The Coolidge examiner., 1936-08-07

wasn't like that: Grandmother had
said so herself, blushing furiously.
She said the love a woman had for
her husband was something quite
different, more wonderful.
Stuart Graham was writing to her
now. He had begun when she was
twenty, and over the first letter
Gary had shaken his head and said
it sounded very sudden, somehow;
and over the second he said the fel
low seemed to want to know an
awful lot about what kind of in
vestments Grandfather had left his
money in. He and Deborah talked
it over, and Deborah had said, with
those cold fingers at her heart and
smile on her lips, that it didn't
matter whether Stuart had any
money or not, that surely she had
enough for two, and the situation
was that If she didn't marry him,
poor or not poor, there wouldn't be
anything for any of them. The time
was desperate. Gary said miserably
that they wouldn't be able to pay
the taxes on the only home they
had, if they didn't get some money
soon. SO of course there was moth
ing 10 do but go through with it.
And then the very worst thing of
all happened. For some reason that
Grandmother couldn't understand.
except that since a Graham had
done it there must be a reason and
a good one, Stuart had joined the
navy two or three years ago. And
now something had occurred, some
thing he didn't quite explain. AS
a result, he was not going to be
able to leave his ship by Deborah's
twenty-first birthday.
For a few days, Gary and Grand
mother and Deborah were thrown
into CONSERVATION; and although
for a moment when his letter first
came, Deborah had run out and
hugged a tree for sheer joy, she
had seen in no time that something
had to be done. Stuart had a plan.
He had gone on to explain that, for
tunately enough, his ship would be
with the rest of the Pacific fleet.
anchored in Golden Gate harbor in
San Francisco bay; and that it
would be quite simple after all.
Deborah could come down and meet
him in San Francisco, and they
could be married there.
Quite simple for Stuart, perhaps,
but a most upsetting idea for Debo-
rah and Grandmother and Gary.
Obviously, If Deborah went, she
must go alone; since Grandmoth-
er could not possibly go, and Gary
could not possibly leave her. And
Deborah had been so little in the
world she had never Travelled any
where alone. The world was a huge
noisy whirling place, and she had
lived always in the quiet and peace
of the mountains. Still, it was only
a matter of a trip to San Fran
cisco; because, once there, she
could 90 directly to the hotel
Grandmother knew about, the hotel
at which they had stayed years
ago; and from the hotel she could
go to Mr. HolwOrthy's office where
Stuart would meet her. Stuart was
a Graham, and gentleman. and
as soon as she met him her trou-
bles would be over.
This was what Grandmother said,
and Outwardly Deborah asSented
but to her he was really man and
a stranger, and in her heart was a
deadly terror of marriage and what
ever it might mean, of meeting this
strange man and being with him,
being alone with him.
Grandmother was Mortified when
they came to contemplate Debo-
rahs wardrobe. She wanted to
write Immediately to Boston and
have a large selection of articles
sent out, but Deborah convinced
her that there was no time, and
that they would have to manage
with what was in the house. SO
they made a travelling costume from
one of Grandmother's. 1t was quiet
and reserved, although perhaps the
lines were not such as a profes-
sional dressmaker would have put
into it. 1t would serve.
The dress was made of brown
cloth, very neat and plain. A hat
was rather problem, but they
evolved one finally, a neat small
black turban with a modest clus-
ter of velvet pansies on one side.
Grandmother sent only one other
dress with Deborah; her own wed.
ding dress. When they tried it on.
it fitted perfectly. Deborah looked
at herself in the glass, and then
quickly back at Grandmother, with
dark startled eyes.
ITS it's :" she touched
the neck.
1T is for your husband, my dar-
ling" Grandmother said gently. and
Deborah'S blood was cold again in
her veins.
CHAPTER II