The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-05-18

WHY WS4S Lax A4C
was equally sorry for Cecilia. If he had
been calm enough he might have gone
IN Tor a serious filtration with Miss Ed
monds and raised such a rumpus that
Cecilia would have turned him down.
But he couldn't concentrate enough for
a Irritation.
One morning he caught a glimpse of
MS untidy hair and rumpled suit in the
mirror and he became suddenly panicky
about his whole outfit. He rushed down
town and drove the tailor crazy getting
an entire new supply of clothes. He
worried frightfully about whether the
tropics had injured his taste in ties.
Perhaps Cecilia would be revolted by
that orange and brown one, or did he
hope she would? He ran up huge taxi
bills being driven about the country to
forget. One day he rode up to st. Jo-
seph's monastery and observed wistfully
the peace and happiness of the monks
life within. He thought that three I'M
happy marriages would be easier to live
through than these days of waiting
for his-damnably inevitable-bliss.
On the night before the Maraval's ar
rival he took Miss Edmonds for a noon
light drive. 1t was in his mind to kiss
her and celebrate the last few fleeting
hours of freedom that were left to him..
Miss Edmonds was restfully quiet and
he became so occupied with his troubles
he forgot his plans for philandering.
No one was left on the veranda when
their drive ended.
"By tomorrow your waiting will be
over" she said softly, and gave him a
firm handclasp.
The Maraval, of course, had to arrive
at five o'clock in the morning in a down
pour of tropical rain. Rodney drank two
cups of black coffee, cut himself shaw
ing, and barely caught the agents boat
out to the ship. He was so nervous and
excited he hardly knew whether his
feeling for Cecilia was dread, or love,
or rebellion, or just plain caddish hate.
He suspected that the agent smirked at
him as a devil of a fellow who'd had
his fun the last few days with n
woman while waiting to embrace n
other.
Cecilia wasn't at the gangWay, wait
ing. She wasn't leaning over the ships
railing watching for him. For a wild
second he imagined she hadn't come on
the Maraval to marry him at all. For
a crazy second he didn't know whether
he felt relief or heartbreak. Then he
spoke sensible words to the purser and
found her at last in her cabin, scram-
bling %nervously through her bag as If
she had forgotten something.
For a moment he stood in the door
way. The girl before him was Cecilia,
but she wasn't wearing the clothes or
colors he always remembered her IN.
She seemed somehow taller.
Lock this for me, will you?" n or
dered, and then, looking around and
seeing who it was, rose slowly and said
"Roddie."
In a daze he kissed her, this well
groomed stranger, who was coming out
to marry him.
They stood looking at each other for
a moment, shyly stranger to each other
than if they had never been IN love. The
kiss left them embarrassed.
1--WE arranged for us to be married
this morning at eleven" he ratified off
the words he had rehearsed so many
times before.
Cecilia dropped her eyes and kicked
her baggage thoughtfully with her foot.
"You don't need to marry me if you
don't want to-" she said brightly. II can
keep right on and go straight back with
the ship"
Her remark loosed his fury.
1T was just your damn fool tele-
gram he barked at her. do you know
that half Trinidad thinks you're going
to have a child?"
At this Cecilia-and God knows he
never thought she had much humor-
began to laugh quite heartily.
even my boss hauled me up to make
sure I'd do the right thing!"
well, if you're going to do 1t, we'd
better get my baggage off," she said
cheerfully.
It was obvious to the cad in Rodney
that she had never intended to go back
with the ship. He hated her heartily
during the process Of getting her bag
gage through the customs and getting
Cecilia, himself, and her baggage safely
transferred by taxi and registered at
the hotel. 1t irritated him beyond meas
ure at the little confusion about just
what name she should register under,
since she would be Mrs. Rodney in a
few minutes-and since, like a fool, he
had already given up his own room and
taken on a suite. MI. Marshall, the tact
full hotel manager, smoothed out the
difficulties. A minister arrived from
God knows where. Absurdly enough, be-
fore breakfast, he and Cecilia were be-
ing married in the rooms that were to
be their bridal suite.
All he could remember about the GER
emory was Cecilia in a blue print dress
beside him, the broad Trinidadian &C
rant If the c1erpvman and the diff.