The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-01-30

squarely, steadily. She drew a deep
breath. Something sustaining had
come into the white mans gray-blue
eyes, something you could lean upon
He was suddenly not Of her old world.
Il am afraid the soup is little
cold" he said as he stepped around
to draw her chair for her.
The dinner was good beyond the
cachet Of mere gross appetite. and
it was served with rapidity and
smoothness that would have done
credit to the oldest of the Pellor but
lers.
"Your servants are we'll trained"
said Andrea.
Each has little to do" said the
man. HE must do it well. That, in
cidentally, Is the secret of getting
satisfactory work out Of an African"
SIS it?' said Andrea absently. "Pve
| always heard they were a shiftless
lot and that a white man could do the
work Of ten niggers."
$50 he can, ordinarily" answered
the man, almost as absently, ''but
there are times when ten boys picked
boys" He stopped as If he were
lost in some far Renaissance.
A silence fell to the end of the meal
which conceded with the sudden enc
of the tropic day.
The man spoke to the servants foi
the first time. They cleared the
table, set it again with glasses ant
lqueurs, cigars, cigarettes and coffee
and moved it slightly to one side
Then, from the nearby hut, the.
brought out two cushioned wicke
chairs, homemade but comfortable
Andrea sank into hers with a peculia
feeling of well-being mixed with sus
pense. The man sat down opposit
her, the table within easy reach of bot
but not between them. Somethin
swayed with a jerk above their heads
Andrea, startled, looked up just in tim
to see an enormous white disk unrol
from it's edges, letting fall in a circl
around them a snowy mesh of bot
binet.
They and all they needed for con
fort, became enclosed in an insec
proof cage that swayed softly to tn
evening stir Of air. The servant
| weighted down it's edges with fla
, stones and then lit two acetylen
| lamps that stood outside on stand
placed at right angles to the coupl
: within the net so that the eyes of bot
We're spared the glare.
The man poured coffee and liqueur
} lit Andrea's cigarette, chose a Gigs
t for himself and sat down. During tt
r coffee they eyed each other in silenc
taking each others measure. ut is tt
bad" he said finally, that we can
take this hour for itself alone ar
I drink together cup of peace al
! stiffness and comfort"
His words were half a question ar
it was so that Andrea understood theI
! She drew a deep sigh, shrugged h
4 bare shoulders and turned squarely
her companion. 1T is too bad" 81
y said, repeating his words with bitt
4 emphasis, that can't forget that
I this night / lose everything that ms
= ters-too bad can't brush catastrop
q and ruin aside for the sake Of fo
moon and cigarette"
q AS she spoke, the man braced hi
u self. Everything that matters"
Z repeated. Ruin What have you IL
a that matters? Wherein have you be
ruinedW
! The girl stared at him. open-ey'
y ''Yo1 know who I am, what ! sta
t. for in my world, and how that wol
"a will make a chasm that I can neN
nj recross after this night and you c
III sit there and say it doesn't matter a
4 ask where's the ruin?"
j The man looked away from her ter
face. 1.-THE things that matter"
| said quietly, "are health-first of be
| and then of soul-honor that can sta
alone, and the fame of an inner lar
There is nothing else that really coul
and you've lost none of these. AS
y ruin" He. turned his eyes back
her and in them was a CLEAN of qr
zIcal challenge. "ShalI l define r.
for your"
y. "Please do" said Andrea, unsmili
"Ruin," caid the man, lis bur
Whether It's Pompeii or an entire {
as ilization lying under strata of a
er thousand years stride of time-or
ey individual rotting under the sod
er conventions, it's all one and the SO
vn thing. Routine Is tomb. and WI
ry you go so deep In its foul mir that
re can't keep burning the flame of t
gh inner lamp l mentioned, why yo'
ed dead to every intent and every /
ed pose. That, Andrea Pellor, Is ruin
'us de used her name without pre-
of but without familiarity; simply a