Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-01-15
XIV

AHS camp large iuB uUuSe,
with a living room, small room
tor guns and fishing tackle, two
bedrooms. besides the servants
wing, downstairs, and eight bed.
rooms above, stood in a clearing
on the western shore OF lake
nearly TWO miles long. and abous
three-quarters of a mile wide in
the center of its fine oval sweep
The lake itself was in a cup of the
o1ountains. whose slopes in the dis
lance looked as If covered with
fur, so dense were the woods. Only
one high peak, burnt bare by fire,
VAS still covered with snow.
The camp was in a grove of
pines, but the trees that crowded
one another almost out into the
lake among the lily pads were
pruce and balsam and maple.
The party arrived at half past
1!ne in he evening. and crossed
,he lake in motor launch. 1t
was very dark and the forest sur.
rounding the calm eSpanse of
water locked like an impenetrable
wall, an unscalabIe rampant There
was moi a sound but the faint chug.
ging of the motor The members
of the party. tired after their long
trip on the train and two hours
drive up the rough road from the
station to the lake, surrendered to
the high mountain Stiffness. aud
even Rollo Todd, who Had been in
his best spirits all Gay. fell silent
ald forgot that he was a jolly good
fellow, remembered only that he
was poet. Eva Darling, who had
dirted shamelessly with Mr. Din,
widdie from New York to Hunters.
Vile, forgot to hold his hand, and
lie forgot her altogether
Mary had a sudden and complete
sense of isolation. Memory had
played her a trick. These were
the mountains of her grlhood, and
she was Mary Ogden once more.
Even the future that had been so
hard Of outline in her practical
mind, that unacceptable future just
beyond a brief interval in an Aus.
trian mountain solitude, seemed to
sink beyond a horizon infinitely re-
mote. Europe was as unreal az
New York She vowed, if 1t were
necessary to VOW, that she would
give neither a thought while she
was here in the wilderness. And
as she was a thoroughgoing per.
son she knew she would succeed.
She took her first step when Mr..
Dinwiddie was showing them to
their rooms She took Cora into
her own room and shut the door.
81 want you to do me a favor--lf
you will, dear Miss Dwight" she
said.
"Of course" Cora wondered
what was coming.
81 want you to ask the others to
abandon their subtle game while
we are up here and ignore the sub
iects OF Lees play, his future, his
genius which will wither outside
Of New York, and cease to attempt
To strike terror into my soul. You
may tell them that we are to be
carried in a month or two from
GOWN Austria-but that l shall
10 nothing to interfere with his
career; nor protest against his
passing a part Of each year in the
United States. Ask them kindly
to refrain from congratulations or
any allusion to the subject what
ever. We have only eight days
here, and I should like It to be as
nearly perfect as possible"
Cora had had the grace to blush.
They have been worried, and Pm
afraid they Matched a rather
naughty plot. But they'll be de-
lighted to have their apprehen-
sions banished-and of course
they'll ignore the entire matter.
They won't say a word to Clavey
either"
They've not made the slightest
impression on him, so 1t really
doesn't matter whether they do or
not. But-when 1t dawned on me
what they were up to, and the
sound reasoning beneath it, I will
confess that I had some bad half
hours. OF course, Lee has a right
to his own life. I had hoped he
would help me in my own field. but
he could not IL he would. ] have
come to see that plainly. I do not
mean to say that these amiable
Vaccinations OF your friends
caused me for a moment to con-
slider giving him up. l have sur