The Washington times., 1921-04-11


wavered in little drafts that crept
in; the lamp burned steadily In It's
glass chimney. Inside. Dan and
Patricia smiled at each other from
their big chairs by the fire. Out
side the blizzard howled and
whimpered, and the snow piled IT.
self softly over the world. and over
the stalled motor-car, and the tiny
cabin hidden away In the forest or
Mountainhead.
More than once, In the long
straining and buffeting of the wild
night, Patricia wakened. In her
deep nest OF robes and pillows and
looked about her. Always the
scene was the same. The fire
burned steadily. and beside IL lay
Dan. on an improvised couch OF
cushions
The light of the flames touched
the rough walls Of the cabin, flick
cred warmly here and there.
Shadows massed and broke again
in the corners OF the ROOM
Outside the storm ragged on.
branches cracked. once tree fell
with a slowly rising crescendo OF
sound. Patricia, turning drowsy
eyes toward the side window. could
creeping up against the pane. They
were .nowbound.
She looked at Dan. or rather at
the tumbled haid and the one line
of brown cheek and Arm jaw that
were visible as he slept. And
when she looked her eyes narrow
ed into a smile that had something
maternal in it's affectionate indulg-
ence. and a dimple deepened in her
cheek.
Dan, the barbarian, Dan. the
plebian, was still Dan. the realest
man she had ever known.
Her magnificent father. her
cousin Harry, Sidney and all the
males of the tribe OF Eyres and
Chambers and Pages. had been men
OF one type: educated. affected, ar.
rogant sure Of certain facts in life.
indifferent to the viewpoints OF
other people.
And Sidney had belonged to them;
distinguished by his genius and his
poverty. he had nevertheless made
their standards his own.
When Sydney assumed evening
dress, when he presented his hos
tess with flowers, when he escorted
q group OF women to a boN-party
at the theater. ne was merely one
more eligible man among the
others.
A DIFFERENT SORT
Dan was different. Society hal
attracted him merely because 1t hal
repudiated him. He had, in a blunt
and angry fashion, forced cert l. n
doors: he had quickly tired of tn"
game.
The moment-and the girl had
seen II arrive--when Deerbridge's
incest set had seen fit to accept Dai.
Palmer was also the moment when,
in rudeness and boredom and disi.-
lusionment. he had lost all interest
in what II had to offer.
what did he want? Patricia
unused, watching him asleep. He
had said that he preferred his Dex
ter cows to the Entire Nous, and at
different times he had mentioned
that he would like to sail up the
Nile" "camp out for six months in
some Canadian lorest where Mere
were still Indians" and "live for
awhile among the workers in 6 min
ing city, to get the thing straight"
These would be strange dwelling
places for the last of the Cheese
broughs.
But she knew now that wherever
he was there her happiness woul1
be. Or was II happiness. this pain
and hunger and eagerness, this
boldness and shyness. this alternate
fever and chill? Certainly Patricia
had not been all happy in these last
few days, when IL had rapidly and
amazingly come to her that Dan was
all her world.
She had still seen him for what
was outwardly. restless and crude
and ignorant of the code of her
world. But that code had been
dropping from her of late. 1t was
still pretty. still pleasantly ideal;
\but il was no longer Important; IL
had no longer to do with the rcali-
ties Of life.
Copyright, International Magazine Col
('rs BE Continued Tomorrow.)