Evening star., 1927-05-28

a breathless sort OF voice. II dare
say / should. l often think / will go
for n walk. but homehow l don't. And
/ have bond here. Rather a large
one. and I should have it sold. /
know so little about business. but 1
1t is for thousand dollars"
She opened it out. He saw that
to the stairs.
II have not told my daughter that
I am selling it," she went on. "She
might worry. But just now, with so
many fresh expenses. And you sell
bonds. don't you?"
when / get the chance" he said
gravely. IF you care to trust this
to me, I'll see what / can do. OF
course" he added, to put her more
at ease, II may vanish with it! One
never knows
She FASTENED to reassure him, her
childish blue eyes turned up to his.
her relaxed white throat quivering
She was oddly emotional; he had
never thought of her as emotional
For the first time. he understood why
Holly felt she could not let her down;
why, she was like a child: her airs
and poses We're those of little girl,
playing at being lady. In spite of
himself, his heart warmed toward her
"If it just isn't too much trouble" !"
she said. And, of course, any COM
mission"
Its absolutely no trouble" he told
her, land there's no question of any
commission between friends"
1t was only when she had gone.
stealing down the stairs as carefully
as she had come up. that he stood
lN1 -, ~ TA
was almost farcical, his having it. And
tomorrow he would bring it back in
neat tens and twenties, and it would
go to buy the clothes and the little
intimate things with which Holly
would go to her husband.
Warrington sold the bond next day
and brought the money back. 1t was
a coupon bond, and it went out with
an odd lot from the Office. Save for
a sense of responsibility as to the cur
rency in his pocket-Mrs. Bayne had
asked for currency-the transaction
was ended, so far as he was concerned.
He took the money back that night,
buttoned inside his coat, and he
walked part of the way. He had
found that walking until he was dog
tired was the only way he could sleep,
just then.
Furness Brooks car was at the
curb. as usual, and so Warrington
passed the open drawing-room door
without a glance He had dread of
seeing Holly and her lover together,
of having their new intimacy thrust
at him by some glance or gesture.
But. as matter of fact, there was
hardly chance of that. It was, by
and large, a strange wooing ..
Come over and sit by me, Holly.
won't you?"
II can talk better here
If Furness insisted, she would go
reluctantly, and the hand he held was
often cold as ice. But she was gen.
tleness and acquiescence itself to him.
as if she would make up in this way
for her failure in the other.
Fortunately, Furness liked to talk.
He was already planning for the we'd
ding, seeing in it that one moment
when he would hold the center of the
stage. and not be filling in He and
Holly. He was determined that the
wedding should be correct in every
detail.
Its a pity Sam Parker's thinking
of going abroad. He's the logical per-
son to give you away"
There were times, of course, when
his wooing became a fierce gesture of
possession. Once. carried away by
it, he went too far. and she slammed
out of the room. But he apologized
by note that night, and flowers the
next morning, and she had to come
back to him, a trifie wary, perhaps,
but still his
Warrington, of course. had no idea
Of this. He was still seeing the house
hold through an occasional peephole;
tramping up the stairs past Mrs.
Bayne's room. where. if her door was
open, he could see her. busy with
endless memoranda: past Holly's little
chamber, with it's tidy white bed and
its blue curtains-he always tried very
hard not to glance into that room
and on to his own lonely quarters,
where a pair of military brushes on
the dresser and the books on a table
were all that marked it his.
So that night he went up the stairs,
and Mrs. Bayne, hearing the creak
of the loose step outside, followed
him up.
He gave her the money. He had
an idea that it was more money than
she had held in her hands for many
years, but she was as calm as a May
morning.
by the way" he said, "I hope you
don't keep things like that lying