Evening star., 1924-11-16

were all deaf-no one listens to me; !;
they all go on making arrangements
for the wedding as IL j had not
spoken. l won't do it, Uncle BILL"
she said. and shuddered and hid her
face again and added with wall:
only what shall L do, what shall
do?"
What you're doing now seems all
| right to me-" he replied.
But it isn't getting me anywhere"
Don't be too sure Of that" he said
quietly. He did not feel quiet, ex-
cept in the sense that he wished to
remain exactly as he was.
Listen, my dear child,' he said.
you are opposing words to actions,
| which is about as effective as op-
posing a pane of glass to a bullet.
Stop talking and act. Go upstairs
and get whatever things you need
for a day or two and go down and
get into my automobile, which is
| garden steps. 1 will drive you to
town-or wherever you want to go
and from there you will telephone
your mother Tomorrow, when all
the fuss is over. you will come home
and make it up with her"
It's terrible for my mother" said
the girl.
|
this and be lovely to every one"
I'm afraid it will ruin Freddies
whole life"
Perhaps, but he's agreed to go
shooting with me in Africa tomor-
row-that is, if you really remain
| obdurate"
At this she looked straight UP at
him. opening her hazel eyes In OBJ
vious alarm. Good heavens" he
said to himself. when 1T comes to
a showdown. she doesn't want him
| to 60" 1t was only second q
second fraught with horror, and
then she said: Don't tell me you're
| going away"
Rather to his own surprise he
heard himself saying gently" 1
! was"
NO, no." said the girl, don't I
seem to feel Drawer when you're
near
In that case" he said thought
fully, and he took her small chin in
his hand, "in that case" and he
stopped and kissed her.
| He had intended it-or rather. he
| had no plan about 1t. but he had
| expected when he found he was GER
| tainly going to kiss her, that 1T
| would be a pleasant, semi-avuncular
| kiss-a kiss after which you smiled
! and parted 1t turned out, as these
| things sometimes do, an entirely diff
! ferent sort-a kiss which became
your master and endured. kiss after
which you did not smile and after
which you certainly did not part.
| X x x
| THE person in the next room had
stopped tuning the violin. or per-
haps they had merely ceased to hear
him, although Rawley became acutely
| aware of the- beating of his heart.
| He felt the girls whole figure grow
| limp in his arms as. if her knees were
less rigid than before. They moved
a little apart, his hand still on her
shoulder, and looked at each other.
AS they stood thus, the door opened
and Mrs. Bruce came back. She came
in quickly. and it was evident that
| she had forgotten that her landlord
| existed, for she seemed startled at
seeing him again, even before she saw
| her daughter. Then she said: May
ask, Sibyl, what are YOU doing in
the arms of total stranger"
Sibyl smiled an unembarrassed
smile, a s one so often smiles at the
| mistakes of the older generation. and
| withdrawing completely from Raw
| ley's arms, but without undue haste,
said; This is Uncle Bill, at last,
mother dear"
Nothing of tho kind" replied her
mother. It's just Mr.. What's-his-na
| the landlord"
Sibyl looked at him quickly for a
denial of this preposterous state
| ment.
| Your mother is right" he said. II
am just Mr.. What's-his-na Never
| theleSs, / gave you some excellent
| advice moment ago, which l hope
you will follow"
| She nodded and walked to the door
There she turned and said: Mother.
| will not marry Freddie" Her
mother was evidently so accustomed
| to this statement that she forgot to
say nonsense" until the door had
| actually shut behind her daughter,
| when she said it with great force.
| Then she turned to Rawley.
| You really can't stay here" she
| said, as If he had wanted to. Were
| using this for the mems coats"
| He suggested as politely as was
necessary that he had come, not to
| dance at the wedding, but to get
gun out of the closet in the garrett
| Then why don't you go and get
! it?' said his tenant. Il assume that
| you know your way about the house."
She was really hardly civil, he
| thought, as he went upstairs. The
| rails were wreathed in smilax. On
| the second floor he saw the wedding
| presents set out In room apart, and
| through the open door of another
| room he caught sight of a white
| dress-all tulle and lace-lying on
| the bed. and two small pointed silver
| slippers standing side by side on the
floor near it. He stopped short with
a sort of inner spasm as he saw those
| slippers, and stood staring at them
| SO long that the detective appeared
in the doorway of the other room and
| looked at him with suave suspicion:
| Rawley pulled himself together and,
opening the door Of the garret stairs,
| went uD them.