The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-11-13

was beginning to stir faint echoes
within her soul.
. "Comei" he exclaimed suddenly. an
undertone of impatience sounding in
his word
"I will come" ~ - ss,'-'
He threw back his head a little. and
smiled again.
No modern affectation showed in
Croft's dancing. He abandoned him
self to the rhythm of the music, with
an ease which swept the girl along In
sympathetic exhilaration. She forgot
the imperfect floor. the clumsy couples,
the staring eyes mere instructive dis
like of this strange man. and surren-
dered herself to the rare joy Of per-
feet harmony in movement. When, for
an instant, she glanced up at her part
ner. she saw in his face a correspond
ing light which filed her with a mo-
mentary sense of fellowship.
Afterward, they strolled out on the
terrace, flooded in the red gold of the
setting sun. Barbara sat upon the low
parapet. Croft flung his long legs over
and drew out his cigarettes. Present
ly she found his glance fixed upon her.
"Well?" he asked, without prelimi-
naries. "What about our little trip7
Have you counted all the risks?"
"Risks? mol Or l might never get
therer'
His quick look Of approval was lost
on the girl. as she glanced away with
a laugh.
when there is a chance of getting
your hearts desire. would you count
risks?"
mol" he calculated warmly.
That's my creed.'
From the determined lines Of his
well-cut lips she judged this to be the
truth.
But your hearts desire'?" he went
on; 'what do you mean by that"
She flushed family; the shy reserve
in her nature ever made personal talk
difficult
"Surely you have that?" he sug
gested boldly, waving his cigarette
toward the diamond scintillating on
her finger.
On, yes. les. L nHNt, VI course III
that way" she replied hurriedly.
The band struck up stirring jazz
tune, medley bringing hints of TOM
toms, drums, rafting castanets, the
uncouth music of the East.
"Ohw she cried involuntarily. start
ing up: then sitting down again. But
you could never understand" she NUT
tered.
"What?" He watched her closely,
his cigarette burning, forgotten, be
tween his fingers.
1.-The craving to live-really live!-
for time! To get out into the world {;
toto experience everything instead
of just reading about 1t all; to-feel
life itself! In huge cities. among vast
crowds. l want to find out" She
hesitated. looking away over the
meadows, with puzzled frcwn.
"Something seems lost, missing in
some way. IL can't explain" She
turned back to him. the color in her
face heightened. But he did not laugh
as Hugh would have done.
"'Huge cities'T' he queried slowly.
"You think you will find 1t in them1
Why not in remote villagesT
"Oh. no. she cried. Nothing ever
happens in them! Villages are only
full Of little obscurities. i want to
sample bigger things"
"They will be but little obscurities'
in fresh places" he interrupted. "The
whole world is only composed Of little
notes. you know, and their reverbera-
tions."
She listened in surprise. In her ex-
perience, talk like this, especially from
man, was unusual; but from one
famed for life of action 1t seemed
little short Of miraculous.
WELL" she said, enjoying the nov
city of metaphor. II want to feel the
big 'reverberations'-to get among
deep chords. in fact!"
''They might be rather Overpower-
ing It's having some sort of right
keynote that counts"
She knit puzzled brows, trying to
follow his meaning. What keynote
could there be to all the tumble Of
separate entities that make up life?
"What keynote the world uses. !
suppose, what you want to discover"
he asked.
"Do L? Is that it?" Eagerly she
leaned toward him. "Oh, wonder
What do you think II is7"
He blew out cloud of smoke; then
smiled. Goodness knows! Perhaps
there isn't one. What private ones do
we all use? Don't you often wonder.
when you meet a number of new peo-
pie"
But I never do meet them! 1t Is
quite an event to meet a stranger"
she assured him.
'Well, you shall soon meet plenty
of all nationalities. Even natives. in
the Philippines"
Barbara came back to practical
realities with start. Natives, Are
they black? I should loathe them"
"Oh, no; surely not. ] like them
immanSaly"