Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-01-30
-VII (eontlnued)


came up hare to ask her to marry h
LVII (eontlnued)
And he did not believe for mo.
ment that she had gone to Wash
ington. 49,
She had gone home to think
think.
And if he followed Dinwiddie's adj
vice and remained here she might
think too long. And if he. followed
and insisted upon seeing her, the
result might be more fatal still
He knew nothing of those person
alities she may have concealed
from him. For all he knew she
might have depths in her nature
as black as the bottomless pit.
And God only knew what the
man had said to her. Should
he let her fight 1t out by herself?
What in heavens name should he
do? Whatever happened, this d.
vine interval, like some exquisite
ly adjusted musical instrument,
had been hopelessly Jared out of
tune. He almost hoped she would
not return. Let it remain a per-
feet memory. .. They could
in New York and return
here, when she was his wife.
II he had not already lost her.
e What in Gods name was
the thing for him to do? He'd go
mad If he stayed here, and il he
went he might regret it for the
rest of his-days. Why could not
light be Eouchsafed him?
Cora
Fortunately he knew her room
for. he had carried up her luggage
He ran lightly up the stairs and
tapped on her door. A startled
sleepy voice answered. He opened
the door and put in his head.
Come downstairs at once,
Cora" he said peremptorily. 81
must talk to you"
She came down in a moment,
clad in a scarlet kimono, her hair
hanging in thick braids. With her
large round forehead exposed she
looked not unlike a gnome, but
curiously young.
What on earth is the matter.
Clavey?" she asked as she pushed
her chair as close to the fire as
possible. at has something to do
with this sudden trip Of Mary's, I
suppose Mr.. Dinwiddie said she
had been called to New York on
important business, and the others
accepted the explanation as a mat
ter Of course, but I'll confess
wondered"
ClaVering, still too nervous to sit
down, jerked out the whole story,
emitting only the old love affair
with theAman who had exercised
so strong an influence on Mary Eat
tiany's early life.
You see," he concluded, there
are two things: Austria had taken
the piece in her affections that
women of her cge generally con-
centrate on human beings-it be-
came almost racrament. And
then-for nearly twenty years she
had hated everything in men but
their minds. Sex was not only
dead but a detestable memory.
After that rejuvenescence she had
never cast a thought to loving any
man again, That mental habit, at
least, was fixed. When | net her
she was walking intellect.
l thought l had changed all that
up here I had not a doubt
left but now / don't
know. Put that cold-blood-
ed mind OF yours on it and tell me
what to do"
Let me think minute, Clavey."
As he resumed his restless
march, Cora sent her mind travel
ing out OF the mountains and far
to the south, and tried to penetrate
the brain of Mary zattiany. She
could not visualize her In the bed
of a casual hotel or sitting in the
chair of parlor car, so she skip
ped the interval and saw her next
day sitting in that intimate room
OF hers upstairs; the room, as
suredly, = where she would think
out her problem.
Cora had studied Madame Eat
tiany with all the ayidlty of the
artist for rare human theme, and
she believed that she knew her as
well as ClaVering did. If not better.
She had also not failed to observe