Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-11-19


tho reaction sw.p; over him in a
wave Of energy which rrccd"d AL
most Immediately. II h" could only
find dcliverance from himself aud
his own subjective processes! II he
could only be borne away by the
passion he felt and vet could not feel
completely lie wanted Patty. lac
knew. but did h" want her enough
To justify the effort that he must
make 20 win her? Would she be
worth 20 him tho break with his
mother, with his traditions. with his
inherited ideals? He saw her small
slight figure in IN" dapplcd sunlight
! under the budding trees. lie saw
her vivid fIOwcr-likc face. her ro-
mantle eyes, ana the arch aud
| charming smile with which she
watched his approach Yes. hc
| wanted her. he wanted hcr. and she
was tho only thing on Gods earth.
he told himself rhetcricaliy. that he
! d.d wan, with the whole OF his ma
| turc,
oulckening his steps. he turned
| In the direction of til. Capitol
/ square. which stretched. like the
I painted curtain Of Il tnvatcr across
/ Ia" end Of IN. street y singular
! intuition. Il pr"seutiIN had come
! 10 him that II he could sustain this
B
,.w Patty. IL" should be cured-he
/ should find freedom Of spirit. Only
/ through love, he had discovered.
/ .puid there -" resurrection from this
spiritual death ~ tn" last two or
/ three years. Only through som" tre-
mcadpus rush OF desire could ne
( overcome Tho pnriia! paralysi. OF his
/ XII. Ills Instinct. he knew. was
/ right. but would his resolution last
/ uHtll "a. had found Fatty?
! j.; was carly afternoon, land tho
!ainti: tinted shadows. az smooth as
/ SILK. wcrc falling straight across, the
| bright green grass on the hillside.
| Til" square was almost deserted at
. THIS hour. except for the old men
/ on tho benches and the squirrels that
/ were preparing To return TO their
| nests in the trees The breath o;
| spring was over all rowing. fragrant.
: provocative.
I He shran. from going straigh, to
/ tn" house; but Patty was no, in ia.
/ walks. and he realized that If h..
/ found her at all It would he within
I doors Perhaps ii WAS better 50
| After all. he must become acCus-
/ toned TO the mansion and all that
/ 1t contained, Including Gideon vetch
! II he really loved Patty. And did no
really love her? Oh. was Il all to
begin over again after tn. days and
/ nights when he had threshcd Il ont
alone ~ desperation of mind? Had
/ he lost not only all that was vital
/ but all that was stable. that was pos
! tive and affirmative in his lie?
lie stood for moment with his
! eyes on the fresh young leaves which
/ stirred softly. Then, as If hope and
courage had passed into him with
the air OF spring. he turned away
aud walked rapidly to the gate Of
tho G"vcrnor's house. Ills hand was
on tho iron fence, and he was about
20 enter the yard. when the door
opened and Patty came out on the
porch with Julius Gcrshom. STEM
pinr quickly back under the trees.
stephen WATCHED the girl descend the
steps. pass the fountain. and go
! swiftly on, of the gate into the broad
/ drive Of the square. She was talk
Ing eagerly 10 her companion; and.
though she had told him that she
dis!!k"d the man. she was smilin,;
up al him while she talked Her
face was Tx" "a pink flower under the
dark brim of her sailor hat. and in
her eyes, beneath the inQuiring eye
brows. there was the expression of
! charming arChDess that he had i.nas
incd 50 wildly. If she saw him.
she made no sign; and for moment
after she had gone by. he stood vague
! - wondering II she had seen him
and II she had chosen this way to
punish him for his neglect of the
past two or three weeks? But even
then. accepting that charitable inter
probation. wha; explained the objec-
tonable presence OF Gershom? Was
there anything that could explain or
excuse the presence OF Gcrshom?
The fire in his heart died down to
cindcrs. while the light faded not
only from that hidden country OF the
endless roads. but from the green
hill and the blue sky and the little
shining leaves OF the branches over
head
In the distance. he could see the
two figures moving onward toward
the gate OF the square. and beyond
them there was only the long
straight street, filled with gray dust
and the empty shadows OF human
beings.
CHAPTER XVII.
Mrs. Green.
AS Patty went by so quickly, she
saw stephen without appearing to
glance in his direction. For the
last few weeks a fame had run over
her whenever she remembered and
| thero was scarcely moment when
! II was out of her mind. that she had
shown her heart so openly and that.
as she expressed II bitterly. he had
hidden behind his mother" III he
| comes back again she told herself
recklessly. and she felt scorched
| when She thought that he might
never come back. I'll let him see
| that can trinc as well as, or better
than he can. I'll let him see that
two can play at that kind OF game"
| a hundred times Corinna's warning
returned to her. The words. which
had made so slight an Impression
when she heard them. were burned
now into her memory. Oh. Mrs
| Page had known all along what Il
meant: She had understood from
the beginning; and she had tried.
| without hurting her. to make her
see tho blind folly OF such an in
fatua;lon AS she thought OF this
today. Patty's heart ached with in
| tured pride and resentment, not only
| against stephen. but against the un-
| fairness Of life. why was Il that
| men and circumstances would never
let one be natural and generous?
was there conspiracy OF events. as
| Mrs. Page had once said, to pre-
| vent the finest impulses from cou,in,,