The Washington times., 1924-02-19

leaned on q low fence and stared
at the changing sky. She longed
for him longed for the comfort
Of his voice. his arms.
It would be soon; it would have
to be. Then all this historical
tension would soften.
Well, she would bear It as he
did. Hard for him, too. She
would not be the one to whimper.
No!
She went home refreshed,
strengthened.
She didn't intend to tell him Of
the episode. But she did. Tn
fortunately II came ut a time
when he was least In the mood to
hear 1t. They were parked at the
beach, watching the searchlights
play on the waves.
He said: you look white,
~ was scared white, and Won
would know" She told him that
Jennie had come upon his letters:
tnat she had been m a panic till
she was certain Jennie hadn't
read them.
He sat mute. his hands on the
wheel. After q long while he
alumped back In his seat. He
said: II wish to God It had
never been"
The fiat Of his hand swent
against her face would not have
crushed her 30. Terrible sounds
rt&red In her cars; louder than
the gray boom If the sea. Time
stopped, weighed in terror.
Then his arm about her. Ha
drew her. He rubbed her hands.
After q long while: 'ChicIxie--T
didn't mean It that way. You
me-" S'
She couldn't speak. Kissed
her; began to plead. II was inst
mat the everlasting concealment
go nun; Just her fright and that
ene seemed unhappy. Oh-it was
Inat Things went all wrong at the
: Office and he got letter from his
mother saying she wasn't well. 1t
was everything hitting at once.
Don't turn against me for a
Att!e thing like that, Chickie. Oh,
smile smile! II. Don't look as though I'd
But you said it. Oh. you'd
want to wipe it all out?"
NO"
cit makes me think YOU no
longer want mcguire tired Of
me-of everything"
You don't think that! You
cant. Wen forget all this, some
day. Don't spoil the whole eve
ming" And he kept kissing her.
murmuring to her. saying again
and again. you're beautiful,
Chickie. I love you. You know
She forgot: she was happy.
But she would never let a scene
like that come between them
again. Oh, no!
And this strain would pass-of
course. They would forget the
unpleasant things.
But the weeks passed. Nothing
was changed.
There were days and days that
went singing in a spontaneous
happiness. Noontimes when they
brought their lunch and hurried
to the ferry, sitting on a pier,
eating, laughing. Nights when
they danced or took long rides
about the city.
Hours that drew them in ties
Of piercing sweetness. Once they
went to a concert. John Nc
Cormack was the singer. He
sang Forgotten" Barry's hand
sought her. The music flowed
into their hearts; made them one.
When the yearning in that voice
of living passion was but an echo
in their ears, they remained still
ed. In a moment Of emotion like
this, 1t seemed to Chickie that
she no longer had any life Of her
own-none except through him.
She wanted it so.
But there were other times
when she lost this sense of alb
sorbing nearness. Often, lying
under a tree he would begin to
argue, growing excited over some
book; some pet idea. But she
wanted only to dream, to let her
fingers loiter over his forehead;
to stoop down and kiss him.
What matter If the world was
wrong?
One Sunday-the first spring
day they had driven down along
the coast road, he was in this
mood. After lunch, he stretched
himself out, resting against her
arm.
"Chiclxie. the trees are climbing
higher"
"Yes-and greener-"
What an easy thing to be a
tree or a bird or anything but
us!'
"Why?"
"Well-a tree is a tree-no
dualism there. Whoever or what.
ever It was that planted them
and us in this grand blunder
must have liked trees and birds
and other critters best. Spring
comes soft and easy for a tree.
Now who would think of blaming
this young acacia for putting
forth new leaves and blossoms
and flirting so with life? l ask
you, frail, isn't a tree luckier
than a MANI"
Don't be silly"
What do you mean, silly?
That's deep stuff I'm giving you.
Listen-suppose the tree had a
brain or a soul perched up on it's
top branches and every time the
roots gave a culver or a branch
swayed or a new little leaf thrust
itself forth-suppose when that
happened the fool brain or soul
yelled out, Quit it now--stop
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