New-York tribune., 1920-10-10

not very we'll pretend to her father
that Rodney was a casual acquaint-
ance, and certainly she could not tell
her father how much more than a
casual acquaintance Rodney was. If
Rodney proposed to her, she would
tell her father so. But how could
she tell her father that Rodney was
going to propose to her? That, some
how, did not seem to be the kind of
thing to tell her father. She would
have to tell it so fatty. If she had
had a mother she could have con-
veyed the information without ac-
tually saying it. But she had no
mother.
Susan had moment of uneasiness
when Rodney asked if he might call.
"Of course, you may" she said,
''but" She hesitated. Her ia
ther did not know Rodney Bingham.
He did not know that she knew him.
She would have to explain to her
father how she had met Rodney be-
fore Rodney called.
"But what?" Rodney prompted.
"When?" Susan asked.
"To-night?" Rodney asked.
every WE'LL" Susan said. After
all, explaining to her father was a
small matter.
"Well go for a drive"
"Yes," Susan said She was al
ready phrasing the sentence she
would address to her father.
She found it rather more difficult
to say than she had anticipated when
she actually faced her father across
the dinner table. He seemed in a pc
culiarly preoccupied mood and all
her attempts at light talk failed and
her banter was fiat. When they left
the table she had not told him. They
had hardly sat down in the living
room when he jumped up with a ges-
ture of impatience.
I've got a town meeting to-
night" he said. "Ihat school fight
is still on, and III be late"
For five minutes Susan regretted
her failure to tell her father some
thing about Rodney Bingham. She
spent another five minutes persuad-
ing herself that the next morning
would do just as well. A third five
minutes sufficed to put the thing
out of her mind.
Rodney talked freely about him
self during the drive. He was so
interested in telling Susan what his
life had been like and what he
wanted it to be like that he forgot
such trivial things as time and
place. And Susan, who was, after
all, woman as we'll as a daughter
of New England, forgot them also.
1t was half-past eleven when he re-
membered and they discovered they
were good thirty miles from home.
I'm sorry" Rodney said. He
turned the car about. 81 can make
it in fortyfve minutes" he said,
less if you wish"
THE speed limit is thirty miles
an hour" said Susan, gravely.
"An hour it is, them said
Rodney.
He did reach the edge Of the vii
lage in an hour, but it required ten
minutes to do the last mile. 1t was
almost l o'clock when he brought
up IN front of the white house on
the green. They stood for a mo-
nlent on the stoop.
I've had an awfully good time"
Rodney said.
Susan hardly heard his words;
her attention was on his tone, his
manner, his nearness to her: she
was listening for that which had
not been put into words
$50 did l." she said aloud She
was thinking: "He wants to kiss
me-"
i hate awfully to CO." he said
i don't want to go in a bit" she
SAID. But l must" She was
thinking: He is going to kiss me-
She was quite mistaken in her
prophecy; in that delicious. tense
moment window above her head
shot upward with a rattle and p
oang. From within her father,s
voice came with concentrated bit
terness.
Mr.. Bingham" he said. ~ oh
Ject to your presence. Susan. come
in the house"
Inc window came down sharplv
The two looked at each other
"Well!' said Rodney.
Susan put her hand lightly on his
arm.
Il don't understand" she wbis-
pered. "But-you had better go-
now"
ROdneV nodded and ,ro111