The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-14

1
IDENTIFY had refused to be Gained" for
pleading convenient headache, she
had her dinner sent to her room, and
did not appear during the evening.
| When Dicky and I came down to our
breakfast the next morning Katie re-
| sentfully informed us that dot old
vomans got her breakfast already yet"
II hate to leave you. sweetheart,
with mother acting like this" Dicky
had whispered, as he stood at the hall
door, ready for his walk to the rail-
road station.
! Let that be the least OF your
!, troubles" had returned, with my
cheek against his. II am going to take
a long tramp this morning and nap
this afternoon, so we probably shan't
get near enough to each other for
clash" j.. :
| I had extended the tramp to include
luncheon at a quaint old inn. and my
nap when returned had taken up
most Of the afternoon.
So that my mother-in- laws icily. in
formal little speech was the first I had
heard from her lips since her out
break of the day before. My first i'm
pulse was to leave the room, and then
realized that the elder woman, in her
stiff way was really making an over
ture toward me. Hers Is a nature that
cannot stand solitude very long. She
simply must have some one with whom
| she can chat.
| Giving myself hurried warning to
keep my temper no matter how irritat-
ing she might be, I rose from my
chair and drew her favorite rocker
| closer to the fire
"You are not disturbing me in the
least" said, pleasantly. II was sim
ply watching the fire. Jim certainly
has outdone himself in the matter Of
logs this time"
"Yes, he has," she admitted grud-
ingly, as she came forward slowly and
took the chair I preferred her. 81 only
hope he, doesn't set the house afire
with such a blaze. I must tell Rich
ard to speak to him about it,"
Dicky Is Strangely jolly.
Always the pin prick, the absolute
| ignoring of me as the mistress of the
house. I could not tell whether she
had deliberately done it, or whether
long usage to dominance in a house,
hold had made her speak as she did
unconsciously.
I made no reply, 0nd for a long
time we sat staring at the fire until
Dicky's entrance came as a welcome
interruption.
i I went sedately to the door to meet
him, although I was SO glad to see
him that a dance step would more ap-
propriately have expressed my feel
ings, and returned his warm kiss and
greeting. He kept my hand in his as
he came down to the fire, not even re-
leasing it when he kissed his mother,
who still maintained the rigid dignity
with which she surrounded herself
when displeased.
WELL" Dicky said, manfully ignor-
ing any hint Of unpleasantness, this
is what 1 call comfortable, coming
home to fire and welcome like this
on dreary day."
There was note of forced jollity in
his voice that made me look up quick
ly into his eyes. AS they looked into
mine caught a glimpse of something
alf-hidden, half-revealed, something
fiercely sombre, which frightened me.
What had happened" I asked my
self with little clutch at my heart,
: ITO make Dicky look at me in this
way?" I had longing to take him
} away where we could be alone.
l was glad when my mother-in law
) rose stiffly from her chair.
If you are too much occupied,
: Margaret" she remarked, Jelly, 81 will
. go and tell Katie that Richard is here,
and that she may serve dinner imme-
, diately."
i "What Is II, Dicky?"
She swept out of the room ma jes-
| tically, and as the door closed after
, s., III
clasped me so closedly that I was
frightened
''Tell me you love me-" he said ten
derby, .better than anybody in the
J world or out of it." His eyes were
glowing with some emotion 1 could not
understand. 1 felt my vague uneasiness
OF his first entrance deepen into real
foreboding of something unknown and
terrible coming to me.
why, of course, you know that
sweetheart 1 replied. There is no
enc for me but just you! But what
is the matter; something must be the
matter"
J Where did you get that idea? ?" he
evaded. 81 just wanted to be sure
that's all. Wait here for me-I'1l dash
, up and get some of the dust off in a
; jiffy before dinner"
i I spent an anxious interval before he
came down, for despite his denials
felt that something out of the ordinary
must have happened to cause his
queer, passionate outburst.
When he returned to the living room
it was with no trace of any emotion
and throughout the dinner, while no,
/ so given to conversation as usual, he
: showed no indication that he was at al
) disturbed.
i But / was very glad when the din
ner was over and we returned to the