Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-03
rn1a REGINs THE STORY

~" ,fection for bakers, kro,1n as
wy wry,tbSrs. a friend OF her husband.
Uas;s on returning home is saddened
"A Chris moroSeneSs, but at her
~, nOa,u,ation that she lacks Mrs.
Us.;ot's po,oer to Spav him. Chris
s, n St. Andre,os for golf tcith his
s,n companions, Leaving. her dis
oovv.o,ate. oov. During Chris absence
T."thsrs tries to keep Marie amused
=, outinos, on one OF phich they
the scandal mongering Mrs.
M,v U,r;ot. Chris return home brings
.SJ;t;onal constrdint. He affects
m"In.,v AZ her cool, attitude and
T.niiy' TO please him, she consents to
=" nm a pdrty ,cith him, Mrs. Heriot
g.S FsafhcrS. As she does not play
E s"E ,he IS somephat isolated tohile
he Others are playing.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
uJHAT was to become of her? The
w bond of marriage which she had at
s,,, believed she could tolerate because
.he loved her fellow prisoner was now
,,oving into fetter, and she felt that
.ss would give anything to be free
ut.
Che had thought herself miserable
,.bs, Chris was away in Scotland, and
wat she knew she had been happier then
Nan she was now, when his pi essence
~ Tho house was constant worry to
hsr and left her with an eternal sense
Of captivity. :.
and failed. Surely there must be some
otber way Of escape for them both.
Across the hills she thoug hit she heard
somebody calling to her, and she scram- =
Md to her feet with a sense of guilt.
Time had passed 50 quickly-sh sup
nosed they had got back to the club
house and were looking for her.
Feathers coat had fallen to the
grass, and as she stopped to recover il
litter Of papers and odds and ends
mmbled out of one of the pockets.
Marie went down on her knees to
yatber them up. smiling at the motley
coIlectlon. There was bundle of pipe
cleaners and half empty packet of
sisarettes, a bone pocketknife, some
bspers that looked like bills and sheet
torn from bridge scorer with some
thing folded between it-something that
auttered down to the grass-a dead
flower!
The color few to Marie's cheeks as
she stopped to pick 1t up. 1t was q
faded blossom Of love in a -mist-the
flower she herself had given to Feathers
the last time they drove this way.
She held it in her hand for a mo-
ment. her eyes a little misty, then she
uniolded the page from the bridge scorer
and put it back in its place. and on the
inside. Of the paper, scrawled in
Feathers writing, we're the words,
Marie Celeste" and the date of the
days.she had given it to him.
Marie sat down on the grass with q
little feeling of unreality. Why had he
kept it?
SIC shut her eyes and conjured up
his kind, ugly face, and all at once it
was as il burning ray of light pene-
trated her mind. showing her the thing
he had never meant her to see.
He loved her! She could not have
explained how it was that she knew or
why she was so sure, but it came home
to her with a conviction that would not
be denied. He loved her.
How blind she had been not to have
known all along! A hundred and one
little incidents Of their friendship came
crowding back to her, fraught with a
new meaning and significance.
He loved her, and his was love so
well worth having: a love that would
make woman perfectly contented and
happy, that would allow Of no room
for jealous doubts or bitterness. that
would be like the clasp Of his hand.
strong and all enfOlding.
She had often thought with faint envy
cf the unknown woman whom some day
be might love, and all the time she was
that woman.
The little dried flower had betrayed
bis secret, and the knowledge Of it sent
4 wave OF such happiness through her
heart that for an instant she felt as
she were floating on clouds far above
all the bitter disappointments and dis
her.
For the first time in her life Chris
no longer had place in her thoughts.
She gave herself up to the sweetness
d dream that could never be real
lled-the wonder Of complete happi-
ness.
Marie" said a voice behind her,
and she looked up with dazed eyes to
her husbands face.
She had not heard his step over the
soft grass, and he was close beside her,
Is with trembling fingers she thrust
,ne papers and odds and ends back into
teatherS coat.
=, i was just coming hac!;," she said
She tried desperately to control her
voice, but her agtatcd heart beats
seemed somehow to have got hOpelcsSly
mixed up with it. Mr.. bakers left
me his coat, and the things all fell out
sn.'"' '"' pO'hetS-l hope I've found them
she scrambled up
Let me take it," Chris said. She
RRade a little involuntary movement as
70 70 refuse, then gave it to him silently
mat Old tweed coat had suddenly
Hown dear to her-more dear than any
nhg else in the world. She averted
aer eyes. so she should not see the
are'eSS way in which Chris slung it
over his arm.
she walked along beside him with
Vut speaking hardly conscious Of his
yrsSehce; Her thoughts were all in
S Ts clouds, her pulses were still throb-
Somebody loved her-that was the
SeSt JOY and wonder of the world. She
~ longer felt herself unwanted. There
m S one man to whom she was not
~,mrely m tie and q nuisance.
,,r iaeh Chris said abruptly: cts Il
w, you came if you're so easily tired. "
sW, sTe started and looked up at him.
,M mMhat do you mean? I'm not tired. "
an her weariness had forsaken her,
nn away by new and happier
ne "s laughed grimly;
~. Feathers told me that YOU were
"ga "a and had stayed behind to rest"
piciOn. u "er luce "''n vague sus-
'aStle 'aStle answered rather sharply:
linz tnere seemed no object in my trudg-
EpSv round behind you all I was not
nSaTg and ! did not understand the