The Ordway new era., 1919-12-12
CHAPTER XVIII.

Having finished some errands down
town, the next afternoon, George Am
berson Minafer was walking up Nation
al avenue on his homeward way when
he saw In the distance, coming toward
him, upon the same side of the street,
the figure of young lady-a figure
just under the middle height, comely
indeed. and to be mistaken for none
other in the world-even ut two hum
dred yards. To his sharp discontinue
his heart Immediately forced upon him
the consciousness of Its acceleration u
sudden warmth about his neck made
him aware that he had turned red,
and then, departing, left him pale. For
panicky moment he thought of fac
ing about in actual flight; he had little
doubt that Lucy would meet him with
no token of recognition, and all at
once this probability struck him as un-
endurable. And If she did not speak,
was 1t the proper part of chivalry to
| lift his hat and take the cut bare
headed? Or should the finer gentle
man acquiesce in the lady's desire for
nc further acquaintance, and pass her
with stony mien and eyes constrained
forward? George was young man
badly flustered.
| AS they drew nearer George tried to
prepare himself to meet her with some
remnant of aplomb. He kept his eyes
from looking full at her, and as he
saw her thus close at hand, and COM
| ing nearer, n regret that was dunn
founding took possession of him. For
the first time he had the sense of hav-
ing lost something of overwhelming i'm
portance.
Lucy did not keep to the right
but came straight to meet him. smil-
ing, and with her hand offered to him.
"Why-you-" he stammered, as he
took 1t. "Haven't you" What he
meant to say was: Haven't you heard?"
Haven't what?" she asked and he
saw that Eugene had not told her.
"Nothingw he gasped. "May T.
may 1 turn and walk with you little
way?"
Eyes, indeed" |" she said cordially.
| He would not have altered what had
been done: he was satisfied with all
that-satisfied that 1t was right, and
that his own course was right. But he
began to perceive n striking inaccu-
racy in some remarks he had made to
his mother. Now when he had put
matters In such shape that even by
the REIMBURSEMENT of his "ideals of
life" he could not have Lucy, knew
that he never could have her, and
knew that when Eugene told her the
history of yesterday he could not have
glance or n word even friendly from
Il 80 t,, u,
"gIve up all idea of Lucy" he was
amazed that he could have used such
words as mo particular sacrifice" and
believed them when he said them! She
had looked never In her life so bewitch-
ingly pretty as she did to-day; and as
he walked beside her he was sure that
she was the most exquisite thing in the
world.
Lucy" he said huskily. 81 want to
tell you something. Something that
matters"
"T hope it's lively something. then"
she said. and laughed. "Papa's been
so glum today he's scarcely spoken to
me. Your Uncle George Anderson
came to see him an hour ago and they
shut themselves up in the library, and
| your unCle iOOheu uS 6iuhh 10 papa.
I'll be glad If you'll tell me funny
story. George"
"well. 1t may seem one to you." he
said bitterly. "Just to begin with
when you went away you didn't let
me know; not even word-not a
line"
Her manner persisted in being in
consequent. "Why, no." she said. ~
just trotted off for some visits. Don't
you remember. George? We'd had a
grand quarrel, and didn't speak to
each other all the way home from
long, long drive! SO, as we couldn't
play together like good children, of
course 1t was plain that we oughtn't
to play at ALL"
"Playl" he cried.
eyes. What 1 mean is that we'd come
to the point where 1t was time to quit
playing-well, what we were playing"
"At being lovers, you mean. don't
your"
"Something like that" she said light
ly. "For us two, playing at being
lovers was just the same as playing at
cross-purposes. had all the pur-
poses, and that gave you all the cross
ness; things weren't getting along at
all 1t was absurdW
"well, have 1t your own way" he
said. at needn't have been absurd"
"No, 1t conidn't help but bel" she
informed him cheerfully. "The way
Il