Evening star., 1923-03-18

! The rain had stopped and the stars
were out A scent of wet roses huns
in the air, freshness delightfully."-
| Of tho earth earthly. Letty's blue
gown was a silken blur In The shad.
ows, her face vague, delicate oval,
her voice a murmuring wistfulnesa
They stood beside the white gate and
looked at each other through the
dark.
'It wasn't a success, was it?' said
| Galloway at last. IT told you 1 waa
out of practice. Your mother would
have been nice to me IL she had dared,
but / rather expected your father to
heave at me at any moment ] know
your father very we'll. He's an un-
commonly good likeness Of my own"
when do you go?" asked Lefty.
| She had cut through to the heart OF
| things. But the low words shook
| trifie.
The man beside her caught both
her slender hands and held them
| hard against his heart, till she could
| feel the heavy tumult Of 1t.
Dear" he said. In that amazingly
| tender voice of his, has 1t got you,
too?"
Eyes" said Lefty.
He told her, still crushing her
hands:
"You know, it'd be different world
for you. No pretty clothes, no serv-
| ants, no tidy little house, no mono
grammed linen, no family silver, no
| day at home-all that matters In
place like this. It's less than nothing
with me! I'm going back to Homo
lulu-there's q man'll give me Job
on a newspaper there, for while.
I want to be in Peking by November
I've got a notion for a winter In
Peking. never mako money-Tnore
than need to get along on. 1t isn't
money I want of life; it's look-ses
and a free foot:
| More suddenly still he dropped her
hands and put both arms about her.
drawing her back into the biackness
of the high hedge, STOPPING his cheek
to the satiny softness OF her hair, anu
muttering huskily.
IT knew It would be like this
some day!'
Lefty shut her eyes against the
roughness OF his coat. She held her
breath for sheer, blind, reeling hap
piness.
81 dare say I'd be fool to let you
do It," he told her, low and unsteady.
but it'd be living! You don't know
what life can mean. You'd be game.
tool feel II In you-and IL we leave
1t at this, you'll have spoiled the whole
show for me. Lefty. I shall go On
wanting you the rest of my life"
His lips were against her cheek
now, his arms tightening cruelty.
There won't be a day of my life
shan Z want you-till tlie-do you near"
She turned her face, and he kissed
her on the mouth. Her tears Were
on his cheeks. He kissed her desper-
ately. long. ..
"Then-take me-with you!" said
Lefty.
He would not let her look away
from him.
I'm leaving here in two days. VIII
you marry me and go with me-"
"Yes. Don't you know I will?"
"You know what you're leaving be-
hind?"
'T know whom I'm going with"
| DO you know-now--whom you've
been waiting for?'
| Lefty knew That was the thing
that dazed her-dreams come true
| in a pinchbeck world!
u X X
TWO days later, Letty's father.
l. standing on the church steps at
half after eight of a lowering, gray
skied morning, commented grimly to
his ever-available audience, Letty's
mother:
We'll, said from the first that she
would go through the woods and pick
up a crooked stick"
| Letty's mother made no reply. But
! with Letty's look Of ineffably certain
radiance fresh in her yearning
memory, 1t is barely possible that the
| dear lady was thinking how crooked
! sticks, like beauty and some other
things, may be in the eye of the
beholder.
Copyright, 1929