Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-07-16
PART CONTINUED.

~
The girl considered gravely for
moment; then her face broke into
ripping smile that swept up and sci
tied In her eyes. She reached for
cushion, put 1t at her back. tucked on
foot under herself, and waved tn
other In the same fashion as had MID
Van Teller earlier in the evening.
"Now talk" she said.
do you like mef" asked Mr.. Ran
dolph.
She nodded her head.
"You're not afraid to be herey
She shook denial.
"Have you ever been In a mani
room before?"
She looked him straight In the eye|
and made no other sign.
1t was Mr.. Randolph's turn to flush
"Then." he SAID, 'if you like me and
II you're not afraid, please begin a
the start and tell me all about It,"
The girls eyes fell and sought thu
fire. Her face slowly paled to tht
shade of her somber thoughts. Sht
was no longer pretty she was beal-H
full, with a revealing transparency thai
made her g unfleshed, a disem
bodied spirit OF sincerity and truth
Individually pure.
y had a nurse once" she said, In 8
low voice, land a wire-haired terrier
a show-dog and a darling. His name
was Sport" She raised solemn eyes
10 Randolph's face as though measur
ing his powers of understanding. any
nurse died and then, one day, ! had tt
sell Sport l wasn't old enough to sell
myself"
She stopped speaking with an nm.
mistakable fnality. Randolph was
overwhelmed by the flood Of informa.
tion that this slip Of a girl had packed
into two-score words. A l~ife-story In
four lines and a revelation of the
heart thrown In for good measure
Over and above that, he had to reckon
with the confirmation of a suspicion
which had been slowly establishing it.
self In his mind that he had met her
before, that not for the first time this
night had those soft lips, curved for
merry words, cried, my. what a
bump!" within hts hearing.
So many considerations pressed to
his immediate attention that he
awoke to the actual present too late
to stem the tide Of tears that sudden
iy rose to the girls eyes.
"0h." she sobbed, "what Is to be-
come Of me? l was so happy here, II
yeu hadn't made me think
II anything has been said In the
coarse OF these pages to give the i'm
preston that Mr.. Randolph was mod
eisd after Joseph or hewn out OF Ice
or packed with probity to the exclu-
sion Of red blood, forget 1t. At the
sight Of those tears, he slid the length
Of the couch to first base, fielded the
girl in his arms, switched her round
so that she lay across his knees, drew
her face against his shoulder, and
rocked her gently.
"You poor klddie," he said softly,
"what a devil Of a time you've had (!
But believe me when I tell you It's all
over. This is the night that starts your
old happy sun into the blue sky again.
Don't worry"
She stopped crying and looked up
into the honest face so close to her
own, puzzling as to how just those
words could have come from - but
the world had taught her .lard ley
son in varying standards. She dreyt a
long quiyering sigh.
'If you could only wait until | love
you, body and SOUL" she breathed.
"What r. earth do you mean?'
asked MIR. Randolph.
"why, then 1t wouldn't be so bad
80 ugly"
81 don't get you" remarked Robert
Hervey.
"a man told me just a little while
ago that he was making a catalogue
Of reasons why women give them
selves" she continued. "He had eleven
already, and yet he was one Of the
incest men I've met. He talked to me
as though he. we're showing me a way
nat / must travel alone"
"Realiyf said Mr.. Randolph, stlf-
esnlng psrreptiblE