The Holly chieftain., 1924-05-15

iifi FtSl'DiiSt ~ HIS HUMILITY "dS
another lightning change of mood.
Her band datted out across the table
and rested upon his. "l'm sorry. Joe"
she said Il wish we could be little
happy"
Down in the buried recesses of his
spirit there had been Il shatttrine
burst of laughter at bimsalf for ro-
mantle unbelievable fool II was that
caressns touch of Violet's hand that
seemed somehow 10 have brought
down the whole house of cards, II had
happened before the iunEeepcr had
come back to make suggestion that
they come and live here a few days.
or he would have been surprised by
the momentary CLEAN in Niolct's face
with which she responded to IT, lie
had looked for it in her face knowing
ii would he there What Il fool he
had been, with his chiyairy and his
precious ideals! We'll, they under
stood each other, now
They finished their lunch in silence,
after their host had withdrawn once
more, and then, still without word,
returned to the veranda. When she
had seated herself upon the davenport
he sat beside her, but not very close,
and with his hands clasped between
his knees. She asked him what time
ii was, and he told her quarter to
three.
Just little more than an hour
left she commented, forlornly.
''Will that be long enough, do you sup
pose, for you to forgive me in?,
don't think | can bear it II you don't"
"There's nothing to forgive" he said
you're perfectly right about it-about
the craziness of my plan, mean. I've
been a fool. And I've times of being
what you call beast"
II don't call you thatl Except
when I'm so frightened don't know
what I'm saying. OF myself, Joe,
more than of you. I'm the worst
coward in the world; that's the truth
about me. But l wish l didn't make
you so unhappy"
'You don't need to worry about
that" he said. You've been lot
kinder to me than ] deserve"
but I'm unhappy, too" she sobbed
"Oh, wish knew what to do!''
He pulled her up then in his arms
and kissed her, and she, with a deep
drawn sigh, returned the kiss We've
still got an hour" he said and for a
long while after that they spoke of
nothing more TO the purpose than the
sailing snils and the sheets of silver
left by the receding tide.
She asked him, Though, at the end
of Il protracted silence, what he was
thinking about
'1've been trying not to think about
IT." ha confessed. But am a beast,
and / can't get ii out of my head"
She neither spoke nor stirred until
he went on.
"All you'd lave to do tomorrow
would be to keep your Mrs. Wentworth
from actually putting you on the train.
You come down 70 the same station,
but you take our little train instead.
And I'm on ii. And we come out here
and have our little-holiday. Two
days out of lifetime Oh, know
it's impossible. But you asked what
I was thinking about, and that was It,"
"DO you want me to do it, Joe?'
The simplicity of the question, and
the intensity Of the emotion that pro-
PEELED 1t, literally, for an instant,
stopped the beat Of his heart. His
eyes filled with tears, but through the
blur he could see hers, wide with
sense of great adventure, gazing up
at him.
81 don't know he said II don't
know whether ] want you to OF not"
Her arms frightened about him and
she uttered a shaky laugh. II love
you for saying that. III come, Joe.
III give you those two days We've
got to be starting back now. You 60
find the man and tell him. He'd bet
ter not see me Ike this"
Joe made his arrangements, and
they caught the train and contrived,
very tldily, how her meeting with
Alice Wentworth at six should be
made DfauSible