The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-12-11

mitted. Il shall tonight of course,
now it's settled"
"You mean you haven't told her any
thing, not even about the investment"
Edward shook his head. 81 don't
suppose you can understand why I
didn't. You see, things have been ;"
Bert didn't let him founder into
that. "Oh, I guess can understand"
he interrupted. "But I've got bunch
that she'll surprise you as much as
you surprise her. Julia's darned
good sport. If it strikes her as
sporting proposition mean, IL you
put it up to her that way. See
what / mean?'
Edward said he did, but this was not
at the time quite true. He thought
about it after they'd parted. It had
seemed strange to hear Julia described
by that phrase, but he guessed she de-
served it. Bert hadn't spoken idly,
anyhow. He wanted Julia given a
chance to see the adventure as her
husband himself saw it.
He had to wait, pretending to read,
until Edith went to bed and when
the time finally came and he forced
himself to say aloud the words, 1--WE
got surprise for you, Julia" he had
already said them to himself so often
that they sounded queer.
He told her the whole story, and his
hopes warming into a blaze as the
smoldering fire did, he gave her
chance to see something, he thought,
of his vision, thing that might come
true. He didn't turn back to her
until he'd finished. She hadn't put in
a word, but, though he'd felt nothing
hostile in the silence, he wasn't sur
prised to see that her eyes were full
of tears. 4
"Of course" he said, ''you were en-
titled to be told about it before every
thing was decided, but somehow /
couldn't bring myself to tell anyone
I told Bert today, but that wasn't till
after I'd got the letter from the COM
pany accepting my resignation. 1t was
a thing thought had to decide for
myself. I don't, altogether, under
stand it myself-why I felt that way,
I mean-so 1 doubt if I can make you
understand at ALL"
"But can understand it," she told
him. "Ive driven you to it, Ned!
That's why you did it."
He answered automatically, "Not at
ALL" and then broke off short in his
denial. "Oh, it's true in way" he
conceded after reflective pause. IF
we'd been happy as we used to
be- II there'd been anything
much to lose, I suppose I'd have held
back. But what really drove me to it
was my job with the insurance COM
pany. That's been poisoning me for
years. I've been failure, Julia.
You've seen that yourself. A safe, In
dustrious failure. Well, we aren't safe
any more. believe the thing will
succeed, but don't think Bert does.
Even Mariner doesn't pretend it's a
sure thing"
He got up from his chair and came
toward her. "We haven't thrown
away our safety for nothing, though"
he said. '"That's what want you to
see. We've got some sort of a hope
in exchange for it."
swell, we needed It," she told him.
She rose too and came to meet him.
Awkwardly and with visible effort
she put her arms around his neck.
Here's hoping" she said, and kissed
him.
His heart leaped up, and sank again,
in the very instant that their lips met.
What he had momentarily hoped from
that kiss was not there. They hadn't
said what he had wildly believed they
were going to say. Almost imper-
ceptibly she had withdrawn.
Her arms were still around his
neck. Upon that knife-edge of possi-
bility he might have pulled her close
again and kissed her once more, and
in that wc-dless appeal he might have
packed everything he wanted. 1t was
at the bidding of something quicker
than thought that he let her go in
stead, and turned away.
He wouldn't ask for anything that
wasn't offered. When he had sue
ceeded, justified his adventure, per-
haps she'd come to him.
tTo BE coNTINUED)