Evening star., 1926-04-04
TO ADORED AS THOSE EYES WERE ADoRING HER

His relation to her in fact had al
the disadvantages of a fathers with
none of its compensations When he
gave her up TO be some one elses wife
and said farewell to her, it would be
for good-at least he hoped it would
be for good, While a real father could
have looked forward to seeing her
again, and to the happiness of hav-
ing his future grandchildren about
him.
This last idea made him finch. He
had never cared for children, and the
thought of having Celia's and Padraic
O'Shea's children about him was par
ticularly unattractive.
Il am simply an old dog in the
manger," he thought in angry dis
gust with everything, but most of all
with himself.
Not wanting Celia for his own wife,
it was yet odious to him to think of
her as the wife of another.
And l have probably rushed the
poor child into "A disastrous marriage
with O'Shea through my damned ego
ism and lack of forbearance," he
fumed on. "a fine guardian I've
made. Even the dog in the manger
guard
But though Celia. had refused his
offer of a longer time in which to
come to a decision, there still re-
manned before them the three days
she had asked for. His confounded
book would be finished tomorrow. To
morrow night, if she was still uncer-
tain, he would suggest to her that
they should go abroad together. in
whatever unusual way, and to what
ever fantastic land she might desire.
AS for today, he would leave her
to commune with her own thoughts
and see OShea, undisturbed by his
presence in the house.
Here Donovan brought him word
that for his latest note Celia was
much obliged"
lie was surprised at the pain this
brief but courteous message caused
him. Yes, he was right. The child
felt angry and bitter against him.
She thought that he wanted to be
rid of her, and he could not tell her
The truth without becoming in his
own eyes a weak, egoistic sentimen-
taIist. who wished to work on the
feeling of gratitude she had so often
expressed to him.
He left the house weighed down by
a sense of having blundered, perhaps
fatally, where he should have mas
tered events and brought them to a
happy issue.
What this happy issue might have
been he could not precisely see, but 1t
certainly would not have taken the
form of Celia s becoming Celia OShea.
While she was pinning cluster of
his flowers at her waist (women had
waists in those days. Jenkins tapped,
announcing Mr. O'Shea.
She went down slowly, calmly, her
elaborate toilette somewhat dimmed
by the cloud of silver gauze that Dono-
van threw about her at the last mo-
ment. She knew exactly what she was
going to say, and in what words she
was going to say it. How strangely
simple it was. Just few cu'N' Words
and three lives would be changed, en-
tirely changed. Her mind felt clear,
cold and sharp as an icicle.
But just inside the door of the room
where Padraic was waiting she stop
ped short. A physical giddinees came
over her and her mind, which had felt
clear and cold as an icicle, seemed
suddenly to thaw and flow from her.
What was it that she was about to do?
Why was everything that had SEEM
ed so simple moment ago now in
such confusion? She stood leaning for
support against the closed door. her
eyes fixed as if in fear of Padraic.
who was hurrying to her. And with
every step that brought him nearer
she realized that she was afraid-that
what had made her SO suddenly giddy
was just fear
She was afraid that if he kissed her
his kiss might not awaken such love
as she ought to feel IL Every