Evening star., 1924-01-06


perfectly understood.
"You poor boy" she said. you've
worried dreadfuiiy. haven't you?"
You've known, all day. what 10
was I was worrying about" he said
at last.
She blushed again, at that.
$50 I know" he went on, "that you
must have forgiven me the rottenest
thing I've ever done in my life. And
that must be because you've known
all along-been able to feel somehow
that the letters were real. That
meant every word Of them-for my
self"
There was nothing you could call
vicarious about that.
She got up rather suddenly, and
stepped out Of the boat. I'VE must
go back" she said.
1t was at this point that the young
secretary's conscience woke up with
a bang. In view of the contents OF
those letters, no declaration of love
could have been moro explicit than
that last statement of his. And he
had made it to another mans wife!
His employers wife, too.
Yes" he said gravely. I'VE must
go back"
THEY walked across the links to
the clubhousee with hardly a
word all tho way. But for a person
| whose world had fallen altogether
he al n
| larly at ease with herself.
The one thing she said-out Of no.
where-was, You're a nice boy"
But the factotum at the club had
| a telephone message for them that
suddenly reversed their positions.
Waring had telephoned, it seemed.
ascertained they were ther, and
left word they were to wait. He
would come out to the club for q
o'clock dinner.
Vfckers heard this message with a
great deal Of honest satisfaction.
They were in for CHASTITY time, of
| course, but they could come to some
| sort of understanding. That would
be better than this horrible confu-
sion. He turned to her as the man
| walked away.
But she, with a look OF downright
| panic in her face, was gazing out
blankly across the low hills.
Look at your watch" she COM
manded. What time is ft?"
six twenty-five" he told her.
| "And what time does the next train
| go:" she asked.
1t was natural enough that he
should ask, Where to-"
Anywhere" she cried. "oh, to
/ Chicago. Of course.i'
It went at Z.
Can I make it?" she asked, and
| when he told her that she could II
they caught the car down there at
| the foot Of the hill, where the con-
| ductor was at that moment turning
| the trolley pole, she was off like a
| flash.
Vickers did manage to stammer
! out that he thought il would be much
| better to wait for Waring, tell him
| everything and have it over. But she
! had her foot on the bottom step Of
| the street car before he finished, and
| though she treated the suggestion as
| one that did him credit, its consid-
Grafton did not detain her the small
est fraction OF minute. He didn't
| understand, that was all.
So he got into the car with her and
rode back to town. There seemed to
be nothing that he could say; and
the misery Of the silence, for him,
| was deepened by the perception that,
| on her part, it wasn't miserable at
| all. She seemed to have fallen back
| into that mood Of contentment that
had characterized her walk back
across the links.
There was a bit of a scramble, Just
| at last, but they got to the station in
time for him to buy her ticket and
get into the train with her. They
heard the cry Of "A1l aboard" just
| as they were going through the little
passage around the smoke room, and
here she turned and faced him.
| Don't try to find my seat" she
said. ''You mustn't be carried off, you
| know. Goodbye"
She held out her hand to him. He
| held 1t while he said:
Shall I ever see you again?"
She smiled. "Some time," she said.
'-Only-- Goodbye"
They were alone in that narrow
little passage.
Whether it was that her hand
frightened just a little on his, or that
she moved just perceptibly nearer, or
whether it was something he saw in
her face-what it was that made the
conscientious vickers go crazy just
then he couldn't afterwards make out.
But he did go crazy-and kissed
her!
Then he turned blindly away and
i leaped from the train. She could
never forgive him now.
Only Wasn't that flick of white
behind the glass door of the moving
vestibule the nutter of waving
handkerchief?
TT was thoroughly dazed young
man who caught the next car out
to the golf club. She had forgiven
him everything. even that kiss. The
futter of her handkerchief could
mean nothing less. But there was
| waring out at the club. waiting for
them. And waring had got to be
told.
Only waring wasn't at the club,