New Britain herald., 1927-02-03

| Sne never guessed now niS near
 had begun to pound at the sigh
 of her.
 She came straight into his arm
 and kissed him about the way sh would have kissed an older brotne l if she'd had one. Calmly, ant without warmth.
 She had been thinking of Gu MacCloud most of the way home and suddenly she thought of hin again as she kissed Andy Jerrold She thought of the way Gus hat kissed her that night in his whit' hillside house. Those kisses hac meant something. They had lief her thrilled and breathless ant even now she caught her breath { little at the memory of them.
 Good old Andy" she said, look. ing up at the man beside her. She hadn't realized that Andy was SC geod-looking. That clear, smooth brown skin, with a little scar near the mouth. And his eyes so keer and clear Andy would make ar awfully satisfactory husband for some nice girl. some time.
 Where are your bags?" he asked and she waved her hands helpless ly. She hadn't noticed where the porter had put them when he lifted them from the train.
 "A red cap must have taken them" she answered vaguely. look ing around her at the hurrying peo- pie.
 Wait here for me-" Andy said, and dashed away. In a couple of minutes he was back.
 Its all right. l found them and put them into my car. Come along" He led the way to where his car was parked outside of the station. Andy never had a car for a very long time - only until he could sell it. This one was dark blue with shining windows and gray velvet seats.
 They got in and he tucked a rug around her knees. She leaned heavily against him as they started off through the cool fresh air Somehow even there in the heart of the city it smelled of autumn of burning leaves and soaked earth.
 "Hows Aunt Gertrude?" Robbie asked Better, I hope"
 Andy did not say anything in answer for minute, and she turned to look sharply at him. His face had become even more solemn than before, and the corners of his mouth were shadowed with fine drawn lines.
 He cleared his throat and said. Well, you sec"
 Then he stopped and waited for another half minute or so before he finally answered her.
 Well you see it was this way, Bobs," he began again. He put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. Your father and I lidnt want to shock you, but your iunt-"
 Then he stopped again. It impossible for him to go on or minute or two.
 At the time we sent the tele- ,ram she was dead" he got it out tt last. There was no use in tell- ns you until you got here. Dar- ing, don't cry. Don't cry"
 He turned the car in toward the ide of the street and stopped it, while Robbie clung to his coat leeve, sobbing into the rough ! 10th that smelled of pipe smoke.
 Aunt Gertrude dead. It didn't l eem as if it could be true. Why. he was dead while Robbie was citing dressed to go to Gus Mac 'loud's party. It seemed impossi- le! {
 And think if had gone! How readful I'd feel now." Robbie told erself, clinging to Andy Jerrold's ough coat sleeve.
 She wanted to go, too. Even fter she had told Gus MacCloud | hat she couldn't go, she'd still 'anted to-because he wanted her 0. She'd wanted to please him, | ven though she was angry with i'm for acting like a small spoiled hild.
 The difference in the two men truck her, all at once. Andy on he one hand. trying to shield her rom the shock and hurt. On the ther hand, Gus MacCloud urging CT to forget her aunt's sickness nd come along to his party with i'm.
 Hes a selfish beast" thought 'obbie, through all her grief and orrow. He doesn't care about nything but himself and his own ood time-his own pleasure"
 But he was the last person she bought about that night as she ay in her own white bed in the locust street house that was 50 Luiet-so hushed with the mys- erious rustling whispering silence | hat Death brings into a house.
 It was two weeks later.
 Robbie and MT. Ransom were sit- ing at breakfast in the sunny din- |; ng room of the house on Locust | treet.
 It was an ordinary breakfast, in way. Toast with butter on it, liced oranges, boiled eggs and | office with thick cream in 1t.
 The unusual thing about it was hat Robbie had cooked it--a thing hat she had sworn never to do. A | hing that she had always dctested | the idea of cooking, and every ther branch of housework.
 The queer thing is that I like t,' she was thinking now, as she ooked at the clean table. the shin- 1 ng silver and china, the spotless ug, the ferns that she had just , tatered before they sat down to