The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-09-26
BEGIN HERE TODAY

|
DRY from she'll shock on the West
ern Front. Upon his return to Lon
don he fails to recognize
NAN MARRABY, the girl to whom
he had become engaged before leav
ling for France. Nan has returned
home from London, due to the deati
of her stepmother, to take care Of
her three small stepbrotheFs. Sht
still writes to her friend, ....
JOAN ENDICOTT who told hel
that Peter and a fellow officer,
JOHN ARNOTT, were at the home
of Arnott's widowed sister, not fal
from the Marraby home. Peter
also fails to recognize
HARLEY SETON, although the
latter claims to have been a friend
Seton is a money lender. who has
been calling on Mans father. To;
day he has come to see Nan, who re.
fuses his advances and is Mortified
when in rage he tells her that
both her father and Peter owe him
great sums Of money. He tells her
that it is up to her to say whethe,
he will press them or not. 1t is
evening and Nan is in the garden
when one Of her stepbrothers calls
her from the house.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
1t was Claude she knew, and
Claude was her favorite, but tonight
| she felt that she did not want him
that she could not force herself to
answer his hundreds Of questions.
She opened the gate and fled into
the road.
1t was quite mild evening-the
voice Of spring was everywhere-and
the promise Of golden summer days
| TO come.
Nan went on till she reached the
| stile where Peter Lyster had sat
that morning with the primroses in
his cap; she pushed it open and went
| on into the wood.
The narrow footpath was soft and
messy beneath her feet-some little
wood animal, startled, rushed away
into the dried bracken and last years
underground as she approached; the
tall trees, meeting overhead, made
a dark canopy against the gray sky
She was alone here, and the tears
rained down Mans face as she
walked all her pluck and bravery
| seemed to have gone now there was
no longer need for self-restraint.
The brambles caught at her dress
| as she passed. and she dragged her
self free anyhow as she went; she
only wished that she might die out
here in the darkness and silence
| that there might never be any need
! to 60 back again and take up the
burden which life had imposed upon
| her.
She never heard a step coming to.
wards her down the narrow foot
path-never saw the red tin of a
lighted ciearet through the dusk, till
| out Of the silence a mans voice
spoke to her-close beside her-so
| close that Nan gave a stifled shrek
| and would have turned and fled, but
he spoke quickly:
Don't be frightened-I'm not 20.
ing to hurt you-is anything the
NATTER"
He paused. "Good heavens? Miss
Marraby," he said, amazed.
Nan did her best to check the sobs
that were choking her.
Peter flung his cigaret into the
bracken, and stood beside her, dis.
tressed and perplexed.
She turned away. She leaned he1
arms against the messy trunk OF
tree and hid her face in them.
! "Pm so-ashamed," she said; he1
breath was caught with sobs. "I'm
| not generally such an idiot"
She dried her eyes fiercely. but the
tears came again, and after a mo.
ment she gave it up; they were still
| running down her face when at las,
! she looked at him.
A little crescent moon had climbed
I n hn ~
! was family phosphorescent ligh,
in the woods nv which they coule
see one another's face.
| "You must think I'm crazy" Mar
said. She tried to laugh; she moppec
! at her tears again-she felt as il
she would never regain control O.
herself.
"I've never done such a thing il
all my life before" she told him
"I'm not bit an hysterical woman
really-oh, please believe met"
/ "There isn't anything to b.
/, ashamed Of" Peter said, his brow.
were knit into a frown. ~ heart
somebody crying-but had no ide.
it was you. Is there anything car
do for you?"
Nan shook her head.
! Her lips were steadier now; sh,
put her handkerchief away deter
minedly.
"Shall we 60 back ?" she asked.
She did not want to go: it was JUS
heaven to be here for few moment.
with him, but she was afraid to trus
herself.
"I'm not in hurry If you ar,
not" Peter answered. these wood
fascinate me By the way"--h,
laughed-I met your three small
brothers here yesterday"
"Yes-they told me. They seemed
to consider you sort. of moderl
Goliath"
She was grateful to him for in
Producing an impersonal note. The!
were walking together along the mar
row little footpath. There was opl,
just room for them both; here ant
there Peter had to fall back a steI
to let Nan pass.
"They asked me to tea" Peter sal.
again. "And / may as we'll admi
that got as far as your gate thi
afternoon with the intention of &C
cepting the invitation"
She turned eagerly.
"And you didn't ?"
I There was something pathetic il
her voice.
| mo: He laughed. II didn't lik,
!, to when it came to the point-beside
i think you had friends"
i "Mr. Sefton," said Nan quickly
This was something else in the lonl
score against Seton, that his pres
ence had driven Peter from her gate
"Sefton, was it," Lyster sail
thoughtfully. II suppose YOU know