Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1920-02-19
An impossible
Story
By BESS PLAIN
Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News.
paper Syndcate.)


shore. Suddenly she turned to him
and grasped his hand in hers, small,
cold and damp with the breath of the
sea.
do you remember" she said, sit
was here, years ago when we were.
oh, so young, you--you once said you
loved mel"
yes" he answered with quiet ten
derness, 81 remember"
Tell me-" she said quickly 'tell
me Do you still? want you to-
Oh, how | want you tor
dearest, dearest of all, you know
4dp."
FThen kiss me-" she whispered.
He bent his head to hers, and their
souls seemed to meet, trembling, upon
their lips
The waves beat their rhythmic thun-
der upon the rugged shore, spraying
high over the rocks, as though attempt
ing to liberate themselves from the
eternal bondage Of the sea. and dash
into the mists, free as the air that
swirled about the two indlstinct fig
ures.
The End
AS the sound of his voice ceased
he closed the book softly, and there
was a moment of silence. She stood
up languidly and gazed wistfully out
over the black sea.
mot bad story, I'll say" he ven
tured 'In fact, | rather liked it. Es-
pecially good for weekend SWIM
ming party, when it's too cold to swim
and everybody sticks indoors"
"Everybody?" she questioned arch
~. "Thanksw
"Well everybody except a girl
you've known so long that she'd be In
suited If you tried any romance"
$50 you take her our on the veranda
in the fog and read an impossible
story to herr"
Impossible story I think it's a
mighty good one; true to life, and
real"
That's where you're wrong 1t
isn't true to life or natural at all"
d
Mt him. "Of course | like the way
you read and all that: but I do hate
these bookey-books. With the things
that never happen except in some
starving authors brain. Imagine a
woman asking a man Il he still cared
for her" she continued, Scornfully.
ard never ask man that-not If |
was dying to know. And then, on top
Of that, without waiting for an an
swer, she not only admits she wants
him TO, but practically begs him TO.
Pooh! It's too rldiculous" she fin
,shed with unexpected heat and, step
ping from the veranGa started to walk
toward the leaping breakers.
A look OF mild surprise came over
his face. But as he watched her slen-
der figure retreatins through the gray
fog a deep tenderness, filed his eyes,
unhidden now that she was not there
to see. He thought for a moment rem
iniscently. and then grim determine
ton, like an habitual mask, lined his
features as he made a slight, uncon-
scious gesture, as though casting away
something futile.
Coming to himself, he tossed the
book to the wicker tabaret, and STROBE
after. In a few steps he was up to
her and linked his arm in hers In
familiar way She made no sign. but
continued slowly along the shore.
The mist billowing in from the re-
mote mystery of the ocean, soon hid
the house they had just left and iso-
lated them from the cOnventionalizing
touch of its presence, the touch thar
builds ND walls and barriers and keeps
people from one another. The trees,
farther in from the shore rose in dark
outline. and moved in the wind like
vaguely gesticuating phantoms, arous-
ing sensation of strangeness and
distance from the present, like blurred
figures surging out Of the past.
81 don't suppose they'll worry about
our being unchaperoned," he jested'
mo one ever worries about chap
eroning US" she answered, with per-
hans the faintest hint OF irritation
"They all know I'm platonic and
harmless"
"Do they? That's why Mrs. Hostess
anpeared on the veranda last night
with some totally superfuous refresh
ment when you were sitting out a
dance with that new girl
"Oh. you mean the wonderful oru-
nette. with the lovely"
you needn't describe her" she cut
in quickly. 81 remember how she looks.
No one could help noticing how you
singled her out. The refreshment was
probably to prevent premature pro
posal-or something Of the sort you
danced six dances with her.
was it really six?" he asked inno-
Gently,
ask"
"And the only other one l danced
was with you"
.aThat was self-sacrifcing.'
More so than YOU think.
please elucidate."
whats the use7-Oh' Wen! tf
inst this. never dance with anyone
else after having danced with you
make you my last partner. When
y WaNn