Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-20

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Daphne jumped round. She sat on
to her mothers face. But, of course!
How bright of you! We all are. Not
one of us takes things as they come,
but We want to know why, why, why.
Freud, you know. But no, of course, you
don't know. Sorry. But, you see, we've
got this passion for what we call hon.
esty. Knowing ourselves. Motives, in
stincts, completes, reactions"
Miss Branksome was puzzled again.
But she let it pass. She just said soft
ly; You've forgotten the charm of
mystery"
rings of smoke and vaguely speared
them with her finger. 1t wa obvious
to her that her mother was talking
a different language, and she doubted
whether her mother and herself would
ever become quite ineligible to one
another, but she was in the mood to
be lenient. 1t was necessary, perhaps,
for the generations to go their own
way, to develop along their own lines.
"Oh, we'll" she said, Il dare say we
shall worry along all right, you and I,
if we avoid too much argument"
They were each making concessions
You know" said Miss Branksome,
after a pause, this is very queer"
Yes, it Is rather odd, isn't it? But
it seems quite natural, somehow, not
shy making in the least, that I should
be sitting here talking to you. Shall
we remember it, do you think?
mean, shall we be able to talk about
it in the future, when I'm really there?
What fun! I say, you'll hurry up with
that marriage, won't you? 1t is such
a bore, waiting about"
AT any rate" said Miss Branksome
rather wryly, you seem to have plenty
Of appetite for hfe."
"Oh, yes, we've all got that. Yor
see, you don't yet know how exciting
life is going to become. Lord, how
could puzzle you If I liked! YOU
wouldn't think, would you, that people
in Australia could hear a concert ir
London? Or that people could fly al
three hundred miles an hour? Or that
you'll hardly see a horse in the Lon
don ~streets?"
Daphne, DEAR" said Miss BrankSome
and her voice "a the voice Of a mother
~reproving her little girl in the school
room, kind but firm, don't say such
exaggerated things. It's silly"
Daphne was delighted. "An right
Wait and see. I'll remind you Of thi,
conversation some day. On Christina.
day, nineteen thirty, I'll remind vol
of 1t. And I daresay we'll be able t.
do a great deal for each other If only
we're sensible. Christmas day, nine.
teen thirty, remember. It's an assign
ment. I say, look at the time"
Miss Branksome turned obediently
and, looking at the clock on the man
tlepiece, she saw that it was exactl,
midnight. At that moment the bell
rang out from the village church. 1
was Christmas day. She turned agar
to Daphne, with both hands held out
but Daphne was nj longer there.
well, l never" said Miss Drank
some. She stared heavily at the vari
Gus objects on her dressing table
the false curls, the hairpins, she ever
touched them gingerly as though
doubtful of reality. She looked at tn
rug beneath her feet, where Daphn'
had been sitting, but no trace re
manned; even the gray splotches OF ash
where Daphne had f1icked her cigare
on to the carpet, had disappeared
This fact disconnected Elsa even more
for some reason, than Daphne's dis
appearance. She had fully expecte,
Daphne to vanish, but she had no
expected Daphne's little traces to van
ish with her. Had she imagined |
all? But she was most certainly no
asleep.
"Daphne?" she said aloud, tentative
ly, timidly.
And then she thought, Heavens, sh
has gone to see Evan"
A girl in 8 mans bedroom at mid
night Ought she to go in pursuit
Then she remembered that Evan wa
Daphne's father. "Oh, dear" said poo
Elsa, sitting down In despair, I'm get
ting so dreadfully muddled."
She continued to sit, staring, think
ing. Did she want Daphne? Could sh
cheat Daphne out OF her future If sh
really wanted to? Which was upper
most, the hostility she had felt t
Daphne or the queer, shy tenderness
which had crept over her as the gil
50 artlessly revealed herself? Wit