The Dolores star., 1922-11-10

""hhiSslOn.
said e
lhey walked on through q golden
haze-could she ever forget ifa-the
meadows seemed to be quiyering with
.isht under the sinking golden ball of
sun The windows of Miss winthrop's
cottage glittered like jewels as they
came nearer. The whole world was
irradiated BY her exquisite, trembling
joyl
Ihey came In hand In hand until
'hey saw Miss Winthrop sitting there
ana then Alice had remembered that a
world did exist, world where ordi-
nary things happened and life went
on Its uneventful course.
we brought you," she began and
theh looked in dlsmay at Norman's
empty arm.
BY George, we forgot the apples |"
he laughed.
They looked at each other euiltIly
Tor the apples lay on the other side of
the stone wall, just where he had
cropped them when he had taken
Alice In his arms.
MISS winthrop for some strange rea.
son mad made Alice present of a
linen hand-drawn tableclotb. "That
came from England, in my mothers
chestw
On the way back through the dusk
they had debated the question whether
MISS winthrop had seen. The throaty
chuckie Of tree toads, the sleepy twit-
terlng OF birds, the sweet breath Of
the woodlands had come to them
through the twilight.
He was perfect lover, Alice
thought. conslderate, understanding,
strong. Nothing could ever come be-
tween them; nothing.
The wedding was to be In March
and Alice had come back to the city
with her head full Of dreams. At once
they began that delightful task, the
selection of their furniture.
. Alice wanted a studio with swinging
Chinese lamps and lacquer tables and
odd shaped satin cushions that were
decorative rather than useful. Nor
man had said he wanted big COM
Portable chairs; and here their first
difference had come.
1--WE don't want 1t to look like
mans club" Alice had said.
Nor like Chinese junk shopl"
Norman had laughed.
Next morning letter had come.
81 can see now I've made a mis-
take"
She knew It by heart, had read the
simple words, unbelIeving at first, and
then in fearless anguish had walked
the floor and at last had flung herself,
a disheveled little thing, to weep out
her eyes In the dimmest corner Of her
sitting room.
He was tired of her! He had hid
den 1t at first In his splendid, mascu-
line way, but at last he had to write
and tell her so. She loved him. She
loved him more than ever and she
knew she would be willing to live In
an unpainted shack with an earth
floor
She stood up at last and went into
her own room and tried to brush her
hair with unsteady fingers. She looked
at her swollen, pitiful face with dis
taste; she wondered how she was go
ing to drag out the miserable empty
days that lay ahead.
And then she heard his voice call
ing her.
Alice! Alice!" he cried sternly
when she did not answer.
The Lathrop's maid must have let
him in. Alice couldn't face him now,
she felt. But she must get 1t over
some time
whats the matter" he asked
when he saw her dropping face in the
dim room. He came toward her eager
ly. II thought I'd write you at once,
Alice, and let you know. made a
mistake from the first"
She shrank back against the wall at
this last cruelty.
"I ought to leave all the selection
In your hands"
~ don't understand" she whis-
pered.
"Why, the furniture, darling, as
though that matters, as though any
thing matters, when have you"
She was staring at him unbeliev-
ingly, and then she put her hands over
her face. The letter, the letter-it had
meant only thisl
Come back in an hour, Norman,
and have dinner here with me-" she
said uncertainty.
She waited until the door had closed
on him to realize that joy had come
back to her, that her dream was still
hers and that greater than any dream
was reality.