Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-26
By BERTA RUCK

any young, attractive and attractsS!
man must have been the influence
to catch her away at last out Of hes,
sluggish, brooding backwater into
the current OF stormy. stimulating
passionate life.
But she saw only Archie. 80
She looked at him-thought in.,
coherently. "a pity his eyes are allr
milky, instead Of blue." could M,
meet those eyes and looked away.
began q sentence, broke 1t off, ana
muttered in a forced little voice. ~
think / must have left my handker-1
chief in the caravan"
Take this; it's a clean one" mur-
INJURED the Rover; and dragged from
his pocket O dim blue crepe de china
thing with "a. L L" in lemon-yeIs
low inclosed by heart ana
obviously embroidered BY soma
amateur.
Mauve took. and used It. Archis,,
fingers prisoned again the hand thsr
had released. What worlds await
was Mauve, now. from the girl whol
had given. instead of her hand, cher
ries. For another second she sa,
with questions flashing wildly
through her mind. "Why did | tei,
him all that2 Why wasn't / even
angry with him for his fearful
impertinence in saying, It's all over
now? Why do l let him hold my
hands like this? He is going to kiss
them"
Then he did kiss them, her slender a
long fingers, roughened by so mucb
garden work. he smoothed them.
against his cheek, and she allowed
it! He moved up, even as She !,
hardly believing it of HERSELF
moved down toward him on tbo'
caravan steps; and when he took
her into his arms it was NOT a /.
question of ALLOWING it; she rested \
there perfectly contented, lifting her /.
face to his. taking his caresses in \
triumph and wonder.
Mauve Mathews would not :
nave Delleved IL OF herseif. 4
Later, she found it hard to be.
lieve that it actually happened. 4
Such are the auto suggestive powers
Of woman. that some day. perhans
Mauve will believe that it never-L
or scarcely-happened ut all-thts /,
love scene that at the time was SO !,
totally unexpected, so foreign. M
part of her own ordered, conysn. /,
tional life was this. but Il flash ots
something homogeneous, blithe~
pagan. as if some alien species Of,
great butterfly had alighted upon an I.
arm of the moss sleeved, fern frinR,tl
ed Welsh oak, and had there preen.
ed wide wings of gay, unknown and
hues.
Convention has it that 1t IS only
into the lives of young men that
Love will flutter. taking this special
form. Hence the rather helpless be-
wilderment of the young woman 10
whom this had happened, and who's
as have said-did not even know
the thing by its name.
Twice she repeated, "Archio 80
Archie ="
"Mauve." he responded. deeplyJ
tender. You darling. ."
She rested against his shoulder
for a long moment; thinking OIL
nothing, analyzing nothing-justl
1t was the sound of the little wall.
clock. Ginning behind them in thai
caravan, that made her start andit
draw out of his clasp, crying in,
Can that be the time?
Archie, your clock can't be right" /
Never mind the time" he begged
.rdently. -huskily. "stay, as You
were!" :,
II can't possibly. must go 20 the
1ouse. Dinner, grandfather" she
him breathlessly. Putting
aside his arms she sprang up: she
her shady hat and her
amethyst beads. She ran past HIM,
Town the step. and stood on the
grass looking up at him as she had
looked on that first, that so different
occasion,
Her eyes laughed up into his. but
when she next spoke there was n
note in her voice.
Archie, do you mind? ! want Won
cot to come up to Rios to dinner
please. Not tonight"
"Oh. but l say" he eypostuIated
iismayed, When I've only Just seen
you-"
You'll see me tomorrow. I don't
mink l could let you come. -
Before grandfather, and everything.
Please. l / must 49, collect
my ideas, and think, that's what |
want to do first" explained Miss
Rice- Mathews. confusedly and flush-
"a and laughing. Not just YETI
Archie. Come tomorrow yes
very Wen, you can dome up early
I you like"
And at least" stipulated Archie
eagerly, you'll let me walk back
with you now"
NO; please! Grandfather would
nsist upon your coming!"
Wen, just to the stile, them"
80 down the field they walked to-
s,ether, their long shadow stripping
me haycocks. the setting sun in /
Iheir eyes. At the stile he took her
again into his arms-but now she
was distracted by her haste: il was
NOT as the first embrace had been.
she disengaged herself, hurried
over the stile. On the other side n
iarkling beechwood stood waiting to
swallow up the slim, radiant, lilac
;iad shape of her She turned to |
wave to him as he stood in the l
bright field looking after her.
IAN.
In record time she reached the
rouse. called, Ten minutes. Megan." i
% the parlormaid; she dashed ND. /
stairs to her room and began her
.apid change for dinner. Even as
she did so, she murmured to herself |
'he phrase; one short, exultant
CONTINUED Tomorrow L
----