New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-07-01

. l
am about to take possession of my
kingdom. Come on. youngsters. per.
haps you can all pile in or on The
car. and I'll take you for a little
ride"
Putting two of them on the sea,
beside him and four in the rumble
behind, with four piled on the
tenders, Phil necessarily lost about
so miles in the next hour.
f, They dropped off one by one, how.
ever, and when the smallest was sci
down by the street car track, with 9
silver dollar to pay his way back
to town, Phil said. rather wistfully
Wish me luck, old chap"
! why. you've got all the luck in
the world now" answered the boy in
surprise.
Have ]? l hope you're right
! Phil returned as he started his car
on its way.
! 5 o'clock that night was rather
strenuous, he thought, as he stepped
on the gas. His gay mood was wear
/ ing off a little. but as he reached the
city In which Mrs. Hilliard lived and
saw the golden rim Of the moon ris-
ms, his heart began to beat faster
She will probably think I am
crazy to go to see her in dinner
coat" he thought, we'll knowing that
il she did not understand and re-
member that on their last ride. both
of them were in evening dress, he
would be greatly disappointed.
His morning appetite had vanished
but he manged to eat little some
, thing, and at 9 o'clock sharp he was
at Lyra Hilliard home.
He had expected. her to come to
the door to meet him and was
hurt when he found himself ushered
into the drawing room by maid.
meet him. The thought that was
uppermost In his mind the first time
he saw her, persisted in coming
again. why. she is Old
phillip, dear, you cannot tell how
glad am to see YOU"
Quite naturally she slipped into
his arms. AS his lips met hers, he
felt for the moment the same old
thrill.
He discovered that her skin was
just as satiny and cool as ever. as
his mouth dropped from her lips to
her throat, and when he lifted his
head from where it had snuggled in
to the curve between her neck and
shoulder, he caught again that mys-
ferrous translucency that made her
skin look as though it were lighted
from within.
'Lyra, Lyra. why did YOU write
me that cruel letter he asked,
when he had led her back to the big.
deep-cushioned chair. and seated
himself on the arm Of it.
Because Anne said that had
ruined you. body and soul, and L
well, dear. 1 suppose l have some
pride. and l wanted to make her I'M
derstand that I could hurt you worse
by leaving you than by staying with
you. But It's all over now, dear
boy. You are here close to me.
can look into your eyes and see that
however much you have changed
YOU have grown so thin-and your
mouth is hard and serious-but in
side you are the same Phillip l used
to know-the one wonderful gesture
Of youth-the one l have never found
before or since"
I
Phillip was honest in his assertion
now that he was with her. He did
not realize that he had barely re-
membered from the time he went
away until he found that everything
else about his homecoming had dis
appointed him.
The woman beside him reached
up her hand and touched his cheek.
but she said nothing.
Lyra Hilliard did not doubt he
thought he was telling the truth. but
she knew he had not missed her as
she had missed him.
However, she could not lose this
one last flare of emotion. She made
herself believe that Phil had been
lonely for her-lonely as she had
been for him.
DO you know, sweetheart, you
are the only thing that has not dis
appointed me since I came home. I
had decided that life was not worth
living. but now. darling. you have
made me think that / shall again
taste all the first things. Do you
know, dear. it was you that first
made me appreciate the moonlight,
silver spangles all over the
river below. 1t was you that made
me think that life was going to be
one long chain of joyous days. 1t