South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-09-21
oh. there you are 20

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Little Mrs Durkee's clear, alb
surdly youthful voice caroled the
greeting ioyously as she and MAJ.
Grantland came through the open
ing in the hedge which separates
our lawns
The officer. with his usual neon
gruous air Of awkwardness, min
gled with old-fashiOned cOurtEness.
made Lillian and me a formal bow
as he approached US. I saw that he
was palpably III az ease and en-
| barrassed. saw also that his face
was deeply lined. and lost for the
| present at least the youthfulness
which I remembered IL wore even
during the tense moments OF our
/ never 20 be forgotten experience
with the spies at the little country
linn Evidently his experience over
/ seas. and the period OF time when
| he had been deprived OF sight had
| racked him. mind and body.
Isn't 1t perfectly lovely 10 see
/ her downstairs again." Mrs. Dur
kee demanded. after she had nut
tered her way 70 my side and had
/ kissed me warmly. Her greeting
land her pleasure were so evidently
| sincere that they dwarfed IN my
mind for the moment the resent
ment I felt against the little woman
/ for the absurd attitude she had
/ taken toward Mai. Grantland' :
elaborate courtesy during my con-
| valescence. an interest born Of his
lremorseful fancy that he had been
the cause Of the accident which had
| befallen me.
Yes. indeed" the officer said,
| conventionally. and the words were
relieved OF banality only by the
were uttered I involuntarily con-
trasted his palpable awkwardness
with the easy grace with which
I r}icky or Alfred Durkee or even
/ Harry Underwood would have han
/ died a similar situation. and then
\ inevitably the question followed:
| Was IL because any one OF the
\ four men was more tyIically that
anomaly known as the man OF the
world and perhaps lacked the sin
/ cerity. the white-hot earnestness
I which indubitaly is the strongest
trait in the young officers make
up
Her Flufiness preened her plum
age and smiled prettily up at him.
The major thought he ought not
I to come over today. that perha ps
I vou would be too tired 20 see him,
she chirped But I told him il
7 would do YOU a lot more good 20
/ see him than 10 know he was stay
ling away because of that when he's
! been so anxious about you. SO
/ just brought him along with me,
/ and know you're just plum b
| tickled 70 death. aren't you. dear ,"
There is a perversity in me which
! I have long and futilely tried 70
conquer. a perversity that makes II
almost impossible for me 70 follow
/ a certain course of procedure when
some officious friend or relative
points il out TO me as the only one
/ 20 take. II Mai Grantland had
! come by himself 10 make his
/ "atonement CALL as I began whim-
siCallv 20 term this painful visit
by his evident distressed awkward
ness. as vel as by his sincerity. 70
make him feel welcome. But with
my little neighbor absurdly pulling
\ me up 90 a line IN the floor. setting
my toes upon il. and outlining a les
son for me 20 reCite. baked
"I am charmed 7 murmured
with about as much expression in
the words as IL 7 were indeed re-
citing the multiplication table. and
held out a hand 20 the young OFF,
Ger. which I purposely made as
limp and expressionlesS as possible.
Mai Grantland took the hand
eagerly and pressed il with honest
heartiness. Then a puzzled. panied
expression came into his eyes he
looked at me SearChingly. AID with
an impulsive movement released the
hand a. If it had been piece OF un-
comfortable not metal His face
looked so like that of a hurt child
for the moment before a mask OF
icy courtesy overspread ill., that /
felt wholesomely ashamed of my
self
looked furtiVely around at Mrs.
/ Durkce. VINO fortunately had To-.
gotten US for the moment in an ami
I mated questioning OF Lillian con-
corning a mutual acquaintance. Re
/ heved OF her ridiculous espionage.
allowed nv natural sense of fair
play and decent treatment 20 have
/ the upper hand again.
Forgive me" murmured
/ quickly. for I had seen by the look
IN his eyes that this was no time for