Daily Kennebec journal., 1924-04-22
THE ARRANT ROVER
Gay Romance of Philandering Love
By BERTA RUCK
atho, of "The Wrong NJ. Right THE Snbeonseoas CoMh etc
Copyright q
WHO'S WHO N rHn STORY

WHO'S WHO m EU STORY
ARCHIE LAvERoCK. the "Arrant
Rover" who IL through with girls"
in his mid-twenties!
poised. She has won q big prize in
the ''prettiest. English girr' contest
and is a noted film actress.
THE ADMIRAL, rubicund. choleric
old officer. anxious to marry Lucy.
MIR. RICE-MATTHEWS. ancient in
valid. tired Of being bossed by
women.
MAUvE, his granddaughter, slim,
lovely. poised and cool. who attracts
the interest Of the Rover. but ig-
GESEviEvE wlLMor. p.guan. Amer
ican widow, whom the Rover res
cues. and whose small boy adores
ETHEL TOMBSTONE, "our Ginger"
who had nursed Archie in the war
and who Is now '.nursemaid" for
some rich people for whom he is act
ing az chauffeur. An old love for
her Ii renewed in the Rover.
Loves Devious Paths
But he did not touch her cheek.
He just stood there looking at her as
she paused, backed by the oak pam
cling and played over by the freight:
her flaming head tilted, one hand
resting on the edge Of the billiard
table.
Now this was the least good point
that she possessed. With such glow
ing beauty Of face, such shapeliness
of shoulders, arms. superbly poised
young body, such neat feet, one
would have expected her to show
such pretty hands. They were, how
ever, Unexpectedly square-tipped,
strong, rather boyish; not pretty.
Cher least beautiful feature) was a
charm. 1t showed what he felt about
her, that he should find most
touching, attractive, delightful. the
fact that her fingers were too square
at the tips.
Very suddenly he stopped and
lightly kissed each finger.
II love your hands," he said In his
most casual tone as he raised that
cleaning head Of his again. Good
night"
Then suddenly, in a voice that
shook with storm he exclaimed, you
red-haired handful"
She thought for breathless second
that he was going to catch her with
violence to his breast. But he only
turned abruptly to the open hearth:
and with his heel. showed an end OF
a log into the flames.
"Good- night" he said again in his
ordinary voice.
She, a little subdued, "Good might,
Archie"
He had to cram on all brakes SO
as not to give another word, another
look as she slipped away.
She went; to lie for long awake in
the darkness, thinking Of him; think
ing, thinking.
The Seventh Day. Deliberately he
avoided her.
Ethel was apparently all eagerness
to see him spend this same whole
evening away from her. But 1t was a
dry evening; the moon UP; the party
lSindhearted. 1t ended In a moonlight
walk for the lovers.
A torrent of reproaches poured
upon Ethel for a start; reproa ches,
but also the tenderest infections OF
which Archie's voice was capable.
"Look here, how could you be such
little brute to me, all day? Yes; all
day long. Not a glimpse. Not a
syllable. Fed up with me already, are
YOU? Is it already what you said
about that other unfortunate devil
that you were engaged to-yes! That
it was like sitting on in the theatre
after the play was all Over-
"Archie!" she protested, in a fervor
= partly of relief. She had
feared that after last night he would
sulk, be silent, leave 1t to her to make
the advance.
So when she protested. "You were
being the brute" she found her
protest smothered under his sudden
kisses. Both his arms went round
her heavy coat. For moment, he
crushed her lips against his, fierceiy.
Then, before she tired of that, his
mouth brushed the air away from
above her ear. and he whispered. 7
wasn't" into closer kiss-"l
wasn't"
She pulled back against his arm,
and looked accusingly up into his
face, spiritualized and pallid in the
moonlight.
Il see through you!" she cried
t'You think you can manage me even
handful But don't think can't nee
through you, Captain Laverock,
every bit of you!"
"Then you see nothing" retorted
Archie Laverock with his heart IN
his voice, that isn't utterly yours"
The Eighth Day. In the morning
another soaking downpour blew in
from the sea. The party, since IL was
Sunday and shooting was off, had
taken lunch out in the cars and
meant to try for John o Groats. but
turned back and ate foie-gras sand
wiches and cold grouse off paper
plates in the dining room--all the
servants being off duty.
Young Laverock the chauffeur
who now alluded to himself as the
paid guest--lunched also: indeed. his
lodge and his princeiy hammered
peasants saw little enough Of him. Sir
Kobe had taken an obvious fancy
to the young man. questioned him
about his prospects, heard such as
he had and offered "to write to
friends of his in the city,"
In the afternoon 1t cleared up so
after tea. again the cars went forth
across seven miles or so OF c:ean-
swept country under the matchiess
air
A solid built and unromantfc hotel
was John o Groats' house. Just be-
low il the shore showed an irregular
border of dark rocks with pools, be-
low a strip of the whitest sancs--
sand made up of shell and shingle
pounded to powder by winter gales
Sea, crystal-clear; deep rock -pools
like glass. Every pebble, every frag-
ment Of limpet-shell, the bit Of Jade
colored ginger beer bottle picked UP
by little Babs-everything on that
shore was secured and polished to a
gem.
Its certainly the cleanest place !
was ever at in my life," declared
Ethel. gazing about her.
Beyond the tossing channels the
OrlSneys ley; now a dim. grayly mys-
terious barricade under the sea
showers. now, when the sun lit upon
them, springing out into defined
nearness, showing every building OF