The Washington times., 1935-11-15
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AL1u Sdlu, why ulul Sic GTy u
get something in the Village?
That there might even be some
thing in the house on Twelfth
Street. 1t was a nice, old house
and the rooms were large and had
wood-burning fireplaces. Carlotta
said maybe she would and it was
nice of Ann to want her as close
as that.
Then there was Nicholas suy-
den.
Ann said: do you think he
will forgive you for marrying me
while he is away and without his
even having seen me?"
Kipp grinned at her reasuringly.
"He will, my sweet, once he does
see you. He'll probably be mad
as blue blazeS about it when he
gets my cablegram."
He was. In the first place, he
still considered Kipp a mere boy
and had had no idea he would get
married for years. In the second
place, he wasn't at all sure how
this writing experiment was 60
ing to turn out and although he
guessed Kipp knew things weren't
too good, Kipp had no idea how
badly his fathers financial affairs
were involved. A wife at this
moment, he realized, might COM
plicate things seriously. Neverthe-
less, he was secretly rather proud
Of the high-handed way Kipp had
carried things off. he had met
a girl and fallen in love with her
and had had the courage to marry
her on his three hundred dollars
a month. Forty-five years ago
Nicholas himself had done the
same thing. He had met a small
girl at a Christmas cotillion in
Baltimore and two weeks later he
had married her.
And anyway, he told himself,
chuckling grimly, what could you
do when you were in Nassau cod
ding a tired-out heart and your
only son decided to marry a girl
named Ann in New York? Moth
ing, naturally, except hope that
the young rascal had shown his
usual amount Of normal good
sense; and hurry home in the
spring to find out for yourself
whether he had or not.
They we're married at o'clock
in the afternoon, the second week
in December, in the study of a
small parsonage in Greenwich,
Connecticut. A fading blue twi-
light slid through small-paned
windows and fell gently on AIMS
small, lifted face. "a coal fire
glowed warmly in a small crate
and before it a sleek gray cat
slept TRANQUILITY. The words of
the marriage service fell upon the
stiffness of the room with a serene
monotony like drops of. water
falling steadily onto flat, gray
stones.
Ann. standing with one hand
clasped in Kipps thought it was
a lovely way to be married. 4. a
quiet, firelit room, an impersonal
gentle voice repeating those
solemn, simple phrases.
I'm sickness or in health i. for
better or for worse. from this
day forward -"
From this day forward :"
AIMS fingers tightened suddenly,
fiercely about Kipp's. That was
the important part of it, wasn't
it? That from this day forward
they would go on together. .as
one person. loving each other
=. belonging to each other.
The gentle, impersonal voice
stopped. the gray cat stirred on
the hearth and stood up, stretch
ing himself magnificently .Kipp
bent his head and kissed hQ'. .
swiftly, ardently. He was smiling
at her. He was saying: Ann,
darling, you're crying!"
And she was saying, "Not
really" and winking her lashes
furiously and smiling back at him
gaily, reassuringly. And they
were married.
CHAPTER NINE
They drove north through a
drifting Snowstorm to an inn rs
miles away in the Berkshires.
They arrived a little before 6
o'clock and were given a guest
cabin with concealed steam heat
and a wide-mouthed fireplace in
which enormous white birch logs
blazed merrily. Kipp said, little
anxiously: II hope you like it,
Ann. I thought it might be
rather fun but if you'd prefer
we can probably get a room in
the inn"
Ann said, of course she like it.
She said, II think it's grand"
and she took off her fur coat and
her small hat and stood in front
Of that leaping open fire a small
girl in a simple wool frock, her
eyes, soft and shaken and a little
frightened, her mouth soft and
shaken and deliberately cav