Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-13
BY BERTA RUCK

quicker breath. She counte,. \
looking up. away. over his shoulds
'Is it,"
yes" Young Laverock suda.,s
dropped the quarreling note. Sot,s4
now he muttered. Tell me Nh.
you're going to say to that mar,
proposal?" ~
why? Why should -" ~
Because l want to know" -
he, and let his heart go into ~
voice at last. Il want to kns
Lucy!"
At that she made a little mon,
ment involuntary, sudden as II 3,
had been struck.
Auntie. passing that momen,
the dance, caught vivid starts,1
glimpse: to the Rovers prOSs
clcancut and dark, against g.
lambert rose OF the nearest Japanss
lantern there looked up the face
Lucy, its innocent oval warm
lighted by the pink radiance, M
parted, eyes wide upon the yous,
man, it was the face of girl m.
mistakably adoring. -
Good Heavens" gasped mn
Harrison to herself. and knew M
whether to be delighted or appallel
That child is now waking up. Ri
is he reliable? Or is he one
those?"
Archie also held a question. 50
speak, TO his own head. Had M
girl look at him like tha,1A
Or was it his own fatuous imagiraN
ton?
For a trait well defined in M
Rover's character-was that tn
first sign of inclination toward NM
on the part OF any woman-founl
him paradoxically but genuinely hs
credulous.
His pal, now Chat well meaning
but physically quite charmless sfk
Of the motor FIRM was ever ready
confide to his fellows: That lnaI
Miss So-and-So is getting dashej
keen on me. I'm afraid. | shall hay
to sheer off a point or two. On
can't he too careful about thes
girls starting to get fond OF one
Some of that caution (superfuou
in his pals case) might often hay
been no bad thing for young Lava
rock--or for the girl of the moment
However! The next thing iha
happened was that this girl, Lucs
changed in n second, that bctrayms.2
look upon her face. Quite gallanll
the little creature snatched at whaii
had been dropping from her, nams,
ly her teasing levity of everyday
To Archie's question she toss
ed off one word "A
"Guess,"
SO lightly that boy (thougSM
wiser than most boys) was bafiletl|
again. could not be sure, after aid
what to think. Did not know tina.
the girl. all trembling secretly, had
much ado TO follow the promptingY
of the voice that has cried to gener,
alton after generation OF womenN
Conceal, conceal" Not always mis-
takenly.
In this case it was more politis
than she suspected. For Mt thail
moment before-when he wondered
Did she look at me? No Is she
though pa certain chill (not en-.
tirely unknown to him already haal
begun to creep upon her lover.
"Oh. Lord" had thought, dismay
ed. that Arrant Rover.
But now the chill left him: fors
she. the girl, achieved n brighter
more birdlike twitter than before. 4
Seriously, Joking apart" she
these paralyzing heart searching
questions at the unfortunate indi.,
viduals you've met exactly fourI
times? You weird young man,I
AS matter of fact, / haven't,
made up my mind yet"
whether I'm weird or not?' hSI
muttered uncertainty.
NO. Whether or not I'm Eoing|
to accept the Ad-this last proposall
1 mean. Men always do expect onel
to settle in one brief instant IN
time whether one means TO marryl
them for life! As for you 4
YES? Ycs?" a
AS for you, Mr.. Laverock. / thinh|
you're just seething mass of thal
most unabashed curiosity everI
met! Even If | had settled what "
was going to do. what makes you sol
sure I'd tell YOU" /;
So she tcased and Knocked and
tantalized. and he could get nothingI
out OF her. No, not by the tims1
the gramophone record had come
TO an end, and begun to spin round
Jarringly, to be snatchcd off hY
Captain Smith. Not after Frankies
exclaiming at the time of night, had
begun to marshal his women folk
off to the station. Not during
the short walk down the field to the
when the Glamour girl had
trippcd along beside the Rover as,
close to him MS in the dance, SO.
close that the scent of her filed his.
senses and that the light touch Of,
her against his coat kept him all,
n thrill.
She would not tell him what la,
fumed to know, laughing still
whats ii got to do with youn
Why d'you ask?"
Why did he ask, indeed? II was
not n question that he could havsI
answered straight away, except with,
that explanatory because Il
want to know" Why must Id
know? Did he, truly. want her hlmf
self as he'd never wanted n girl bed
fore? Then why that chill whcni
he thought she'd looked response I'd
him? On the other and. why thld
stabbing jealousy because another!
Tell me what you're going to id
about It," he pestcred softly, aflame|
because she laughed.
Why did she laugh ut him? Bel
cause the novelty OF his picnlcl
had now worn off? Didn'tI
she care n rap? Then why that
look just now? Did she care n It'll
tie? Then why this manner now Z
Did she? Didn't she?
ITO 30 continued)
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