Evening star., 1925-05-24

kind of sport. Jimmy had to earn his
living.
And now he had to earn his way
through college.
How absurd it was to let himself in
for that because he liked a girl and
wanted to impress her! A girl he
didn't know anything about a girl he
had seen for an hour and wasn't like.
ly TO see again more than once or
twice before she sailed for Europe and
out OF his life forever. And yet he did
know something about her. He knew
everything about her. He knew that
she made every other girl he had ever
known seem pale or crude or silly
He had known a girl in the high
school who had vitality-and n voice
like buzz saw. He had known "A
quiet, industrious girl who got 30 In
Latin. He had known a girl who was
pretty and vivacious, but had weak.
ill-made body and the mind OF "a canary
bird. OF course, Cynthia had every
possible advantage. being Vain.
wright. That had given her her poise.
y y * !;
Jimmy, going to sleep that night,
saw that he must not try to know
her. That way led only to painful
defeat, defeat without a chance To
fight. He quietly resolved never to see
her again.
SO in the next three weeks he saw
her nearly every day. He continued to
play tennis with Hugh and she was al.
ways there at tea. His game improved
He did beat Sharp in the semi-fnals I
Stamford. a long, hard five-set match,
in which sheer stubborn stamina pulled
him through. He lost to Hugh in
straight sets the next day.
Hugh drove him back to Round
Hill that day. 1t was a day in May,
as warm and sweet and still as Sum.
mer, with the apple trees in full
bloom. 1t seemed to Jimmy, sitting
on the Veranda, looking out on the
orchard, unendurably beautiful. He
wondered, sitting there at tea with
Hugh and Cynthia, if all true beauty
were like that-if it hurt. And then
Niggin called Hugh to the telephone
and he was alone with Cynthia.
He stole glance at her. She
caught him looking at her and smiled
1alntly. He had the strange notion
That she knew he loved her. But how
could she? He had the still stranger
notion that she loved him. Which
was, OF course, absurd. For a brief
moment 1t seemed to him as if with.
out ever saying a word, they had
completely confessed themselves to
each other-that each knew the
others heart-and that this was love.
Then she spoke and Jimmy returned
to earth.
Jimmy" she said, I'm going in
to New York tomorrow to meet
mother. We have some shopping to
DO on Monday. We're sailing on
Tuesday"
He rose to his feet, took two steps
toward her.
Il know" he said, "and I've got to
go home now. I suppose 1 shan't see
you again"
She did not answer directly. She
stood up and looked out at the
orchard.
You always go home by the road
don't you, jimmy"
Yes" he said.
You needn't. There's a better way.
III show it to you"
She led the way around the house
Jimmy saw an avenue of gnarled Did
apple trees that marked what had
once been farm road leading away
from the older part of the house.
Cynthia paused and pointed and as
she pointed her shoulder touched his.
You go through the lane and you
come out in pasture and from there
you &an see your way down to the
village across the fields''
Il see," Jimmy said.
He couldn't have said another word
The touch of her shoulder against his
made him dizzy. He tried to think
of words in which to say goodbye. He
wondered if it would be proper to
shake hands with her. He decided it
would. OF course it would. He
turned to look at her.
Her cheek was family flushed,
luminous. Her eyes were pools, clear,
dark, deep. Her eyes contained depth
after depth. He could not look into
her eyes
Without word they walked side
by side down the lane, between the
apple trees, on turf f1ecked with sun.
nght, through air scented with apple
blossom. Jimmy slowly got control
of himself, recalled his mind to earth.
When they got to the end of the
lane he would turn. shake hands with
her. say goodbye and go. She would
understand everything-that he liked
her a lot and that he wished she
were not going away, and all that.
X x
THEY paused, as if by mutual un-
derstanding, at the end of the
lane. They could see the village
white houses in a thin line along the
shore, and the harbor, and the point,
reaching out into the sound They
stood there. side by side, looking at
the water. Then Jimmy turned and
held out his hand and looked into
her eyes, and she looked back into
his.
Quite slowly. quite deliberately. he
held her in his arms. He kissed her.
For moment he held her close, so
close he could feel her heart beat.
Il love you," he said gravely
Yes" she said. Il love you"