The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-06-11
DRAGONS DRIVE YOU
By EDWIN BALMER
coprghtby Edwin

both knowing. There was no sense
whatever In Agnes pretending before
Rogna. "She mustn't use rouge, Rog-
ma. Don't let her. lit doesn't be-
come her; and 1t won't do her any
good!"
Lying in the deep, warm water in
her bath of palely tinted porcelain,
Agnes shut her eyes and saw, not Rod
on his train travelling away from her,
but Jeb forcing his car toward her
through the snow. She could see him
strain and laugh and swear when he
skidded, but come on, on, on TO her,
whatever tried to hold him. Even in
her imaginings, he stirred her. Come
on, Jeb! Oh, come on!
''Rod-dear, dreaming Rod. I'd like
to love you! 1 would; but I don't"
And he hadn't SO much as let her
say 1t.
1t wasn't the fact that Jeb was max
ing money, and Rod nearly none, that
widened the difference between them.
For Rod was right about it; money
did not rule desire.
Money might be one Of the factors
that destroyed 1t. Money-or at least
the epoch of their marriage In which
the most money had come-was sep
arating her mother and father.
Before a mirror on the other side
Of that wall between their rooms, her
mother frantically was trying to make
herself more attractive to Father. and
to look younger. But Rogna
would watch the rouge. Rogna would
not let Mother look ridiculous to Fa-
Their when he came home-ridiculous
to Father, who used to kiss her when
they Rugged Agnes between them In
the big bed of the house where Moth
er had been a bride.
Oh, what was love?
At last Father came. Baskerville, the
huge boar hound, had affectionately
knocked his hat off, and he carried 1t
crumpled. Cravath, the butler, had
opened the door.
"'D evening, Cravath. Hello,
Light One!"
That meant her and no one else. AL
ways, as long as she could remember,
it had been Fathers greeting. Light
OneI Dark One! His two daughters
his two babies, once. Beatrice al
ways had been dark, like Mamma; Ag-
mes light, like himself.
Dark One! Light Onel Dark One!
Light OneI" he used to accent in
rhythm as he tossed and caught his
children in turn before he kissed them
Dark One! Light One land shooed
them away.
He bent and kissed Agnes now, care
full to keep his snowiness from her
dress. Hello, Light Onel" he re-
peated. "How's Dark One?"
"Oh, she's fine, Father!"
How're the busters?"
"Father, they're wonderful"
Good. Where's your mother? In?"
Eyes, Father; she's in"
Good"
Cravath had taken his things and
disappeared. leaving father and daugh-
ter alone before the fire. Agnes liked
to have him linger with her, but the
thought of her mother, waiting for
him, tortured her. There had been a
time when, if she had not met him
at the door, he would have leaped up
the stairs, two steps at time, to find
what was the matter.
Now he stood, back to the fire, with
out Impotence. He had been away
for a week In New York City; and
his daughter, swept as she was with
affection for him, and with pride in
him, and with gladness in all her men,
cries, could not down disturbing
doubts. What had he done" In New
York during seven days - and eve
nings and nights?
He was full of feeling; and how
good-looking he was! You could not
possibly think of him as a GRANDPA
Their.
He was now within two years Of
fifty, and he didn't appear forty. He
honestly didn't.
His hair was as youthful as Agnes
own. He differed from hers, however,
in having crinkIe in it which made
it take tousling well. always, IN
those mornings when she had run into
his and Mothers room, he had been
| tousled. Now she had not seen him
so. But had some woman in New
York? The idea would not down. 1t
wouldn't)
Father and daughter shared the
same blueness of eye and straight
ness of nose. Indeed, in the fullness
| of her lips and the turn of her good
| little chin, Agnes was a delicate re-
finement of him; but even allowing
for women's proportions, she was
| smaller. He was six feet straight, dis
| tinctly more than average height; Ag-
mes. for that comfortable countryside
north of Chicago where women are
| tall, was rather under the average,
| and also, for her height, slighter than
her father, though no ounce of
weight" appeared on him. He saw
to that, with squash and riding
ITO BE CONTINUED