The Glenwood post., 1924-01-03
dress-goodby!"
mo, no! Don't go. ~


Mss your moonlight dip, when you
enjoy 1t so-merely on account of the
behavior of an alcoholic cad. 1 was
about to say-I'll paddle you over to
the Pulpit myself"
She eyed him Huizzically and all at
once was aware of the beating of her
heart!
ME two stood close together in the
darkness and beauty of the woods.
The mans ponderous dignity was man.
ifestly little strained. Why? For
a long time past, indeed, 1t had been
evident that she had undermined his
case In their relationship. For weeks
she had been conscious, in her with
drawals and through the silences
that she had made so common be-
tween them, that he regarded her with
a new attentiveness. But he had
stopped there; his pride-or some
cowardice perhaps ?-had restrained
him from word or act. Was 1t the
romantic solitude now. and the sud-
den sight Of her in her wood-nymph's
guise? Was it the thought of those
kisses she had just taken from an
other? What? Into her husbands
eyes had come a look she had not
seen these three years; and she Won
dered suddenly if, here and now, be-
yond all calculation, her great mo-
ment had come at last.
But do you think that she would
yield anything to him? Not she.
Ironically grave, she answered:
you are always kind, Horace. But
of course I'd not dream of imposing
on you that way"
mo imposition at all. I'd enjoy it.
We find ourselves deserted-each by
our own choice-what more logical
than to join forces. eh?''
Logical!
"And-and pleasant" said he with
his labored lightness. "Why not? Or
If you don't care to join the party
now-after what happened-why, we
might just paddle about for a while.
The night-the nights fine," said
Horace.
Canoeing in the moonlight with
ones husband! My dear man, do you
want to make me the laughing stock
of the county?'
Her laughter, thrilling unexpected
ly, took him quite aback; stung him,
too, ms she saw with pleasure.
"a very little of that sort of thing"
said she, "and gossip would soon be-
gin connecting our names,
81 don't think you run many risks
of that" he retorted. with marked
stiffness. And I wish you'd cease
this-this extravagant way of talking
its provoking. Now come along.
I-we'll enjoy it,"
"On the contrary. 1 should die of
shame"
you're being absurd. Gomez"
"a thousand thanks, but no."
There was a silence. The breeze
fluttered her long hair.
II see you actually prefer the So
ciety of drunken male fiirts to that
of And this is typical, too"
He finished, all but impulsively for
him: "Pm sure you can't realize,
Laurel. how little we actually see of
each other-these days"
All, but did she not realizel
She leaned back against the slender
bole of white birch and stared up
at him liquid eyed Nis
How little! Why, Horace-good
gracious That's literally all I can
say-good gracious! Seven days
week under the same roof, but sep
arated single day in"
II know, knowW he said in an
other tone, embarrassed. ut seems
odd, own-Fd hardly think 1t was
possible. And still =. I was of
course sure you weren't conscious of
1t, but"
He hesitated, peerlng at her with
his short-sighted eyes; and then the
natural man let go little more Of
the unnatural constraint.
"Why, Laurell You go out some
where every evening, with or without
me, or If you don't go out, you have
people in. At odd moments, when
there are. in the little between times,
as I might term them. you're always
reading, or studying, or practicing
something, or else you're writing let
ters or you have a headache. Satur-
days and Sundays and usually week
days. too. you have people staying in
the house. all over the place Noise
and dancing and parties and rushing
about-never quiet moment of-of
Just the domestic sort"
you certainly make 1t sound DIFF
ferent from the home life of our dear
Queenl I'd n> idea 1t was so bad az
that"
II understan- t, II anything. But
well, we won't go into 1t now. My
point is, here, by chance. we have a
quiet hour for once-charming nature
and no noise-no drunks. Well, don't
let's spend 1t standing on these rocks,
when the lakes right there Come!"
She shook her head in silence, faint
ly smiling. Gently. she released the
hand that he had abruptly clutched.
She thought that his massive face