Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-27

for a moment remember.
Then, with a shock. "Of
course. Mauve!"
In that most depressing hour of
palely growing light and restless
birdnoise and lowered human vitality.
Archie, turning on his couch, medi-
lated upon this late love Of his and
saw her unkindly as men do not see
woman to whom they have always
been Indifferent. Completely unat-
tractive he saw her now. A young
woman like hundreds of others of
her class and kind. AS more light
came grayly through his. open win
dows. as the small objects around
him grew slowly-clearer, SO his
warped view of poor Mauve grew
ever more critical.
She was plain, yes, plain headed.
She was managing. she was brusque,
she was Clever" she was all a wo-
man oughtn't to bel
(Lord, what had possessed him?)
Almost worst Of all, as sweet
quate, frigid! Yes, it amount
ed to that. -
Judge Of your lover at the part
ing!" warns the French proverb. 1t
Is the last caress that is remembered
as characteristic.
So Archie recalled-not that glow
ing first moment when she all light
ed up had moved halfway to meet
.. his welcoming arms. That was
washed out by the other, the last
moment when he had held her to
say goodnight at the stile. .
He remembered only how hurriedly
she had pulled away from him.
turning to him as 1t were the cheek
| of a perfunctory aunt. -
Miserable show. . -
She wasn't the sort of girl he
wanted to kiss. or to look at, or even
| to talk to, or to be with at all any
more.
Yet-Here he was. Practically
accepted" Today. in a few hours
time. lie would have to go up to
| Rios to confirm the (ghastly) stu
| alton.
He started to go up at an I'M
earthly nour. in fact, as soon as he
smoke ascending ,lazily from the
chimney above the beech trees at the
| end of the bayfield,. Then he realiz-
ed that Mauve might not be up for
| another hour.
Every minute of the sixty seemed
| n week in Purgatory to the Rover,
wondering how he could bring him.
| self to behave as the decently de-
| lighted newly accepted fiance of this
unwanted girl whom he had won
| over to care for him :. that eX-
| elusive, concentrated, individual and
| destroyingly constant manner in
which this sort of girl always did
| care"
Understanding Mauve
| He now understood Mauve only
| too well. he thought
The truth is he understood her
| worse than he had understood girls
who were, on the surface, less
stereotyped than she.
An illusion of Archie's sex is that,
though it be usual enough for man
! TO look upon woman merely as ca
ressable or charming toy, no mice"
girl has been known to look thus
] upon a man.
, Whereas = =
! Take Miss Rice Mathews, who,
| while Archie tossed in his caravan.
had spent an equally restless night
up at Rios. Her first mood-imper-
sonally vivid joie de vivre Of con-
7 valescence-had passed. She was
left staring in amazement at a
streak of herself that she didn't
| recognize. ct was probably the
, same streak" that lent fire and
mastery to her piano playing. but
that she didn't know, either.) She
| harassed herself-her ordinary con-
ventionally bred self-with ques-
| tions. Chief Of them was. But if
l really don't think Archie Laverock
[ did l like his kissing me-" she
blushed for herself, hotly, into the
| pillow.
| She finally thought "Well. If I'm
Grandfather will love it, And
thatll be that, I supposed"
| 1t would have saved young Archie
some of the most remorseful and
panic stricken moments of his life
could he have had glimpse into
the mind of this girl then.
| He had no glimpse into her mind
not even in the next interview be-
creatures. who had come into each
others lives for one unique and
golden hour Never in this world will
Archie Laverock know truly what
Mauve Rice Mathews felt on that
| (to HIM morning of calamity.
| She came to meet him.
That was the first shock.
She was much earlier than he'd
expected. AS he walked slowly
down that sopping bayfield, through
a mist that might or might not de-
| yelop into more rain, he caught sight
| of the slim figure, with that old
| brown oilslSin pulled on over
her woody jumper and rough skirt,
gray as the weather; dumping clogs
| disguised her feet as she climbed
that stile.
He had not thought his heart
could sink any lower. But it did so
even as he waved and hurried on
toward her. He knew. then. that il
he hadn't been so bored in this place
at the start with absolutely no
other interest. he would never have
given her a thought. -
| Still! Here they WERE He must
begin something CHEEKY to break the
| ice. Brrrrr I" ="
(Ha.l;.u>l