The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-12-25

ed. gioried In tho honey scented
emptiness OF tho sand hills. tho
meaaureless. heaving surface OF the
ocean. the dlzxyinK breadth and space
in which. an innnltesimai speck. she
moved.
She had scnsibly taken her land.
lady. old Mrs. Dimmlck. into her con.
fidence. and pleased TO DO part OF the
little intrigue. and perhaps pleaacd
ms well TO rent her two best rooms
10 this charming stranger. tho old
lady protected tho secret calamity.
II was all much more simple than
Rachael had feared Il would be. No
body questioned her. nobody indeed
paid attention TO her. she wandered
about tn bilssful isolation as good
for her tired soul as was the print.
tive lifo she led for her tired body.
Yet every one OF the Idle days
left its marks upon her spirit. gradu.
ally great many things that had
seemed worth while In tho old life
showed their, true and petty and sor
did natures now: gradually the puri.
flying waters OF solitude washed her
soul clean. She began TO plan for
the future--a future 40 different
from the crowded and hurried past,
Warren Grcgory's letters came
regularly. postmarked London. Paris.
Rome. They were utterly and wholly
satisfying 10 Rachael. and they went
far 20 make these days the happiost
in her life. Her heart would throb
like a girls when she saw. ON tho
little drup-icnf table I'm the hallway.
the hig square envelope. Addressed In
again like n giri--she carried II down
to the beach befor. breaking the
seal. thrilled with a thousand hopes.
unrrady TO put them 10 tho test.
Yesterdays letter had said. My
dcavss. had said. DO you realize
that will He~ you In Ave weeksf''
Could teday's be half an sweet
She was never disappointed. The
strong tide Of his devotion for her
roae steadily thru letter after letter.
In August tho glowing letters Of July
seemed cold by contrast. in S~ptcm-
her every envelope brought her
flaming brand 10 add to tho fires tina,
were beginning 70 blaze within her.
In iats September there was an In
,crvai. and Rachael told hrrrcif that
now he was on tho ocean-now he
was on the OCEAN
ny this tim, tho digging babies
were gone. tho beach was almost dc
serted. Little Office clerks. men and
women. coming down for tho two
weeks OF rest that break tho so OF
work. stiii arrived on tho lat. train
Saturday. and went away on the last
train two weeks from the following
Sunday. but there wero no m ore
dances Mt the ora big hotel. an q
some Of the smaller hotels were
closed The tall. plain. attractive
the three children and
the baby. who drove over from
Ciark's Hills every day. and who. for
all her graying hair and .bieached
linens. seemed 20 be OF Rachaeis own
worid-stIll brought her shriclsing
and spiashing trio to the beach. but
she had confided to Mrs. DimmIck.
who had known her for many sum
mcrH. that even her long holiday WINS
drawing 10 n close. Mrs. Dimmlck
brought extra blankets down from
the attic. and began TO talk OF seeing
her daughter In California. Rachael.
drinking in the glory of the dying
summer. found Zach day moro cx-
qulsite than thcvlass. and gratlfied
her old hostess By expressing her de-
sire 10 spend all the rest Of her llfe
In Quaker Bridge.
She had. indeed. come 10 IKE tho !
villagers thoroly: not the summer
for the guests Mt all sum
mer hotels are alike uninteresting. |
but for tho quiet life that went on |
year in and year out In the little side /
streets: the women who wash cd
clothes and swept porches. who gar.
dened with tow.hcadcd babies tum.
bling around them. who went on
to the little baid.faccd /
chsrch at 10 o'clock. Rachael got
into talk with them. trying 10 real
lie what u must be to walk n hot /
mile for the small Transaction OF sell.
Ing a dozen eggs for 30 cents, 10 I
spend a long morning carefully darn
Ing an old, clean Nottingham lace
curtain that could be replaced for
81. She read their lives as II they |
had been an absorbing book laid open
for her eyes. The coming OF the Hol.
Iaday baby. the decline and death Of
Did Mrs. Bird, tho narrow escape OF
Sammy Tew from drowning. and the
thoro old-fashioned tbrashing that
Mary Trimble gave her oldest son for
taking n little boy like Sammy out
beyond the heads. "-all these things
sank deep into the consciousness OF
The new Rachael. She liked the