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


dropped and began pulling FOR
ward his favorite chair and the
little low one beside it.
"Had you guessed, Stacey? Had
you?"
"Sit down, Peter, do. No,
hadn't guesScd-at least, not the
whole of it. | did come to the
conclusion - that you were in
love" She looked down at her
hands and saw them shaking,
pulled a fold of the green dress
8over them, felt the agony stir in
her as the drugging slackened
upon her brain. But why did you
make such mystery of it, old
thing?"
Peter laugher sheepishly. Years
and years ago he had laughed just
like that when she jeered at him
about the pretty Carter girl.
Il tried to write to you about it
a dozen times, but | couldn't get
it down. | was afraid you'd rag
my head off. You see, it sounds
so mad, in a way. got it badly
right at the start-love at first
sight. | felt a most awful ass.
Went the whole hog. Send
ing flowers and that kind of thing.
you know. And | wrote dwelling
notes about six times day. And
| was afraid I'd write in that strain
to you if | once started writing to
you at all"
She was beginning to feel it
now, the wound that he had dealt
her. The strange, merciful numb
ness was passing; it was leaving
her every nerve raw with torment,
it was tearing the very core of her
life from her, it was twisting her.
racking her-she was shaking all
over now and he would see, he
would see! Don't let him see,
don't let him ever guess, don't
He was laughing that sheepish
laugh again. Had he said some
thing funny, then? Oh. yes, he
had said that he was afraid of
writing love-letters to her, to her,
Stacey Drew, who had slept with
his cables next to her heart.
1t was funny, too, very funny.
She made herself laugh with him,
just the right kind of good-tem-
pered, interested laughter.
Would it have mattered so
very much if you had? | should
have understood what ihad hap
pcned. You can't have thought
| would disparage her-a woman |
had never seem"
mo, | didn't think so much
about her end of the stick as
yours" He was talking slowly
that meant he wanted to put a
more complicated thought into
words. :YOu see, if I'd just told
you that I'd fallen in love and in
tended to marry, you'd have taken
it for granted that she was-like
YOU. And it would have made a
false imprcsSion-wOuld have been
almost treacherouS in a way"
"Treacherous, Peter?"
81 know what ! mean, quite
WE'LL" he answered slowly. But
I'm iiggered if | can express it
properly. Look here. Our past,
yours and mine-tOgether-tO me,
at any rate, its sacred and always
will be. Well, it doesn't link up
with sending flowers and writing
notes and all that. Good Lord,
can't you see? can come here
and talk to you about my mar
rage. But I'm frightfully in love
She's like a lovely bit of porce-
lain. Stacey. She wouldn't I'M
dcrstand the things that you and
| understand. She's like a little
feather. dancing in air, always a
little further off when you try
and touch her, maddening you
- th"n-makIng you dcliriOus-
ly happy. :"
Peter, it's simply thrilling! But
how-and where-w
If she had wholly deceived her
self it would have been easier to
endure. Almost, it seemed she
had not deceived herself at all.
He was treating her as he had
always treated her. He was COM
ing to tell her about his wife as
he had come TO tell her about his
lag-maSter. If he was not speak
ing Of his wife apolOgetically, he
was speaking az if Stacey and
Peter stood upon the mountains
and looked indulgently down upon
that other Peter, pursuing a little
Sun-wafted feather. Didn't
r