San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-04

w to tell great secret they
say a woman always
knows if you know help me out
am terlifically nervous can't talk
or write letters but am excellent at
kilograms hooray. Peter"
Stacey Drew laughed over that
Telegram. 1t was not a laugh of
amusement nor Of derision, nor
even Of satisfaction. 1t was one
of those laughs that are milestones
in a woman's life. 1t was the
laugh of a woman, yet it was the
laugh of a child. 1t held the free
dom of the forest and the glad
murmur of all things living that
know it is good to be alive.
ITO tell great secret"
Stacey lifted her face to the
morning light and closed her eyes.
The sunshine beat against her eye
lids and ecstasy beat at the gates
Of her soul. All the world was
whispering, "Pcter. Peter. Peter"
and she whispered back, "At
laStw Her lips were trembling.
She put up a hand to hide them,
although she was quite alone.
A flood of memories surged in
upon her. She let them carry her
away.
"Thcy say a woman always
knows" Stacey believed she had
known long before she received
the telegram. She wasn't quite
sure, but she thought that she first
knew, years and years ago, when
he was home for his first holidays
from EtOn and, to punish her for
pertness, lad carried her on his
shoulder to the pond and threat
cnCd to throw her to the carp.
There had come later a period of
uncertainty, of Indifference even;
but she had known again during
his HcavcS" from the front. Con
victiOn had become certainty at the
end of his first leave when, guile
lcSSly, they had talked about the
end of the war.
"The end of the war will be a
bit of a tOSs-up," he had said. 81
shall be broke to the wide. The
Monks Yielding rents barely pay
the interest on the mortgages. I've
only my pay, and that will stop
then. Phrw! | shall be grouSing
in a minute. When ! was in the
ranks a sergeant told me, You
can think what you like, but don't
think out loud HIM! You can
think what you like. Goodbye,
old thing"
When he was dcmObilized he
had grown cynical and grim and
seemed rather to shun her. He
said, with a Shrug, that civiliza-
ion had used him and flung him
to the scrap-hcap. Then for three
or four years came a sharp sue
ccssion of blind-alley Jobs that
nearly broke his spirit 1t was
lust about that time she received
her legacy of ten thousand pounds.
Oh, the insane desire to thrust it
all into his hands, But that would
have been harder than telling him
yhn would have liked to be a war
bride. Instead, she. had gone to
sec her fathers old friend, Mr.
henderson. She had smiled at Mr.
Henderson. pleaded with him,
iccrcd at him, bullicd him, broken
down and howlcd at him, and Mr..
Henderson had lent her his hand
kprchiCf and had sent Peter Yield
ing on a difficult job, with low
pay and a high rate of commits
sion, to do with some mining en-
tcrprise she did not understand in
the heart of Africa.
Peter knew that she had pulled
strings for him at ManderSon's,
but he did not know about the
option on Monks Yielding. She
had taken the very greatest care
that he should not know that. He
had come straight to her after see
ing Mr.. Henderson
Were not going to funk the
facts, Stacey. I've fallen down
and I've been set on my feet by a
woman. That would hurt me
only the woman happens to be you
so I'm proud Of it." Then,
quickly, the jest: "You see, Annie
Stacey" CHS childhood'S render
ing of her namc)-'T must be
jolly sight better fellow than |
thought. since you take all this
trouble over me. Guess I'll go out
and buy a bigger hat"
"Wait till you're back again,
Peter; there won't be a hat made
to fit you, you'll have done such
great things. What is it? There
is something else worrying you
mo. Yes. It's only that I'm
stony and I've got to raise about
five hundred somehow. Can't get
another farthing on the house. 1t
was valued at ten thousand and
it's mortgaged up to the hilt. That
means'-he always explained even
the simplest transactions to her and
r