Nogales international., 1931-10-07
FINAL INSTALMENT
COPYRIGHT 1881
BY THE AUTHOR

"I have thought it over. I've been
thinking it over since that night in
Cheyenne-the first time we had to
show the certificate. We won't have
to show any certificate here. We're
as free as the birds and the flowers"
"Racl and Ruff will expect US in
tonight. They won't like it."
They're not expecting us. | wired
them two days ago that we wouldn't
be home until Monday" :.
"Are-we going to stay here-until
Monday?"
"We are" said Peter firmly.
"Peter, Peter" said Rowena, "be
careful, oh, be careful! If-you do
this it tit will give me a grand
chance to be mean to you-if l want
to. I can make it hard for you to
get divorce-I can get alimony--"
"It'll be worth it," said Peter GRIM
ly. Besides" he added smiling,
"even when you are Mrs. Peter
Blande in fact, at heart you will still
be just Rowena Rostand. You are
immortal"
Rowena did strange thing. She
c1asped both her hands tightly over
Peters arm and looked up into his
face-deep, deep into his eyes
searchingly, for a long time and did
not speak. Peters fell at last before
the intensity of her silent gaze but
there was no diminution of purpose
in his manner.
"And you ought to know by this
time that when l make up my mind,
it's made" he said doggedly. $50
you needn't try to talk me out of ii"
'I'm not going to try" said Ro-
wena family.
He helped her out of the rumble
and cautioned her to be careful OF
the rocky path up the hill.
'It's easy to get twisted ankle
here" he said.
He even asked her to help carry
his bundles up from the car and
filled her arms with them. AT the
foot of the steps that led to the wide
!unroofed piazza, he kicked over a
stone and produced big brass key
that lay beneath.
!. "Look at this" he said. "The
cabins a sort Of. open house for
everybody and his friend, and the
key bears the household motto.
Come easy-go easy-see"
Appropriate to weekend honey
mooners. like u.s." she said quietly.
You would say tiiar, SAID eter.
II assure you, that was not the idea
back of it."
The cottage, which consisted of but
one immense room and a huge
screened bath, with miniature kitch-
enette, was roughly finished with
heavy oaken beams. There was a
great fireplace of natural stone, and
running end to end away from it on
both sides were studio couches
against the wall, comprising three
full sides of the cottage.
Water was supplied by windmill
among the rocks higher up the hill
and Peter invited Rowena up with
him to witness the ceremony OF
claiming the wind.
"It's our one servant up here" he
said ''Loosing the windmill is one
of the real events of coming up.
When there is a crowd they do it
with a great professional, with in
cense and incantations. But Our
minds are on other things tonight Sc
we won't bother"
Rowena followed him down the
steep rocky path to the cabin again.
Been here often?" she asked
casually.
"Yes." Peter was laying a fire
in the CRATE.
''Were you here with crowds-or
just-alone?"
Both"
Rowena walked about the cabin
rufling her bronze-bright hair with
both hands. She looked at the pic
lures = the autographs II the candle
sticks-the incense burners.
Belongs to woman, doesn't it.
Peter?"
eyes"
Peter was opening up his bundles
and putting the food supplies in their
proper compartments.
"Do you think she'll like you1
bringing another-woman-h
Il don't care whether she does OF
not"
Rowena threw off her air of quie
moodiness. She rolled up the sleeves
of her blouse and asked for a job
"You can put the rolls in the oven
said Peter. "And you may as wei
get as much fun out of things as yor
can. There's no use to try to get
away. You can't"
"I'm not going to try" she said.
Peter pressed the button tina
started the electric refrigeration
pulled out the drop-leaf table ant
measured four cups of water into th'
tea-kettle.
Il hope you're hungry" he said
"We're eating camp rations tonight
Tomorrow Til show you some gooc
country cooking for I'm really tht
cabins star chef. But tonight my
minds on other things and dom
want to be bothered. Our fare will
be quick and rough, and it will re
quire an appetite to enjoy it."
''I'm just ravenous," said Rowen;
politely, although knowing very wei