Evening star., 1924-08-03
WASN'T EVEN RE IF

Dick and Nan had proposed to sub
sist in poverty and happiness.
And ii is my duty. dear child to
ask you if now, under the circum-
stances, you wish 10 be set free from
your engagement" Rehau's beard
trembled with his chin's emotion.
Though. Of course. il can have been
with no-er-uaterial consideration
that you consented TO make me
happy. Il month ago. YET
He paused. his eyes anxiously fixed
upon her face. Maria AnnunZiata
was gazing straight down the ter
race. toward the lower end. where
the round clump OF orange trees
proudly flung up their golden toys
to the moon. Her oval face was
white camelia petal her deli
cate puzzled broWs were drawn
straight and low across her eyes.
The air was reeling sweet with YER
vein and other intoxicating scents of
the south-but the girl was thinking
of the English chalk cliffs she had
thyme that smells like dawn in
paradise
Julius Rehan went on in "a voice
that shook: 'I-you must forgive
mel am naturally upset; losing all
this. And on top of it, the possibility
OF losing you"
She laughed a little: gaiiantIy
tilted back her head. Don't be alb
surd. julius. OF course you haven't
lost me. Nothing is changed"
w she must pay for in flesh and
blood
Dick
Tn here. sweetheart. Nell. Nan.
well"" he swung himself up from the
ground below, confident of her an
swer It's yes'?"
Its no Dick steadily
Thr boyish face lost its radiance,
the lines grew stern and haggard
IF it was Il sort of joke-your
promise. aad-and-the last five
days-then it's rather POOR one. in
my opinion
"A joke-yeS. But you English
! have SO little sense Of humor. Good
bye" and she ran. ran away from
him: ran across the terrace as though
she We're being pursued by wild
bcaSts-the terrace on which her
millionaire had asked her if she
would stick TO him now that he had
lost all his money.
"Tf / accepted him because he was
rich'-Nan who had been new born
from Maria Annunzfata, argued pas
at .I,- xr-i,l
her bedroom that evening-.and did
accept him because he was rich. then
/ I cannot break off with him immedi-
ately l hear that he has lost his
money. He would not believe that I
had meant to do it. anyhow. No one
would believe it-that is why it is
all SO very, very f-ffunny." 4.
And she lay sobbing across the bed.
The point OF view of Aunt Juana
was interesting. Aunt Juana, still
struggling with a barking cough. rose
from her bed. and attired herself in
broCade and shawls, to welcome back
TO Monte Carlo her dear. dear
nephew in law o-pe. on being in
formed by Julius that he desired to
hasten on the wedding. so that it
should take place in a fortnight. she
was one beaming and expansive
smile; and said, hoarsely. that she
could not too soon deliver the
fatherlesS little Maria into the shell
tering care of SO kind a man, 1t
had already been settled that the
wedding was to. be quiet and in
formal affair, with the date being
kept secret, and before as few wit
nesses as possible.
Aunt Juana regretted, of course,
that the alteration of date would
leave her no time to buy Maria An
nunziata the elaborate trousseau she
had contemplated. But all was for
the best! Her wise julius would no
doubt prefer to attend to that him
self, with his excellent taste--and
from his SO excellent banking ac-
count-on their honeymoon in Paris
Her wise julius replied stolidly
that his affairs were on the verge of
a disastrous crash: that he could
make no settlements on his future
bride, and that he and Maria An
| runziata perfectly understood one
another.
Aunt Juana, after one long, in
| credulous stare, promptly ordered the
engagement to cease.
For q fortnight she wept and
scolded and raved and protested and
argued and sulked and pleaded and
| threatened suicide and stormed and
| wept anew-but the old clockwork
| was damaged beyond her repairing
| powers. Maria Annunziata refused to
| obey. The eve of her wedding day
found her still repeating, in quiet
| listless tones. that she had promised
julius to marry him and saw no rea-
son to break her promise. When
] Aunt Juana became crude and