Evening star., 1925-05-10
THANKS TO LUCIA By Henry c. Rowlond
nd If
Ihey Ever Retnnedo Utilization But Lucia

moment was afraid that Lucia would
be hurt, and apparently the same
idea suddenly occurred to the boy, for
he sprang up suddenly, reached for
the girl and drew her to him.
"You little darling!" he said huskily,
and before I could realize what was
themselves about his neck and she
crushed her fresh lips to his.
| There was nothing scattered or diff
fuse about this girls knowledge Of
what she wanted or the central focus
ing Of her will. Her objective clear
and upclouded, she went to 1t with the
direct simplicity Of child or q sage,
ment, very much there, in fact, but
not for very long as Wade took her
by both soft shoulders and held her
at arms length, and one would have
sworn that he was not only looking
at her but seeing her, so intense was
the gaze of his sightless eyes. And
the lines Of his face had grown hard
and severe.
But Lucia was not dismayed.
Then it's all arranged, isn't it,
Wade?" said she.
mo, little girl; it's not" he an
swered. Il wish it were. But you
see-in the first place, gentleman
must never break his word, even If his
ideas and character have changed; and
in the second. it would be q Iow-down
trick for q helpless lump like me to
marry you before you had a chance
| to pick and choose for yourself"
l. But have picked and chosen"
Lucia protested. II have chosen YOU.
Wade. You are the only man l have
told that / should like to marry.
though / did tell Mr.. Brown that 1
thought he would make a very nice
husband. And you are not a helpless
lump. You may seem SO to yourself
and to other people, but you don't to
me. You see, l have always known
you as you are now, so 1 don't make
unpleasant comparisons.
think like you better as you
are, Wade, because if you love me
without being able to see me, l will
know that you love me with your
heart and not with your eyes" She
smiled. THAT is the way I loved INV
goat, who was not at all pretty to
look at
This was too much for the Door
boys self-restraint. He drew her to
him and kissed her. and as he loosed
her again, l saw that his eyes were
glistening.
Il do love you with my heart. darl-
ing Kid said Wade huskily land 7
they can't see what a peach YOU are.
But we can't talk about marrying
until we put our house in order. Come
on; let's go down to the beach and let
this long-suffering paint-slinger get on
the job again."
MEANWHILE, deeply immersed in
my own job, 1 had ceased to serve
as tlmekeeper on Lucia and Wade and
left the business to work out accord :
ing 10 the laws Of nature and human
events. Then, suddenly. the wind
struck 1t at different slant, which
made things look as If it might work
out according to the law of storms.
Mrs. Smith dragged me into her
boudoir and delivered an edict ex
cathedra.
MIR. Brown" said she, in outraged
accents. Il fear that your friend Mr..
Ffske has not rid himself of his Latin
quarter principles-or lack of them. !"
The latter. as l remember the life" "
| answered. But why this stern i'm
peachment, chere madame?"
You need not try to gloss it over
| on the plea of his having spent 20
years on a desert island" she said.
There are certain things, which no
honorable man would do If he were
to spend so years on a desert island /"
Il quite agree with you," answer
ed. In fact. he would be much less
apt to do Them"
She bit her lip to keep it from
! twitching.
'Of course, you artists are bound to
defend each other" said she. But
| this is really very serious and pain.
ful matter, the more so as Mr.. Fiske
has known from the first that Su.
zanne was engaged to marry my son.
Besides, artists who were men of
honor have given me to understa nd
that their studios were to be consid-
| cred in the same light as the con-
sultfng room of a surgeon
Some are even more expensive"
said; but we are not required to
| take any Hippocratic oath, If that Is
what you mean"
Il don't know what that is, but it
Is precisely what I mean," she an
swered. yesterday morning, Mr..
Fiske invited me to drop in and see
| the portrait, but as 1 was busy all
day, l did not go until this after
noon" She hesitated.
Well?" / muruRured.
Well. not to 60 into details I went
there about an hour ago. / discoy.
cred that your fascinating confrere
was taking far more interest in his
| model than In his work. l withdrew
| unperceived."
Such things will happen" sighed.
Poor Elliotr'
Poor rubbish. Poor blind Wade,
II You like. The man was kissing
her"
"Hooray"' exclaimed. WAS She
eh-resisting?"
"She was notn snapped Mrs. Smith
Let us hope that she was" I an.
swered, because Wade Is not in the
| least in love with her and has abso-
lutely no desire to marry her. He
told me-
"Oh, /dear"' sighed Mrs. Smith. II
! was afraid something Of the sort
might happen, and I did so want him
to marry her. 1t would have given
him an interest in life."
He has got one already" L de.
clared Mrs. Smith raised her eye
brows.
| DO you mean the daughter" she
demanded.
'The same. Wade is deeply in love
with her, and she is most thoroughly
and sanely in love with him. They
told me SO. At least. they told each
other SO in my presence. They want
1 to get marrted-and why not? Lucia
is as pure and fresh, or salty, to be
precise, as a sea-anemone, and. she
considers Wade's blindness as an ad-
vantage And / told the anxious
mother Of what she had said on this
score. "She would make him a de-
voted wife. It Is true that she has
no DOT"
"Oh, bother the dotw Mrs. Smith
interrupted. But her father"
| Her father comes of q good old
New England colonial family" I an.
swered, land, unless am very much
mistaken, is the coming portrait
| painter. You may soon expect to