The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-12-15
CHAPTER vI-Continued

81
$50 you Joined up?" Sniff remarked,
more interested In this fact than in
Miss Mercedes.
Elm IA" Stone nodded. II went
over at once. The only time ever
left Virginia for more than a week or
two. I'd been educated in England,
remember, and knew lot of fellows. /
was useful as liaison officer. was
going to transfer to our own forces
when we came in. Somehow / didn't.
Afraid they'd think I was pushing my
self forward, you know"
"You were woundedw
Stone wriggled. "Oh, slightly, Just
a scratch. Nothing worth mention
ing.'
you might as well tell me how 1t
happened" Smif pressed him inexor-
ably, "I'm noted for my tactless per-
tinacity."
'Oh, well,-there was little chap
I was fond of-we all were. Irish,
not too young, he'd been jockey in
early life and we all thought he'd dyed
his hair and lied about his age to get
taken on at all. Very sporting, what?
Well, some men came in after raid.
Said they'd left him in shell-hole,
wounded. He'd begged 'em to go on.
1t was useless to try to carry him In.
"Things had quieted down, there
wasn't any danger; so, being fond of
him, as said, just wandered over
to see what could be done for him.
That's all there was to it."
Except that you effected liaison
with German bullet or two" Sniff
said dryly. 81 see. Absolutely no dam
ger, of course" Then, with a flash of
intuition, II suppose he gave you the
emerald horseshoe you so often wear?"
IT always wear it," Stone corrected
her, throwing his coat back to display
1t. dennis was killed the first day
after that that he was back at the
front. He'd left the pin with the
priest with orders to turn 1t over to
me If he went west. It had been pre-
sented to him after he won a great
race by great riding, and he priced
1t above everything" A silence fell
between them, each travelling far on
trains of thought aroused by what had
transpired. 3i,g
"You have friends over there" Smif
said at last. "Has it never occurred
to you to go back to them?"
Stone set his jaw stubbornly. SIN
an American. I made up my mind all
Virginia couldn't freeze me out, and
by Cd, don't mean to let them!"
There was passion in the statement
and, sensing the spirit that had car
ried him through years Of ostracism,
Smif recognized it as final. At once
she dropped the subject and reverted
to the topic Of Miss Mercedes.
'Did Mercy nurse your"
I'm alive" was Stones laconic an
swer. Then after minute he took the
matter up again.
"She wasn't full-fedged nurse, a
fact which doubtless saved some more
or less valuable lives. ! only saw her
occasionally In the South. She had a
Irritation at every cot and wheel chair.
After the armistice In Paris she began
to cling little; but her intentions
weren't really serious until she grew
fat. A fat man is the most hor-
rible sight in the world, but to my
mind fat woman runs him pretty
close. So I'm counting on you to save
me from her, Sniff"
sand she is counting on me to save
you for her." Sniff pointed out. "May
I ask how am to reconcile my duty
to both clients? After all, I've taken
her money and I've not taken yours.
Perhaps the best way out Of the diff
Guilty would be to throw you over"
"Too late" Stone asserted. sits i'm
possible now to forget I'm your cousin.
In Virginia, blood counts, you know.
You can't throw over a relative. Be-
sides, as problem I'm much more in
teresting than she can possibly be-.
She's only fat. I'm morbid and intro
spective and obstinate and a lot Of
other things I'll tell you about later"
"Not much later, If Tn to preserve
the Lovely name unsmirched," said
Sniff, her eyes stealing to the clock !;
"but shouldn't add bit of humbug
to the list you've given me? I'm not
sure you don't like Miss Mercedes
more than you'd have me think you do"
Stone made wry face and shook
his head.
"Not while she's so fat" he said de-
cisively. "Good night"
"Good night" Sniff echoed. but al
ready the door was shut between them.
She reseated herself to smoke final
cigarette, turning the pages of maya.
zine and trying to tear her mind away
from Stone Nesbit and the position
he had maintained so stubbornly for
years. 1t was useless attempt
So far as the situation in Virginia
went, she was sure she could clear it
up If she were on the spot. She prom
Used herself she would make short
work of 1t once she was at Lovelylea.
AS regards Miss Mercedes, she had