The Holly chieftain., 1924-04-03
| would. If he didn't, she thought per-


haps she'd ask him.
But the mere sight Of him was dis
coucerting. She'd never seen him be-
fore in an ordinary straw hat and
regular civilian clothes, and certain
air which she'd regarded as INSOFAR
able from him was gone. 1t would be
a little too much to say that he looked
cheap, but he would never. for fact.
have served, like this, as lay figure
to hang romances about disguised
prince upon. She suspected. too. that
she had somewhat impaired herself
with him. arriving afoot. hot and
flushed and fecked with SCOT from
the vomiting tunnels of the little ex-
cursfOn steamers.
The pair found corner where they
could sit in the shade. The fact that
they loved each other got itself de-
clared and accepted as basis almost
at once. He put his arm around her
half Of the paired people out here
were linked that way-und during n
moment of fortuitous privacy they
| kissed
But the feel of the adventure was
pedestrian, not aerial. George point
ed out that he hadn't job, and, he
added with manner which struck
her as little unnatural, practically
no money. She had nearly four hun
dred dollars Of her own, she said
with her; but he told her hotly that,
when they ran away to get married. 1t
wouldn't be upon her money that they
did 1t. She didn't contest the point !:
lacked the spirit to do it. somehow.
Anyway. he went on to say they'd
have to come down eventually to liv-
ing on what he could earn. Mr.. Greer
would do nothing for them, even in
the way of making an opening for
him. Forlornly she conceded this, too
She knew how implacable her fathers
resentments were. though she WIS
rather surprised that her lover should
see so clearly.
If they'd been sitting, while they
had this talk. in the big roadster, skim
ming swallow-like along some white
ribbon of road, or pulled up in the
shade Of some secluded lane, she
might have been able TO romanticiZe
the idea of poverty with her lover and
insist upon embracing it. A tiny cot
tage, n single room, anything that
sheltered the pair of them together
would be enough.
But out here on the pier this couldn't
be done. There were too many object
lessons all about. Shrill children car
rying all-day suckers on sticks,
harassed mothers, sheepish father
here and there, peremptory denials of
any more pennies for the slOt-machines
this was pleasure! This was red
letter day!
Her courage WASN'T equal to 1t, nor
his, either, the truth was. For the
present they'd have to give it up. If
Il piece of luck came Georges way
He had plan in mind, but wouldn't
tell her now what it was.
They exchanged some promises that
day: she. never to have anything
more to do with Ware or his bunch,
or any one like them, and to quit
drnking-as he had done. absolutely,
two months before; he. never to take
another job as chauffeur, but stick it
out for something that looked toward
the future; and not to lose himself
where she couldn't find him-if she
needed him.
They parted mournfully enough,
but comforted somewhat by the meet
ing, for all that. He'd never distrust
her again. he said, whatever happened
He had thought when her father fired
him, that night on the way to the
train. that she might have thrown
him over-made him the goat.
II never told him anything-about
you" TriX asserted. How do you
suppose he found out?"
1t must have been Miss Macarthur,
then. George had talked to her. He'd
had SO much on his chest that night
that he'd had to blow eff to somebody
He'd realized he was giving himself
away more or less, but had thought
vantage. So the warmest emotion
Trlx went home with that afternoon
was lively hatred of Jennie.
This was short-lived, of course, for
1t was on that very evening that Jen-
ME offered her treaty and won vic
tory. This might. 1t is easy to be-
lieve, have been much more complete
than 1t turned out to be for. after all,
Jennie failed.
Beatrice saw George, for the first
time since their parting. the day she
read in the paper Of his having got
job as pilot In the aIr-mail service.
They had an afternoon together. in
the car again, revisitlng some old
haunts of theirs. but despite the ro-
mantle accessories 1t was not a very
happy time. Pe pressed her hotly
now to marry him and said some pret-
~ bitter things when she refused to
promise anything. Wasn't the job
good enough to suit her? He got
base pay of fifty week and five cents
a mile. On the Cleveland run this
nryt,r .ly a