Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-12-09

not often come down to breakfast,
but this morning she was standing
looking out of the window when
Dennis came into the room whist
ling.
When he saw her he broke off
in dismay.
"Hullo! Couldn't you sleep?"
he asked, with a poor attempt at
humor.
Barbara me his eyes calmly.
Il lay awake thinking of you,"
she said in her charming voice.
Dennis flushed; not because he
thought for a moment she meant
it, but because everything she said
and did for some reason or arotEcr
irritated and ANNOYED him.
indigestion" he said b, ell ',
Barbara laughed-she was velJ
difficult to offend.
mo, we had a very good din
ner," she answered seriously.
Spoiled by your vacant chair, of
course, but otherwise perfect"
Dennis scowled and took up the
paper. Barbara might be in love,
he told himself, remembering
Pau!ine's words last night, but that
any man could possibly fall ir love
Pauline came into the room at
that moment.
"Why-Barbara!" she said,
amazed.
"Yes-myself in the Aesh," Bar
bara said calmly. 81 had a wire this
morning on urgent business. l
must go back home"
go back! You haven't been
here a week"
"I'll come back-ncver fear!
Your spare-room bed is too COM
Portable to forget said Barbara,
Barbara was stirring her coffee
with an irritating little tinkle of
silver against the china cup. 81
wonder if I may ring up for a taxi
presently" she said.
dennis will drive you down."
Pauline said quickly. "He has to
go down to Albany on business
this morning-you told me so last
night" she added family, meeting
her husbands annoyed eyes.
Il said I might have to-" he an
swered.
'Well-you could take Barbara,
couldn't you?" Pauline asked.
"Delighted."
"Do you hate many people as
much as you hate me?" Barbara
asked Dennis later on, when they
were driving away in the little
two-seater car.
"People who hate we'll generally
love WE'LL" Dennis said surely.
"Yes." Barbara's queer eyes
looked straight ahead down the
road. II should think you would
make quite a good lpvdr," she
agreed.
Dennis jerked the wheel.
II dare say Pauline could give
you any information you require"
he said.
"A lover and a husband-two
different things" Barbara said,
sweetly.
aren't we talking a lot of rub
bish?" Dennis said with exaspera-
ton.
Barbara folded her hands in her
lap with mock resignation.
Every well-from now until
our journeys end l am dumb" she
said mockingly.
Dennis q~uickened speed. The
journey could not be at an end to
quickly for him. They turned
onto one of the new broad arterial
roads, and he let the engine nut to
its fullest extent. He never dared
do such a thing when Pauline was
with him. Presently he stole a
sidelong glance At her. She was
sitting very still, perfectly con-
trcI]ed AID unmoved. Sh. was a
strange woman, he thought, and
almost angrily he wished he under
stood her.
Barbara suddenly touched his
arm.
"There is a crostoad just a.
head" she said in her calm voice.
II am not at all afraid, but you
are driving rather recklessly, you
know, and there is Pauline to con-
slider, so.
Afterward he wondered stupidity
what she had been going to say,
but her words were lost in a chaos
of shouting and confusion and the
grinding of brakes-and then
struggling back to consciousness he
heard her voice still, agonized,
broken with tears-unlike the