Nogales international., 1933-07-08

"And you live here all alone and
write?" asked Joyce. :.
"You forget Claud Alfred" replied
.3Ainsworth with a smile,
:, Joyce giggled at the fiction OF
iClaud Alfred. Why had she known
from the first that there was no
fClaud Alfred Tremayne?
She found out, among other scat-'
tered items of information, that
this shack was his real headquar-
ters, from which he went away every
few months and stayed in San Fran
cisco, New York, New Orleans, St.
+. Augustine, Boston OR various mid
die west cities He had now been
at the shack fer three, months and
expected to stay until he finished
his present book, which would prob
, ably be about two more months.
When she reluctantly decided she
must start back to Manzanita,
Ainswcrth suggested riding part Of
the way with her, to the point where
he would branch off onto the road
TO Manana: He saddled Rosita and
his own, a strengthening dapple
gray, who came to his call from the
far end of the corral.
Drawing rein at the parting place
Ainsworth gave her an inquiring
look, and Joyce knew that he was
about to ask her if he might not go
to see her
"T'll-I'll come out again soon,"
she said quickly. and spurred her
horse to gaIIoping start. She waved
her hand without looking back.
Joyce rode home in daze. Me
chanicaliy she undressed, bathed
dressed again, and ate her dinner
After dinner she retreated to her
room and settled herself luxurious
ly on the couch.
She lay in her blissful tfDrI e. She
held both Of Robert Airsuorth' S
books, lingering them, stiOking
them with worshipir0t ts~0M s>pen-
ing the covers, glancitrs Il tie first
sentences, tasting, and then putting
off the delights. of reading.
She wondered how the shack
looked at night. what Robert Aims
worth was doing at that moment
while she lay and thought about
him.
Did he sleep on that wide couch
under the window, or out of doors
in the hammock under the pines
with the multitude of stars gravely
keeping watch overhead in the deep
Yevet of the sky?
AS she came to this thought some
thing seemed to grip her heart, and
she clenched her hands suddenly.
She was in love with Robert
Ainsworth!
Thank.God Neil was away. Joyce
had never valued the luxury of pri-
vacy and undisturbed quiet more
than on this particular night. She
wanted to forget everything and every
body except Robert Ainsworth.
During the next day, however, tht
inevitable reaction occurred. Doubt:
and fears plunged. her down disas
trously from the heights Of exalta-
ton to frequent moods of black IN
certainty and. hopclessness. Where
could this end, this delightful, this
miraculous7 meeting? She was mar
ried to Neil Packard. Yet even as
she forced this tndeniable fact up
on her consciousness, there stole
into her mind the disturbing thought
"But that was why I was holding
Neil off all this time -. l was wait
ing for Robert" How could she be
NeiPs wife now? Every heart beat
was lifting her on an irresistible
wave of longing and sweeping heI
toward the other man.
Joyce was in bed before Neil got
home that night and the next morn
ing, little ashamed of her coward
ice, she remained in her room unit
he had left for the day, pretending
to be asleep when he knocked gen
tly before he finally departed. She
got up as soon as she heard his cal
roll out of the drive, dressed in hei
riding habit, and ate hurried break
fast. She pretended to herself thai
she was simply going for a lone
ride. She told herself that it was toe
soon to make another cali on Aims
worth and that she had no intention
of doing anything SO foolish. She
certainly did not want him to think
she was pursuing himl Yet, some
how. about noon she found hersel
at the foot Of the trail Suddenly