Daily Kennebec journal., 1924-03-25
ing them out in a gesture that ex-
oraeSad mora than WOfG9.
BY BERTA RUCK

pressed more IMAM Worus.
She understood. That outheld
hand of his completed the appeal
where it had been left by that call
ing glance between them In the rock
garden yesterday. Everything IN
between was null and void! He
held out his hand.
But for yet another instant she
chose not to understand. She moved
deliberately-she took n couple OF
cherries from the old blue-and-
white dish and put them into his
hand, as il that was what he had
been asking for.
With equal deliberation, the young
man took the fruit and placed IT
back upon the dish from which she
had taken II. Then, again, and with
purpose, he held out his free hand.
This time he made q slight move
ment toward the girl; he also
fastened upon her that same look
that she had met yesterday.
She met II now.
She drew back. saying quickly, in
voluntarily, mo . *!"
MOP" repeated, softly and very
tenderly, the Arrant Rover.
Archie" she went on, quickly. in
a voice that was at the same time
emphatic and uncertain, Il want to
tell you something. No, you are not
going to hold my hand while 1 am
It's something s'* It's rather diff
ficult."
He looked at her. At that moment
he loved her. very dearly and sin
cerely. "ss
There is a type Of psychologist
who would correct this by saying.
He thought he loved her." Ac-
cOrding to them, love Is a matter of
duration Tor of having known the
girl for, say, eight years.. Possibly,
these good people hold that is not
sunlight because 1t passes from the
landscape which 1t has enriched.
Still. what is either love or not, but
thinking makes it SO? Diff
ferently, but no less sincerely. had
Mauve loved Basil; no more
to her than did the feeling of
Archie Laverock at that moment.
To help her, he took up gently:
SIS it something about what l
couldn't help seeing yesterday in the
garden?"
Its partly about that" Mauve
answered, locking her hands about
her knees and fixing perturbed
gaze upon the blue screen of hills
beyond the bayfield,. II think you
took that-that card. you know. for
something that it wasn't"
Pause. He waited for her to go
on.
She told him outright. 81 am not
engaged to the man who wrote that
on the card"
Archie waited. ."
The Love Tragedy of a Maid
Il don't think shall ever be en-
gagged to anybody again." said
Mauve Rice Mathews, quickly, and
blushing az she spoke. II was en-
| gagged = = the summer came out
y"
Archie said, very softly, rs it fair
| to ask? Was it to him?"
ITO Lionel? Oh no. No. Never! I
hadn't met him then-at least, not
since I'd been grown up. 1t was to
quite different person. Now, he
was the one person in the world
| for me, as they say. He
| Really. Archie. I don't quite know
why I'm telling you all this" said
| the girl.
7 Thereby taking the turning to the
long road of confidence. sss
To her own bewildered surprise,
she found herself talking and talk
ing; in words that grew ever quick
er. more confidential. she unfolded
the old, unhappy, far-off story of
Basil. Yes, to this other young
man, this young man of whom five
weeks ago she had never even heard!
To this Archie Laverock who sat.
silently attentive, perched just be-
low her On the steps of this cara
van which was as foreign to this
we!l-known place as he was himself.
Mauve found herself imparting
Things that she had never told an
other creature and that she had
never dreamed of talking .about.
Not to Grandfather not to
any woman friend! Little memories
that she had buried in her heart
trivial incidents.
Once when we were waiting for
the hairdresser to come and do NV
hair the day l was presented. he
said y" 80
Can you imagine caring 80 much
that one thinks 1t beautiful even
that he should have a tiny chicken
poX scar on his cheek"
She ran on; the self contained and
detached Miss Rice Mathews. car
ried away by this orgy of self
revelation in a fashion that would
not occur to normally expansive
character. Archie listened, waiting.
encouraging nef with that silent at
tention, that stiffness of his. =
Golden evening light began to trans
ngure the country side about them
field away some one was calling.
"COof, coof. coof!" to the cows. :
Milking time; and Mauve was talk
ing literally until the cows came
| home.
For once unheeding what o'clock
| IT might be, she went on brokenIy.
when he wrote! . Do you know
that even now / never see that
particular kind of thick gray note
| paper without feeling knives 20 into
me. ,"
Brokenly she said It. But even as
she did something seemed to break
IN her too: something very strange
happened. Through the "break," a
| tiny voice, deep down in her mind.