The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-10
MARK SPEAKS
Chapter Il

1t is a horrible SenSatiOn-this feel
ing that one is watched. 1t makes one
feel like a criminal. know that after
had overheard the village people Cos
siping about me, | began to find ex-
cuses to explain the most obvious
things | did. If went to the store on
an errand-the way led past the Digg's
there-I felt that all the neighbors
thought was going there to see him.
A silly idea, yet it made me most I'M
comfortable.
Certainly | never encouraged Mark.
Probably no middle-aged woman was
wooed less willingly than l. 1t was
not entirely because l did not like
Mark: in spite of his inordinate van
ity, he had many pleasant characteris-
tics. Indeed, some of his vanity was
rather nice; it had in it the pleased
boastfulness of a small boy who has
learned new game.
But we could not renew our friend
ship, or rather l could not, because
the element of Inconsistencies was
introduced by our gosSiping friends
Mark quite evidently had come back to
Henly Falls to find new wife, at the
same time that he was looking over
his nephew with a view to taking him
into his business.
combining business with pleasure"
Violet remarked sarcastically one eve
ming, when Jim came in to say that
Mark was coming over.
IT'S good business to take in Billy,
I suppose you mean-"Esther began.
mo, I don't" vi answered. "The
pleasure part is unloading the work of
his store on Billy; the business part
Of his trip is acquiring wife and
housekeeper."
Esther looked at her daughter with
a blank expression. Il wish you would
not say so many things no one can
understand" she remarked finally.
But I understood and smiled to my
self at the girls comprehension of the
esubject.
Mark arrived at half-past seventh
was clear day, and it still was broad
daylight outside.
Il thought maybe you'd like to go to
a movie over at the Corners" he said,
not getting out of his little car. And
of course there was nothing to do
but GO
Hes going to speak tonight, l know
it, Esther said, following me indoors
in great excitement, as l went in for
a wrap. Now, Enid, don't you be a
fool and say no if he does. And you
give him plenty of chance to speak,
too. You know woman can always
make man say it if she just let's the
right moment come. Jim wouldn't
have spoken for months if l hadn [
known how to manage it..
| thought it best not to answer. But
of course, riding along in the car with
him | felt uncomfortable and could
think of nothing to say.
That Esthers instinct was right,
soon found out. Mark would talk OF
nothing but his business, his profits,
his house, and finally he began about
his present state of loneliness.
My hands were cold and damp from
sheer nervousness. Here, finally, after
50 years, a man was going to ask me
to marry him-the only man. by the
way l had ever liked at all! But l
felt no pleasant sensations at the pros
pect-only a nervous fear and a great
desire to be back home again.
DO you remember the drives we
used to take?" he asked.
oh, yes" l tried to make my voice
natural.
And the picnics over here by the
woods beyond the Corners" he went
on.
one picnic?" he asked. | looked side
wise at him, his curious small-boy pro
file, and the puffed cheeks and the
many chins and thick neck. His skin
was rough and red from the wind. and
his collar was too tight. | hated hin
suddenly this one-time sweetheart
and present sutton of mine.
"No. | don't" | answered deliberate
ly, though ] did remember very well,
Don't you Well | suppose after
all these years you might forget. Yes
long time" he meditated. Or may
be-" with a chuckle, you don't thinl
it proper for an old woman to remem
Der such things as kisses?'
"Of course you know you are FIVE
years older than | am 1t was thu
first defense | ever had made of m.
age.
Yes, that's true. But man keep
younger than a woman. l says. Yol