Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-09-23
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was his advice. Go west, or 90 any.
where, if you feel yourself to be a.
bout the average, but if you have thu
punch, stick in New York-anc
win!"
Gilbert and Josephine were in Pari.
In early April. Josephine completed
her trousseau. Rantoul had gone or
ahead to London. Then they were
at the Cecil for a few days. Rantou
had preceded them. A letter from
John reached Van Horn as they were
about to embark for New York. Pue
Malone was waiting for his return
He had planned a walking TRIP
through the Berkshires. "a regular
Malone hike" John had written
Pug wants to get away from his
work. He's had a rotten winter,
Greenbough filled with bad livers.
am full of tunnel air and need a
change. American dust will do you
good. And, Gil, I'm crazy for Jose
phine, crazy for her again. I never
knew what love meant, until now,'
Poor John! 1t was spring. Gilbert
Van Horn carefully folded the let
ter and gave a sigh of satisfaction.
Thank God they were homeward
bound. He cabled Marvin Kelly.
Sailing tomorrow. All WE'LL"
Hallway across, On her nA,iden
voyage the Titanic raced through a
smooth sea, a flat flexible sea enam-
eled in the deepest indigo rejecting
stars, great facts, glinting in the
sky. But stars have long been ig-
nored by men, or they have been
conjured with, it matters very little
to the stars, and few attended them
that night. Dinner was over and
Gilbert Van Horn busted himself in
the smoking room, playing solitaire,
a demi-tasse and his pipe keeping
him occucied. Aunt Wen had re-
tired to her state room, the night was
slightly chill, a breath of the outer
voids, a touch of the ethereal cold.
Few were out, but Josephine, on
the arm of Rantoul, both in ample
steamer coats, walked the deck, broad
and white, like a lighted avenue in a
deserted city. In a spirit of adven-
rure Josephine, nodding at a ladder,
pulled her escort. Lets up,
Monsieur Gerry" How quickly he
responded to- her mischievous spirit.
They were On the deserted boat deck
and WALKED aft, far abaft the fun
nels. The peculiar spiral of black
smoke twisting rapidly owe the rims
Of the huge stack and curling astern,
was the only indication of their speed.
They looked down over the steep
side, from the rail. A singing white
streak of water rushed by the black
hull, a seething phosphorescent band
of light.
Rantoul knew that time was get
ting short. He instinctively felt the
moment had come. If the heart of
Josephine was 20 be captured he had
at last arrived at the final movement
of assault. He walked with her in
silence, holding her close to him. The
rustic of her loose dinned gown, I'M
der the folds of her loose warm cloak,
the intimate detachment of the sea,
her laugh, her evident enjoyment of
the night, gave him resolution. He
too was being somewhat carried a.
way.
They had walked back and forth
for almost a half hour and were
leaning or the after thwartship rail
again, sheltered by the bulk of a
large life-boat, looking down into
sea. A sigh from Josephine, a slight
shudder, caused Rantoul to place his
arm about her, a thing he had never
done except when dancing. She
rather yielded to the embrace. She
was thinking of the end of such
things. John, grubby, hard, unsym-
pathetic, practical John, always dirty
and smelly, in the tunnel, would be
so different.
Much of this was in the sigh; an
implicit answer to the many days Of
their circumspect intimacy. Rantoul
caught her bare hand, with his free
arm partly muAled in the warm wide
sleeve of her cloak. Words were so
inadequate, so unnecessary. He sud-
denly drew her to him, hercely nor
did she resist. Their eyes flashed a
message to each other in the dark
above the rushing night, above> the
blue-black water SCARED with Ire.
She dropped her lids; his eyes, burn
ing, eager, were on her own. They
to be buoyant, her cloak fell
apart and he crushed her to him.
Rantoul, utterly out Of control, kiss