The Washington times., 1937-04-06

him. Proposed to a man she'd
Stiff and sick with shame she
sat bolt upright in her corner OF
the car. She felt the fiery heat of
the painful burning blush that
slowly covered her, from head to
heels. She wished she could throw
herself out Of the car, off the rocks,
down to the sea, and sink in it. To
be washed out with the tide, and
lost from sight forever.
To have proposed and been
refused >.
She shut her eyes, trying to
think. A way to get out OF it. An
excuse to get home. Never to see
him again. Never to see anyone. To
be able to die-to hide from every
one, from her mother, from Char
lie-from everyone
Stiff as a poker she resisted his
reaching arms. With all her might
she hardened herself against him.
Shut her ears to his words, his
comforting words, his efforts to let
her down easy.
Marie" he said harshly.
"Stop that! Stop that, do you
hear me? Kiss mel"
Some instinct Of preservation
made her comply. She would kiss
him. Lightly. Frppantly. He
would see that she'd been joking
all along. He would see that
Marie" he said again. Marie.
sweet"
It wasn't any use. She couldn't
save herself. She was lost, she
loved him.
Tomorrow he might laugh at
her, all the world might laugh at
her, but tonight-now-he was
hers. She couldn't even regret
what she had said. She couldn't
regret anything. She couldn't
think. She could only feel.
He felt her tears against his
cheek, his own eyes were wet.
He knew so well what she was
thinking. He said in voice so
low that she couldn't be sure that
she heard Alright, you're so splen'
did-so brave-So Highland I'm
so slow and afraid"
She pressed her wet cheek
against his. She was crying but
she was happy. She didn't care.
She ought to care, but she didn't
care. She loved him, and nothing
else would matter, not even his
going away ...
CHAPTER VII
''Marie!" he shook her. Spoke
sharply. Marie, you've got to lis
ten!"
She wiped her eyes and smiled
at him in the light. He could see
the tears still gliStening on the
white blur of her face.
Marie" he said in this new,
tense voice, Marie, we're in love,
and there isn't anything we can
do about it. I don't know how you
feel about it-maybe you didn't
want it to happen just this way
either. Maybe you'd rather have
loved somebody else altogether. I
even thought I mean, I'd rather
1t had come later on, after I got
on my feet. when I could really
offer But that's out Of the
question now. I love you, and you
love me-but that isn't enough"
She didn't answer. He waited.
Her silence frightened him. Ma.
rie!"
Eyes, Edward?"
Marie, we can't go on this way.
I didn't expect to to care so
much, and I'm sure that you-that
you didn't either. Only we do, and
so and So"
She took his two hands in hers.
'Then it's all right, darling! You'll
come back. I'll wait for you. Don't
you believe that I'll wait for you?"
wait for me! My dear, can't
wait! I love you. But I can't stay,
either. I've got to get back. I
came with those fellows and I've
got to go back with them. But
before I go we're going to get
married. We're going to Las We
gas tomorrow. We"
EDWARD! Edward - we
CAN'T"
"Oh. yes, we can. We're going
to. You can tell your mother
something ng-anything-it doesn't
matter. Tell her we're going on
an all day picnic. I'll call for you
early in the morning-at eight
O'Clock. No, we'd better make it
seven
"And after we're married we
can wait. It won't be long. I'll
come back for you in no time. I'll
do things-I can really amount
to something. with you to work
for. I've been an awful loss-I've
wasted opportunities-I've been
lazy-I've let time rush by. But
that's all over. For you. thu skyIS