Carbon County news., 1937-09-17
CHAPTER XIV Continued


violet puncture Of the bullet hole
at the fiawless marble temple. Sc.
rena's sleeping face was placid,
but the once scarlet mouth was pale
and fecked with blood, and t h e
beautiful pale gold hair was loos-
ened into a careless cascade that
hung in q web over the side of the
bed. There was q horrible sprawl
ing relaxation In her position, q
dreadful mysterious shutness in the
colorlessslips that made Vicky trem-
BILE. .-. r
"Is there anything to do, Quent?"
'sNot now" He did not turn from
his contemplation Of the wreck Of
what had been so soft, so lovely
and alluring and fragrant and
warm only few hours ago. mo,
it was instantaneous, VIC" he NUT
tered.
"Killed herself"
"She<thought he was dead, d'you
see?" the older man supplied sud-
denly. "The, Chinese woman had
come out Of his room. It was while
we were all IN the hall there, awhile
back, when we all thought that poor
Morrison had no chance"
81 thought, from the way you all
talked" Quentin said. ''that he
was! I was amazed when Amah
said he wanted to see me. And GER
tainly she must have thought so.
Poor woman!"
An hour later Victoria and Quen-
tin walked across the Morrisons'
side garden, and through the gate
into the lane and through their own
gate. A perfect spring dawn was
strengthening over the world now;
it was four o'clock; the east was
flushed with exquisite delicate pink,
against which shoals and galleons
of delicate silver and gray and paler
gray cloud made long bars.
81 feel-reborn," Vicky said.
Reborn. I'm terribly grateful,
Vic," Quentin said.
"Oh, grateful! # you knew what
I was thinking Of all night long,.
Every horror that anyone can imag-
inc seemed to be sweeping over
me. ] had you in Jail; I had us all
moving to some remote place."
perhaps you think / didn't, Vic,
while we were working over him.
Perhaps you think didn't have a
chance to think how I'd taken my
life and destroyed it with my two
hands. But thank God it's all over
now!"
81 am tired. Quentin, doesn't the
tea for the Vienna doctors and our
lunch at the St. Francis seem longer
ago than yesterday"
'That wasn't yesterday" he ex-
claimed.
''That's all it was"
my God" he said again, struck.
''She did do it, didn't she, Quent?"
eyes" he said with a serious
look. II guess she did"
''E1er killing herself"-The words
sounded so strange that Vicky had
to stop short and think of them
''her killing herself looked as if she
did," she unused.
''She had that-I don't know what
to call it-ruthless quality" Quen-
tin said. '"She went over any OBJ
stacle that was in her way"
''EIe reused the very worst in her;
he always did" Victoria unused.
''TIe seemed to sit back and laugh
at. her, and he never let her have |
enough money even to get away.
She told me-she came to see me
every few days, you knoW-that she
had to charge even her lunches at |
hotels. That day she seemed to me |
She looked so beauti-
full, too; she was in a sort Of corn
color, and her eyes looked so blue. |
Mother said after. she left, All
dressed up and nowhere to go!' I
it was death-in-life to her |
TO live in that quiet country house."
Quentin nodded, listening.
''You've been a trump all night
.ong, VIC" he cs;d, EfS&r a while. |
IF you'd been like most women,
and refused to 60 over there, we
might be in bad trouble this morn
ng. II you were like most women,
gou'd have kicked me out years
ago, I don't know why you act: the
way you do, but I want you to
sounds damn fat-but I
want yea to know that I admire
7ou and that I'm grateful! I owe
everything I've got in the world to
1ou. I'm just beginning to realize
hat it's an awful lot: You know
I'm not good at speeches, but when
think about yorl-and this is what
wanted to- tell: you'll get all
:hoked up. Tm-Pm grateful"
''Thank you, Quentin!" Vic said
rom the other end Of the table.
'sWe'l 60 on here, and some day
I'll have a chance to show you that
m changedP Quentin said. 'It's
aiken me a long time to wake up.
we been q fool. / did the rottenest
hing to you. a man can do to his
wife; it's Just my luck, it's my in
;redible luck that you've--we1l,
Won't say forgiven me-: you don't ID