Evening star., 1927-05-22
IT'S daughter asked permission
Il 10 go, too.
She was a delicately nodded
K child in whose face q trace Of
Sad0aSs WAS reYafniscent Of

lie looked steadily at her. Sne was
his, and he rejoiced in the ownership
Of such loveliness. Kindness he knew
bow to give. He was always tender
with her. particularly when he dis.
missed her IN his induIgent way and
sent her TO the eternal governess-a
just and uninlaginative woman-Miss
Eritrea Carb.
'Oh. too wet." Bascom told her.
There had been q shower. The 200
from the colony who had come over
to see the dancing on the lawn be-
tween the expresses had Scurried to
their motors. leaving behind an after.
noon for the benefit of some charity.
Only the week lend party at Bascom's S
remained. and most of them were
playing bridge in the library while
the sun was forcing itself out again.
I'D like to swim with YOU" his
daughter said.
He exchanged glances with Miss
Muriel Hendricks. Anna Bascom,
quick of blue. eXpectant eyes, saw,
felt herself excluded from some un-
known world, tenanted only by her
father and this young American who
had lived so long abroad. and who
could look so desirably like a mixture
of Cairo dancer and Russian noble.
woman. She felt the red mounting
her neck.
Il doa't believe you'd want to do
that. little A." her father said. Come
on. now' DO your
No" she said. and went away.
He put his brown. slender.flngered
hand. palm upward. on the tapestried
couch, and Muriel laid within it. com.
panionably and with understa nding,
her own fingers.
You are so good to her. Alfred
Ba scom." she said. using, as nearly
always, his full name.
1t was nice to hear this confirma.
tion of his own belief, and he pressed
the hand in his conclusively.
Come for one Dip" he said. 1t
was a different voice. and yet there
was a trace of the indulgence he had
used toward his daughter. Perhaps
that was because the Hendricks girl
might have been his daughter. too.
In spite of her mature allurements. in
spite of hel' q years, there remained
something about her of untouched
youth.
What do you think the others will
Say?" she asked. 1t was an accept.
ance of his invitation but gave to
their little adventure the larky thrill
of daring.
as * *
A S they descended the stone steps
leading TO the sea, the girl looked
lack at the house. a great but a beau.
tiful place on the shore. just the struc-
ture one would expect a man like him
10 build. ''Graybles" he called 1t. And
II was well done. like all things Bas- |
com did-like the immense and lucra- |
tive mining industry he had built. like |
the MorganS and the Percherons in |
hi; stables, like the collections of jade !
and Dutch masters
In him was the essence of passion |
for self-eXpression. His fingers dis. |
closed something of the artist and !
poet. his jaw and eyes the administra- |
tor and fighter. The one had compli. /
nfented the other.
She knew it all vaguely. He was
powerful.
He was even powerful physically.
and OF this he was conscious, as he |
stood straight. lean and strong. run
ming the fingers of both hands through !
his iron-gray hair and gazing out from
the spring board on the bathing plat
form at the sea. He knew that she ,
w ; gazing upon him with sudden ap |
proval.
He laughed and suddenly shot ou.
like an arrow and cut down into the |
ment later the girl. with fuu, joyous
strokes, had Joined him. racing and
romping toward the float.
When they climbed out there came |
moment when both paused, drawing |
long breaths, as if the awe of moments
of great joy was upon them.
Muriel snatched off her red cap, and
her hair fell in loose array about her
shoulders. Then she stood looking be-
yond the yacht, toy of which its
master had tired, at the fires Of the
horizon. Something in that moment
made her say: Let us go there. Let
us go over the edge of the world. Let
us take your yacht and go and go and
so. forever and ever and ever!'
He was tempted to draw her to him.
Why he hesitated he could not tell
himself. It was like him to act, not
|impulsively, but decisively. Now he
suddenly heard himself laughing the
laugh Of one who feels his own power.
and can wait.
"You would have the luxury of the |
yacht?"
"Of course" she said. "One Is
tossed about so in smaller boats"
The moment had gone-a moment in |
which the wine of youth had tingled |
in his veins. 1t had gone but now he |
knew, as he had always guessed, that |
she-this particular girl--in whose |
eyes dwelt the images not only Of
youth and innocence, but those Of the |
worlds sophistication, whose body was |
1.-the and sentient, and whose mind |
contained the whimsicality of prin-
cess If the Greek isles--she was the |
one who could bring back to him ro-
nance and youth.
In spite of his intellectual hunger. |
in spite of his metallic, industrial |
mind, Bascom had within him. all his |
life, the hunger of the senses. He |
never divorced them from his love of
tie rare and perfect and beautiful. His |
wife, tender and unselfish, living in |
the quiet, gray mist Of her own gentle |
ness, however, had never quite fed
that yearning of his for fierceness Of
EXPRESSION.
Now there came moments, after all |
these years, when, with a shudder, he |
thought he could hear Youth. little |
wearily, bidding him farewell. The |
voice. Good.by? Good-by! The old |
thrill gone--the treasure Of youth. |
love. romance, the drama Of woman, |
4 of adventure undertaken with laugh
4 of scorn at any account TO pay-gone?
. He denied 1t: He denied it with
anger of soul.
AS he dressed for dinner, he revert.
ed again and again. to the conclusion
& that he could have Muriel Hendricks
if he wanted her, II he wanted TO
marry her, and he clung to that token
of his power as II 1t were bastiie or
reinsurance against some dread as.
sault of inevitable destiny. There was
no reason why he should not have
d her-everybody was talking about it,
speculating on whether they would be
gagged this Spring.
The portrait Of his wife, cool in its
4 light daintiness, looked down on him
. from above his desk. smiling in that
gentleness of its immovable. eternal
. inscrutability-a loving and indulgent.
4 caressing, patient smile.
Bascom looked at it with puzzled
4 expression as he turned to go TO the