The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-02-17

! He strolled back and found that the painful flush, that had risen under her powder. had gone again. She was elaborately composed. He does so hate it when you won't let him see you're impress ed,' she said. DO you think gen. jus is always as uncomfortable as Mark?"
 No idea! But he quite honest 1y doesn't impress me, except as an evil-tempered little cuss."
 He makes people, especially wo- men, feel that if he would let them, , they could heal him of his sins. :"
 well, all I know is that I'd throttle the woman who tried to heal me of minep
 He spoke quite seriously but evil dently something perhaps his whole hearted dismay, amused her and she began to laugh. It was a friendly, jolly laugh and he liked the sound of it. He was quite sorry when she stopped. It had made him want to see her out on the moors in tweeds, with some of that paint washed off her face and one of those jolly little felt hats instead of this black, provocative thing.
 Its such a long time" she said, merriment still in her eyes, since I met man who could give me so ferocious hint as that. Here's Mrs. Lodely. Hullo, Judy darling! How be ye?"
 The west-country greeting link ed two chains of thought in Poole's mind. Quentin, Lodely and Cane. Leila Cane. Quentin and Lodely had crashed and Cane had pros Ipered Hm!
 No, I'm not with Patsy Raoul any longer" Leila was announcing as and when Mrs. Lodely's laugh would allow her to make herself heard. I'm not even at a hotel. I've just taken what Marks lot |call 'decomposingly urgent ser vice flat in Caroline Square"
 You're goin' the pace, Leila, 'ain't you? You can't get flats in Caroline Square for a song, though I remember 20 years ago thought nothin' of"
 T blackmailed father into treb- Hing my allowance" said Leila lightly. And if that doesn't cover it, well, I'm sorry but no living woman can do more"
 My dear gel, what things you do say!"
 And then tea arrived, and Mrs. Lodely fell upon it.
 Barbara received Marks wire just as. she put away her work for the night.
 Miss Quentin, Way End, Clips borough. Come. Mark" VI Bhe read it with a startled in- drawing of her breath. Come Mark. He wanted her-she must go to him.
 Any answer, Miss"
 She darted to her work table for pencil She needed only to say that she was coming at once. He would know that she would catch the next train, or, if neces- Fsary, hire a car to Taunton Junc- tion. She had begun to write the words when something tugged at her mind and stopped her.
 She was remembering the let ters she had written during the first week of his absence and the telegram she had sent asking for his advice about Miss Raoul's commission. He had not answered any of them, though his mother had reported that he was well and active.
 Of course, Mark very rarely wrote to her during their separations, was contemptuous, in fact, of the whole idea behind daily cores pondence. Still-after that first |week, she had written twice more and the only answer had been a postcard telling her to send his old sketch-books by return mail.
 Any answer, miss. please?"
 ]. What was the matter with her? Again, she poised the pencil. But that something that fretted at her would not be denied. It was like Ia whisper in her ear-and a whis- per very like Leila's. Marks lazy Marks cruel An irritation, a resentment of Mark rose in her that she had not known before.
 She wrote her answer, on im- pulse, to Judy. "Is my immediate presence essential to Mark?"
 Glancing at her watch, as the boy ran off, she saw that there was time for Judy to reply the same evening. She went to the telephone and arranged for the answer to be transmitted to her.