Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-09-12
right. darling. are v

Whoever heard Of drowning in "a
riverP avg
"But you're not so very used" {,
3 Oh, wasn't he2 Who was 1t that
had lived in boat throughout youth,
If not he? . q. -. ...-
Ninian refused out-ofthand, .iighted
a cigar, and sat on a log in perma-
nent fashion. Ina's plump figure was
fitted in the stern, the child. Monona
affixed, and the boat put OFF bow well
out of water. On this pleasure ride
the face Of the wife was as the face
Of the damned. 1t was true that she
.revered her husbands opinions abnve
those of all other men. In agolftlcs,
in science, In religion. In dentistry, she
looked up to his dcta as TO revelation.
And was he not magistrate? But let
him take oars, in hand, or shake lines
or a whip above the'back Of any harse,
and this woman would trust any other
woman's husband by preference. 1t
was a phenemenon,
Lulu was making the work last, SO
that she should be out OF eyerybody's
way When the boat put off without
Ninian, she felt kind Of terror and
wished that he had gone. He had
sat down near her, and she pretended
not to see. At last Lulu understood
that Ninian was deliberately choosing
to remain with her. The languor Of
his bulk after the evening meal made
no explanation for Lulu. She asked
for no explanation. He had stayed.
And they were alone. For Di, on a
pretext of examining the flocks and
herds, was leading Bobby away to the
pastures, little at time.
The sun, now fallen, had left an
even, waxen sky. Leaves and ferns
appeared drenched with the light just
withdrawn. The hush, the warmth,
the color, were charged with some in
\fluence. The air of the time communi-
Gated itself to Lulu as intense and
quiet :happiness...sShe bad mo. yet felt
quiet with Ninian. For the first time
her blind excitement in his presence
ceased, and she felt curiously accus-.
toned to him. To him the air Of the
time impaired itself in deepening of
his facile sympathy.
do you know something's" he be-
gan. 81 think you have it pretty hard
around here"
'T@ Lulu was genuinely aston
ished.
"Yes, sir. Do you have to work
like this all the time? I guess you
won't mind my asking"
"Well, ought to work. I have a
home with them. Mother, too"
eyes, but glory! You ought to have
some kind Of d life of your own. You
want it, too. You told me you did
that first day."
She was silent. Again he was in
vesting her with longing which she
had never really had, until he had
planted that longing. She had wanted
she knew not what. Now she accept
ed the dim; the romantic interest Sof
this role
~, guess you don't see how :, it
seems" he said, "to me, coming along
"a, stranger so. 1 don't like it."
He frowned,. regarded the river,
flicked away ashes, his diamond obedi-
entity shining. Lulu's look, her head
dropping, had the liquid air of the
look of young girl. For the first
time In her. life she was. feeling her
helpleSsnosS. 1t Intoxicated her.
They're very good to me-" she said.
He turned. ado you know why you
think that2 Because you've never had
anybody really good to you. That's
why" Q
"But they treat me good"
"They make slave Of you. Regu-
lar slave" He pulled, frOwning.
I'D shame, I call it," ne said.
Her loyalty stirred Lulu. 1--WE have
our whole living"
"And you earn it. been watching
you since been here. Don't you ever
60 anywheres?"
She said: "This is the first place
in-in years"
'Iordl Don't you want. to? Of
course you do"
"Not so much places like this"
81 see. What you want is to get
away-like you'd ought to-" He re-
garded her. you've been n blamed
Gne-looking woman" he said.
She did not flush, but the faint, un-
suspected Lulu spoke for her:
you must have been cookbook
Ing man once yourself"
His laugh went ringing across the
water. You're pretty good" he said
He regarded her approvingly. Il don't
see how you do it," he mused. blamed
If I do" o
'HOw do what?"
"Why come back, quick like that,
with what you say"
Lulu's heart was beating painfully.
The effort 20 hold her own in talk like
this was terrifying. She had never
talked in this fashion to anyone. 1t was
as if some Sm3fter of life or death
hung on her ability to speak an alien
tongue. And yet, when she was most
ut loss. that other Lulu, whom she
had Tnever eknOwn anything about