The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-19
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6y Re6ert Bruce
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was on him; restlessness t. at
made even the warm sunlight, the
exquisite loneliness of the sea and
the unfailing softness of the bays
famous breeze from the south,
seem cloying and over-sweet. And
he brought it all out, or tried to,
one evening. - - -'s..,s,
Ardath was in o. her dressing
room, dressing for an entertain
ment to which they were about to
go. Paul sat on a chaise Tongue,
lighted a cigaret, smoked modify
TO Ia moment, and then said,
Dearest, what do you say we
chuck it all?"
"Chuck it?" she repeated. Star
tied, she turned to look at him
in her left hand she still held ",
the hand mirror in which she had
been inspecting some detail or
other of her makeup. "Chuck
it? You mean-our life with each
other"
Sweetheart. No! Mo- mean
this this life here on the bay.
How would it be il we uprooted
ourselves and went-went some
where and made fresh star? Z"
She laid the mirror down. Her
face had grown pale at his first
words; now the blood returned to
it again.
Where would you co." she
asked. What would you do"
ooh" Paul hesitated. "Pd get
clear away from this place and
and all of these people. I'd"
He stopped, and very painstak-
ingly tamped his cigaret butt in
an ashtray.
"Do you know what I've always
half-wanted to do?" he went on at
last. "I've always thought ] might
like to live. he looked at her
doubtfully, then continued-"to
live on a ranch. In Canada, per-
haps, or the western United
States, or even in the Argentine
She said. "A ranch?"
ayes. Please don't laugh, dear
est"
"Pm not"
"You see-I toured all Of those
countries. years ago, when | was
prince. There's something about
that life-ranch life, | mean. The
country is so big-in Manitoba,
say, or Montana-you have that
feeling of freedom, as if you had
plenty Of room to breathe and
move and live. And the life is SO
good, too. It's useful, dear, it
means something. You can feel
that you're accomplishing some
thing, pitting yourself against ma
ture, actually doing things with
your own hands"
She got up and came over to
him. She sat beside him and
tenderly put her arms around him.
paul, my dearest boy, my
sweetheart" she said softly, "are
you as bored as oil that with me?
Is life here so uncomfortable that
you must dream dream like
that?
w.ovc, love-remember, Pve
seen America. I've seen those
ranches at close range. Those
plains are wide, and they're lone
iy. The winters are cruel and the
summers are scorching; they hit
you with dust storms and lorna.
does and drought and plaques OF
grasshoppers-'
She broke off and stroked his
cheek gently.
my darling, we'd be babes in
the woods in a setting like that:
We shouldn't last one year. Wed
hate each other before we were
through. We just aren't built for
it, Paul" ,
When she spoke of the natural
disadvantages, Paul felt, 81 would
like that - something to fight.
something to test my stamina and
show me how good man | really
am" But when she finished he
stared unseeing, detected, at the
floor. She was right. They just
weren't built for it :.
"Tell me, dear boy" she was
saying. taking his face between
her palms, "has it been a bad bar
gain for you?"
"No, no, dear one" he cried