yelled eyes, lit
up with a smile, passed and returned
again.
Life with him would be very like
this gliding ease, she thought, pleas
ant and drawn on languid breezes.
When Andrew was away and she was
no longer racked by the thought of
meetings with Irma Della
barre, she yielded to the charm of
this personality, and there were mo-
nents, as in the glory of the rosy
setting of an untroubled day, when
'he felt in the momentary meeting of
heir glances depths of feeling which
her. Life would be pleas
mt with Monte Bracken-even now
The could not think of it without
lin without a feeling of rebellion
Today there was new longing in
Ter, a longing that came to her, dis
urbing and delightful, a thrilling
against the very reserve
md difference which he held toward
Ter with such fine courtesy-a reti-
.ence she did not always feel in his
,lance.
Something new, something that
he had never known, stirred in her
IS the gossamer sails stirred and
welled above her against the deep
,lue.
With a waving of scarfs the White
,treak gave way and sped toward
he Dellabarre anchorage up the
,ay. They took in their balloon jib,
acked and made the dock.
"Lordy, l love sailing when it's
ike that!" said Kitty, jumping upI
With sigh of regret. Il say, Monte,
IN dying to make some money.
What do you think-can I back you
gainst the White Streak?"
Backing myself pretty heavy,
Kitty" he said confidently. In their
ecessity for an amicab1e third, he
ad come to almost a liking for