Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-11
CHAPTER XXI
WORDS AND AIL.SIC.
Tho Boys Story.

AIfc 10y SUOfy.
Awfully decent she was to us.
In one, she'd packed me into her
husbands room and had thrown dry
clothes n a khaki tunic and q hot
peg and a comb and bath towels at
me; and had sent her kids staggering
down into the kitchen under all our
wet Things to stick in front of the
range-all before you could say knife.
With the other hand, so to speak, she
swept off the little girl (whom I'd
hastily introduced as a friend OF my
friend Mr.. Grantham) and attended
to her. ~,
1 changed and went down into the
long low-roofed drawing-room where
I'd sat before and talked to. PhyIlts's
sister. The place was all dim and
!, green like an aquarium because of
the trees pressing up near the win
dows, and it was full of the scent OF
azaleas in bowls on the b~ook-shelves,
mixed up with the smell of the wood
fire that had just been lighted, and
! the other smell Of green bushes under
the rain outside. Down l sat in a big
chair near the red-tiled hearth and
talked to the two kids-one in his
Red Indian Kit, the other in a grown
ups swimming costume draped about
Mm-who were squatting on the
| h%earth-rug.
I The Bed Indian one said to me, II
knew it was o when l saw you COM
ing up through the rhody-denyons. l
knew it was the Flying-man."
"D'you remember doing the para
chute with us off the ~haycock?' piped
up h smaller kid. 'D'you remem-
ber?"
I remembered something else, too,
las 1 was talking to them. T remem
nered that rum sort OF presenti1nent
that I'd had when first I set foot in
side this place all those Sundays ago.
Hadn't I thought, I'm going to be
happy in this place some time. Live
one of the red letter days here"
A red-letter day all right! All these
hours-With her! knowing that she
wasn't Sims girl at all! Having
heard her say so!
Fact remained, Of course, that 1
wasn't free myself. I was engaged
to be married almost at once to the
sister of the by whose fire
side 1 was sitting at that moment.
But-steady on though. Marry
Phyllis Carteret? No, not if I~were
fated never to marry anybody else in
this world. Phyllis? Not with all this
other seething in my heart. $50 this
was what they meant by. passionate
love.) Not with me so suddenly walked
up to what everything did mean.
I'd met my sweetheart, whether or
not l was to have her
AS for the other-a beastly wrench
was ahead OF me-. CHASTITY explana-
ton with Phyllis, with her mother
Cab, that would hurt), with Mr.. Car
teret. Had to be. Couldn't be helped.
And after that? . / almost
shivered. clenching my nails into my
palms with feeling too deeply what
might come after my way had been
OLE a 1,aG 4Nr.y NV Iy,r;- ,r;lS, ,,>1, 1890.
girl? Not yet, OF course.
Some time hence.
One thing, Of course, 1 was quite
firra about with myself, 1 wasn't go
ing to start making love to her until
I could do so with an absolutely clear
sheet. Until it was all off with Phyl-
lis | wouldn't say a word to. Her.
The drawing room door clicked
n of the many funny Things about
that house was that every one Of the
umpty-two doors had a latch like a
farm gate instead Of a knob-and
our hostess brought my little girl In.
6he-the little girl-was wearing a
borrowed pink velvet tea-gown AFFAIR
that could have gone twice round her
and have covered a settee as well; the
folds Of 1t trailed behind her on the
floor and dropped down from her
white neck and hung over her fingers
and made her look like come sweet
little medieval lady; she and our
hostess were laughing over it as they
came in.
You can't talk of the deadly mon
otony of modern dress after the va
riety Of costume generally to be seen
in this house" said Phyllis's sister,
going down on her breeched and boot
ed knees to stir the fire. The Red
Indian being in her way she, showed
him of the rug with her land-boot
as II he'd been q puppy. Kid only
beamed amusedly all over his scarlet
and-blue patterned face and trotted off
as his mother ordered him, to hurry
up the tea.
We had tea Don't ask me whaf
anybody talked about. Our hostess
did most OF It
Not a bit surprised did sho seem to
sec me sitting there again not only
not with my fiancee At all but With
another girl AltoSether.
Took Il b q matter Of eourSe. Then
I remembered how last time che had