The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-06-27

liked her and showed 1t. She glowed in the atmosphere of ad- mlratlon and easy laughter. Frank didn't talk much--he wasn't given to idle chatter-but every now and then he gave her an eloquent look.
 He had to give most of his atten- ton to the driving, however. There were traltorous dips in this canon road. Sometimes sheer drop ap- peared on their left without an in- stant's warning. But Frank had Q sure hand on tho wheel. Katharine wasn't afraid. They took the jour- rey in lelsurely fashion. It was the way, Hilda explained, they liked to travel That night they camped on the edge of the desert under the stars. Frank had his guitar with him - he'd been in Q college orchestra --- and he played "parles moi pamour" with Q good deal of feeling. The stars and the music and the campfire all made an unforgettable scene.
 Lifo would bo so simple, Kath- arino argued with herself, If one could follow tho line of least re- sistance. She might, for example, marry Frank Willard and bear hin, fine children and love him quite un- critically and make a sort of picnic of existence. But she had muddled up her llfo before she met him. She liked him a lot--he was as likable as c big Newfoundland or friend ly child. But love? Well, she had known that once; 1t hadn't been exactly pleasant. It had been all dizzy heights and awful depths, she would try to steer clear of It in tho future.
 All of this she thought as Frank strummed the plaintivo music and tho smoke of Dirk's and Hilda's cigarets curled toward the rcd glow of the campfire. Evelyn Vincent was asleep, propped rather uneom- fortably against the scat cushions of tho car. Presently they all un. tied their bedding rolls and said yawning good nights. The women had tho tent. Dirk and Frank ar- ranged tholr beds by the fro.
 Katharine did not sleep for a long time. A mood of wakefulnes' was upon her and, for tho life of her, sleep would not come. She could sec one great. unwinking blue star through the tent flap. Mss Vincent snored, and Hilda stirred unoasily in her sleep.
 The music echoed in Katharine's brain.
 "Speak . to me of love VI
 After long timo her eyes closed and she breathed easily and quiet ly. There wcro tears on her checks.
 No one was moving about when she awoke. Dressing hastily, run ming her ivory comb through her flyaway curls, shc glanced out te sec that Frank and his brother lay in tho relaxed and rather touching abandon of persons deeply asleep.
 Restless, Katharine strolled about. She needed exercise, she told herself. Before tho sun came up she would have brief walk Just as far as that mesquite bush in tho middle distance ...
 She walked along, absorbed In her thoughts. Tomorrow she would be back at Sllencia; the pleasant, easy life would begin again. with sun -drenched days filled With sketching and music and bridge, and the books in the library of the adobe house. It was not bad life, but for young, restless, ea- ger girl 1t was not everything.
 She glanced over her shoulder Perhaps she had better be turning back. Someone would wakcn and miss her, perhaps be alarmed. But when she looked In the direction from which she had come she could see nothing of the car or the peaked tent or the sleeping men. Her heart beating little faster, she whirled. increasing her pace Her feet, in their russet boots, squeaked In the sand. slipping with every step. oh, but she'd see them all in a minute. She would hear Franks hearty laugh and smell the smoke of the breakfast fire and the good scent of boiling coffee
 She walked as quickly as she could, shielding her eyes from the rising sun. That was east .. and certainly she had walked west when she started. Or had she?
 Silence and sand and cactus. A gopher that hopped out from the shadow of bush and stared at ner