Evening star., 1926-01-09

all. he asked himself, as he
! looked beyond her high up to the
SHOWS, what did it matter? He had
come here with the deliberate inten-
ton of taking his dole of the best
| there was in life. Why deny himself
| the crumbs of her offering? Day by
! day he realized that she was becoming
| TO him the center of all his emotions.
The rest of the people, excepting only
Stephanie, We're puppets, creatures
made to play with and forget, to
| amuse, if they could, the passing
months of a dying man. But happi-
neSsi Why not a month or more of it?
After all, the path to the end was only
relatively short or long He could
compensate. he could leave her wealth,
a name. Why deny himself?
| What do you see away there in the
distance?" she asked him abruptly.
The rush of his thoughts was
| checked. He laughed a little uneasily
and helped himself to wine.
Il see a shadow falling upon the
| mountains. child" he said, "a blue
mist turning to gray. 1t means we
must finish our lunch and hurry down
| ward"
The wonderful things are finished
! 50 soon" she sighed.
He wrapped her cloak around her
/ and they drove off. She leaned back
| by his side with a little sigh of con-
| tent as they glided away from the
| clubhouse. The demon of his Dispute
| tude leaped out again. He watched
| her long, capable fingers, lying for a
moment ungloved upon the rug, and
wondered whether she had left them
| there on purpose. Never once had he
| held them He glanced at her lips,
| full and soft and sweet, and thought
| for a moment of the miracle of the
fol hi L q
was there for the asking, watched her
| slim body as she leaned forward and
| then back again in her place. Sud
| denly he found her watching him. She
| smiled.
| Forgive me-" she begged. To-day
| YOU look so natural. You seem so
much more like yourself. Since we
| have been out here, is it my fancy, or
| have YOU been just a little school
maSteriSh with me? l don't know
why | don't want you TO be like
! that"
He swung round the corner to the
second lacet. He had been driving
perhaps a little faster than usual. and
his foot sought the brake. There was
no response. The car was gathering
speed He reached for the hand brake.
Then he knew the worst.
Whats happened. Johnson" he
asked, without turning his head.
The man leaned over from the
dickey.
Il wanted to ask you when you got
in, Sir Hargrave, TO let me try the
brakes, only You We're off so soon." he
replied Il don't understand. They
were all right when we came up.
Ny God"
They swung round corner on two
wheels A foot from them on the
right was a sheer drop of many hun
dreds of feet. They were racing now
down a long incline. Hargrave bent
over the wheel.
I'm sorry" he muttered. Il m
afraid we shall have a bit of a smash.
I'll do the best l can"
I'm not afraid" she whispered
softly
At the bottom of the descent was a
peasants farmhouse, built of stone
, and flush with the road. He drove
toward it, Steered to an inch so that
the wing brushed hard against the
masonry. turned with that first check
little farther in, still so that the
whole of one side of the car, shatter-
ing and crashing along the front of
the house, was nevertheless subjected
to the brake of its contact. They
came almost to n StandStill, swung
around, crashed sideways into a wood