San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-05
The Making Of
a Husband
Ann LaSle' s N e ~
Phase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
Chapter 81.

IN, Dy JOVc, now you really must
excuse me. i thought you were Lisa,
you know. But daresay you don't
know. Still you really must er--snap
out of this and realize that I'm not a
brute, didn't mean to terrify you and
all that sort Of rot"
A sentence at time this came TO
me from miles away. / lay quite still
trying to find out what it was ali
about, where / was and why some
one who talked lot like Terry Wins
ton should be bending over me with q
trained-nursc air. Suddenly a drop
of water hit me plump on the nose.
sncezcd. The hand of the man bend
ing over me and holding glass Of
water began to shake anil "joggle" and
streamlet Of water descended upon
my face. i sncezcd again. Then l
found myself laughing. l sat up and
found myself staring at an amazingly
good-looking, boyish person 1 had new
er before set eyes on. stared around
the living room at The Birches. ex
amincd my visitor carefully. Then !
said precisely what i hadn't expected !:
~What am l doing here?"
"Don't you know the visitor
asked.
81 mean what are you doing
herc?" / amended.
You tainted" he said.
The conversation began to seem
like q mage from Alice i'll Wonderland
And my next remark showed that /
WAS deep within its absurd Non
sequiturs.
why did / faint?" / asked.
sDid / brighten your questioned
the visitor gently, his pink and boylsh
face going a shade pinker.
At this arose and, finding myself
restored from the faint into which ]
now realized had fallen because this
pink person had frightened me SO, l
asked coldly:
What are you doing here at The
Birches? You don't look like bur
gIar-not even gentleman burglar
YOU seem a gentlemanly Englishman.
Why do you break and enter my
homer"
Your homc?" he asked.
His hand went to his face as he
smoke. 1t was a simple little gesture,
but it spoke of despair. And the hand
that made it was an aristocratic hand
ono that had never known manual
labor-one whose fine texture and la
pering delicacy bespoke gentle ances'
Try. Perhaps / shouldn't have been
so sure Of this, but on the little fin
ger there was wonderful old ring
with a crest cut deep into purplish
amethyst. 49,,
"Of course this is my home. What
are Won doing bere?" i asked, with a
gentlcness that amazed me as appiled
10 the intruder, who had terrified me
into faint. =,
II don't quite know" he said with
n wavcring smile. I'm sure l CAM
saw why / should be in your house.
| don't know you-do IL -,
IL don't know you either" SAID
drily.
aThat's too bad" said the guest SO
seriously that | had hard time NOT
IN laugh. II thought maybe you
would"
"Why should II" I asked.
Ayain the conversation was taking
on an Alice in Wonderland quality. 1t
seemed absurd. and yet somehow
natural that | should be having such
IN nmiable conversation with the
housebreaker whom ! might have been
expected to denounce. defy or SHRINK
from i'm terror-not talk with in a
Lewis Carroll or Barrie manner.
aPm not quite sure who | am
so I hoped you might know. It's
all SO familiar" said the guest, smll-
ing Mt me in n manner that would
have disarmed more suspicious per-
son than /. 81 came here looking
for someone. Lisa was the name,
think. ] fancied this was my house.
IL can't be. since you say it's yours
And you aren't Lisa-or are you!
There are so few things j seem sure
of-now."
"And you aren't sure of your
sclf-who you are, i mean" L asked
pitiyingly.
NV guest smiled. No infant ever
had mildcr blue eyes, nor more
euileless brow. nor softer, more
uncertain mouth. And what made il
so pathctic to look Mt the blank
babyishncss Of the well featured face
was that above IL grew thatch OF
hair I had mistaken for yellow. but
which | realized suddenly was sleam-
ing white. -,
Really, now, ] know it's a bit
thick. but I've an idea | came 10
these digginss looking for someone
who would know me. The name was
did ] by any char tell you who
it was / expected to mcet?'
~You came to meet Lisa. didn't you,
Mr.. Lingard?" | asked daringly.
IL was u venture, but one of which
had no doubt. That this was
BERTHE I.ingard | lad every reason to
be certain. He had probably escaped
from the youth with whom Nicholas
Perry had sent him TO town. and
had come to the Birchcs.homing &c
his long-dcad Elisa instead Of re-
turning to the unfamiliar Hedgerow.
was sure. And then the pink and
white stranger asked in startled
tone:
"Lingard. who's that? Did you
call me by that name? I'm most
nwfully sorry to disnppoint you. old
thing. but I'm not Lingard. In fact,
II don't even know the cbnppic.'
And now the smile which had
been so disarming took on n cold
.x.~;f,.;nc vindiefiNpncge And I felt