Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-06-04

ulert u long llHlc hiu SoHiSAioW II
seemed to help. Everything felt looser
Things began to fall into place. jus,
as though some one had come into the
room and told her what to do.
She knew exactly what to do now
The first thing was to so TO the bath
room and battle her eyes, and that
was done in a minute. Then She
locked her bag and telephoned for the
porter to take it downstairs. TO call q
taxicab, TO find out when there was
a train from Bagnoles to Paris. There
was a new firmness and detiniteness in
Peggy.
Then the last thing was the note to
be left for Philip. She sat down at
the escritoire. hated. half yelled
ready to leave.
She felt the inadequacy Of it all and
was at the point Of tearing the sheet
up when a knock sounded at the
door. the porter. probably. TO say that
her taxicab was waiting. But it wasn't
the porter. 1t was Philip, a rather
pale and distract Philip, who came
into the DOR and sat down without
even noticing her hat and half veil
or the absence of her bag. Il had
some bad luck just now, Peggy" he
said. "A little trouble. On my way
back from the marie. AS l Vas COM
ing over that little white stone bridge
a fool of a boy jumped down from the
railing right in front of me and I hit
him. The worst of it was an ugly,
threatening crowd gathered, claiming
l could have avoided the boy by turn
ing against the bridge rail. Ridicu-
lous, of course, but even the gendarme
agreed with them, and-I was lucky
the boy wasn't hurt, that's ALL"
Peggy hardly heard him in the end.
Her mind was full of the irony of
life, a picture of an avenue in Spring.
field where motors pick up speed, a
swaying yellow street car, a sudden
grinding crash-for there is a subtle
quality Of gentleness in some men, or
at least in strong men, strong Of body
or heart or nerve. that turns their
motors into street cars and bridge rail-
ings and telegraph poles when the
crucial moment comes. Philip" she
said, II was just writing a note to
you-to say that I'm going back to
Paris at once I'm glad you came in
time, because / can explain perhaps
better than I could tell you in any
She watched his paleness give way
to a slowly mounting flush. Anger?
She hadn't expected anger in Philip.
What you mean, of course" he said,
lis that you're going back to Rob
Holt. Isn't that it, Peggy, And you've
made a pretty fool of me for the last
eight months, haven't you?"
1t was amazing. Shed never seer
a Philip like this before, a Philip with
veins corded across his temples.
I'm going back to Paris, Philip"
said Peggy, land, yes, to Rob, if he
still wants me, and I don't know why
he should. And I'm going now. Do
you want to tell me good-bye?"
He stood up as she did. There is
to be no goodbye" he said. you're
not going. I'm not going to let you.
Don't you understand that? It's fairly
plain English"
She saw him trembling and under
stood that he was beside himself, that
all his sensitive dif1dence, his quiet
understanding, was lost in rage.
In the instant of confusion her hand
touched the door knob and then, with
some obscure contempt for a man who
had said she couldn't and now couldn't
prevent her, a man who she'd thought
to be SO gentle but who was only weak,
she found herself in the corridor run
ming, like a child from a fantastic
ghost, towards the head Of the stair
way.
At the last landing of the stairway,
gathering what composure she could
without ~slackening the speed of her
flight, Peggy crossed the hotel lobby
10 the c%oncierge's desk. my taxicab
IS here?" she demanded. Where is
my bag, then? Yes, at once, please"
Her reckless distribution of pourboires
helped out and, although still too terri
fed to glance back at the stairway
lest the sight of a flushed, angry pur-
suer paralyze her further movement,
she gained the doorway and the porte
cochere where an alleged taxicab
with open door. At the mo-
.ent from behind her, frightening her
until she could scarcely Chamber into
the cab, she hoard her name called
peremptorily. Peggy! Wait! What
are you doing. Peggy"
1t was not like Philips voice but she
had no thought Of voices. wife!
she called to the driver, rapping
on the front window for emphasis, and
it was soon evident by the wild lurch-
ing of that Anticipated topheavy cab
as it whirled down the drive for the
short run around the lake to the sta
ton that the man was impressed with
the desperate nature of the moment.
Even so, he was not fast enough. Al
most at once Peggy heard a motor
roaring with open exhaust close be-
hind them and the continued blast of
an Enthusiastically American motor horn.
Throughout the next ten minutes