Evening star., 1936-07-21

more vaguely he heard himself joining
In the conversation, asking about ice
foes, II 1t were true that scurvy was
something to be fought against as re-
lentlessly rs the cold, II the expedition
was as hazardous as 1t was claimed
| to be.
Somewhere In the tumult Of his
mind he told himself that If he
couldn't trust Virginia, he didn't love
her. But no matter how he argued
with himself, no matter how calm he
remained outwardly, his heart was
humping wildly and an uncontrol-
liable anger was seething within him.
His growing resentment changed
suddenly into an acute madness.
Tippy wasn't, he had to admit fairly,
wholly to blame. even though he tried,
mentally, to shift it all on his gay,
young shoulders. It was Virginia, too,
who was OVERRIDING her interest in
botany. He ground his teeth together
and told himself, I'm going down
there and drag them back by their
scalps."
He was in the far end Of the garden
now, where grandfather. years ago.
had planted shrubs, hoping they would
grow high enough to screen from view
the adjoining cornf1eld. Those shrubs
were the only plants that had ever
failed the admiral They had grown
thick and full and gloriously green,
but at 3 feet they had ceased to grow.
Over their prolific width Ted could
see the even rows Of cornstalk wig
vans. For a moment he stood there
smoking leisurely, leaning against the
sprawling trunk Of an ancient cypress,
thinking back on that night after the
Army Navy game when he and Vir-
ginia had been obliged to make q
forced landing in Mr.. CAROLS corn
field.
He found himself chuckling at the
vivid memory Of that husking bee and
found himself wondering, too, what
had become Of Mary Jane Carroll
That night, after he had taken Vir-
ginia home and had stopped at Carvel
Hall With Courtney Valance. they had
talked almost until dawn. Valance
had said something that had puzzled
him for days. Still puzzled him.
Courtney had said, Ted, once long
ago I stopped in front of jewelry
store and stood looking at the window
display. Diamonds are my hobby
I'm a sort of Jim Brady at heart.
There were two stones in that win
dow-a dazzlingly brilliant one that
almost made me overlook a flawless
little gem in the background. The
big, dazzling stone was paste-oh,
very lovely paste. assure you. For
years it might have passed for the
real thing and dazzled me. But
eventually its luster would have faded
and I would have seen it for what 1t
was. I might have remembered the
real gem then and gone back looking
for it-perhaps to find it in another's
possession. I learned a lesson that
night, Ted. Afterward always looked
beyond the glitter of diamonds. Moth
ing but the real, the genuine. ever
satisfied me. And that's true not only
Of stones, but of many things in life"
He had known Valance was talking
in parallels and yet he could not quite
get what he was trying to put across.
Didn't get it even when he finished,
looking straight into his eyes, saying,
"And it's particularly true of women,
Ted"
But suddenly one night he had
known what Valance had meant.
Knew that he had been comparing
Virginia Keith and Mary Jane Car
roll. He laughed now and crushed
his cigarette beneath his heel and
thought, Even connoisseurs 60 hay
wire now and then" He loved Vir-
ginia. Like Valance, almost every
one misjudged her. Even he mis-
judged her sometimes, as he had to-
night when he thought she was still
down in the garden with Tippy.
He started back to Tree Tops then,
walking fast, feeling . little exhil-
arated in the thought that last night
Virginia had consented to wear his
Navy miniature, had even told him
that some day soon she might marry
him.
But as quickly as he started, he
stopped short. For suddenly the soft
restless stiffness Of the night was
rufied by a laugh-a low, husky laugh
as clear on the warm air as temple
bells. He turned in that direction,
/ the grass under his feet as soft and
smooth as velvet, and saw, fewer than
so feet ahead, two figures beneath q
rose arbor limned with brutal frank
ness In the moonlight. Saw Virginia's
hair like little tongues Of flame, saw
her in Tippy's arms-their lips cling
ing together as If they desired never
to be parted.
He was almost behind them now,
but still they did not break apart. 1t
was strange that he could stand there
like that, watching-he might wonder
at it later-but suddenly it seemed the
only thing he could do.
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