The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1919-06-07

her heart, 1--WE ordinary people appre.
ciate more than you have any idea OF
the mere presence Of you great peo-
pie. To see you personally, or even
Just to touch you in passing crowd
that In itself creates tremendous Ella
ton in u.s."
Travers again laughed.
"YOu Americans have the most de-
lightful ability to express the dell
cate. agreeable thoughts that come into
your heads. We Britishers are hope
less quite hopeless in the niceties Of
conversation"
He looked seriously at Eve, then
continued: "NOw If I were to ex-
press to you the charming, whimsical
picture that your coming to me as you
did has flung on my mind l would fail.
Fancy telling you how more than
happy I am that you are having tea
with me-a perfect stranger in Amer
lea"
- 1t was Eve now who laughed.
"YOu don't do it badly at ALL
though" She vOuched him the very
first of her yelled glances. Her eyes
had been openly frank, her manner
chummy and even bOyish. Now the
woman had come forward to challenge.
the man.
Travers sensed the change, but STOOD
his ground even as the British army
was wont to stand its ground though
the enemy outnumbered it by many
thousands Of men.
Eve looked deep and long into the
young correspondents eyes as II she
would imprint therein some kind OF
memory Of herself. She felt in part
quite inadequate to enter any arena
when John Travers was already there.
A soft, gentle sigh escaped her lips
"DO you fancy a dancer" Travers
asked her suddenly. "It's many day
since 1 did any dancing, but ! fancy
we can drag through.
81 am sure we can" Eve laughed
and rose.
A moment later they were among
the dancers, but it was all dream TO
Eve, She could not realize that Jonn
Travers' arm was in reality touching
4 the back Of her P0iret costume ana
that her own hand lay in his. 1t must
be a dream, and she would wake to
find that she did not even know him.
However, Travers made it more than
. apparent that he was actually there.
, He kept up a light conversation at q
, quite alarming extent for him, 1t was
almost as if he were trying to erase
for few wonderful moments the trag'
ic scenes that had crowded themselves
, before his tired brain during four long
! years of war. He was fighting the
! awful reality of war as he had seen
1t, but, too, the Britishztn him was
r fighting to remain sensible.
D There was something very, very
D compelling in the charming Eve anC
/ he wanted not to become entirely al
Z the mercy of the first attractive CIR
with whom he had danced In foul
;, years. Yet there was no denying
the tremOr that her hand was sending
Y I'D his arm nor the delightful content
n ment her presence near him was pro
ducing.
e "Are you going to be In our countr!
n very long? he found Eve to be ask
A ing.
o Travers swiftly calculated the nun
Der of weeks his lectures would tax
l. him, and to that he added a week o
so for the advancement Of his court
q ship of Eve. He made up his MINI
IS that the latter would not take owe
e long if he had all the sayso, and an
q swered Eve when 1t was all though
Il out.
II "There are one or two things / mus
ie attend to when my lectures are fiji
VI ished. You American girls are trt
mendously clever at giving stranger
le the right of way in New York-so PEI
u u, haps may call on you to help me d.
III eide my course. If you assist, wi
= be back in England before thre
q months have passed"
u Eve pondered for long time Q
a' Trayers' words and found them foe
for refection-quite, quite romantic r
:" Elections.
~ 81 have so enjoyed assisting you tn
au afternoon that / am positive when yc
IS ask a great favor l will be there
NC help yOn," she said. Her voice WI
us wonderfully soft and Travers sensed
warmth as well in its depths.
ny At least he knew he would not +
l"t turn to England without Eve som
lo' where on the steamer, and she won
iu be there not as Eve-single.