The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-21
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lie nau seemed infinitely re-
freshing. But now -.
81 know" he said. "And yet
must we see them all the time ?"
She removed her bathing cap
and inspected her coiffure care
fully.
"Would you prefer to go to
Paris and mingle with the guests
of the Due de Montmiral?" she
said. Paul flushed, Remembering
the notifying outcome of his last
effort TO transfer his allegiance
to a more serious class of So
ciety. 80. - I,
after ALL" she said, there's
no harm in these people. Is it such
a crime to get a little pleasure in
life? Is it wrong to be light
hearted?" .......,- ....
Paul frowned thoughtfully.
There is harm in some of
them" he said. Reggie Van
Twyne's little excursion to that
waterfront dive in Marseilles last
week wasn't exactly the essence
of childish innocence. And those
two ballet dancers the countess
has" - :,
"Ah," she cried anGrily, cant
we be a little broadminded?"
And so it went; an argument
that hung on, like sullcn thun-
der cloud that will not break, to
darken all the rest of the day for
them. For they did not seem to
be able to let an argument drop,
these days. Now and then they had
an outright quarrel. There were
reconciliationS afterwards, OF
course = feverish reconciliations,
in which they strained to each
other, exhausted their vocabulary
of endearments, and tried pathet-
ically in a frenzy of love-making
to reassurc themselves that every
thing was as it had been. But
everything was not as it had been,
and it grew harder each week to
disguise the fact, H.
+ 4"
II was about this time that Paul
fell into the habit of spending q
night on his sloop now and then.
The first time he did it followed
Il more than ordinarily heated
spat with Ardath; Sulkily, he col
lected sleeping garments and tot
let articles and went down to the
snug little cabin Of the Irene. He
awoke the next morning, feeling
unaccountably free and light
hearted.
He tried that remedy rather
often, in succeeding weeks. Ar
oath seemed puzzled, at first, but
she never uttered a word OF pro-
test. Paul began to suspect that
as long as she was left free to
guide them through the tortIous
maze followed by the Countess di
Marco and Reggie Van Tw1nc,
she did not care greatly what he
did. And his boat came more and
more to seem like q haven to
which he could escape at intervals
and renew his strength.
1t was after one of these nights
on the Irene that Paul unintcn-
tionally brought about one Of
their sharpest quarrelS.
The morning was bright and
fresh. His body was tinglinG from
his plunge in the bay; and ne
strobe up to the villa whistlins
cheerfully, feeling that life was
simple, after all. He went to Ar.
dath's bedroom. She was propped
up among the pillows, glancing at
the morning mail and slipping a
cup of tea from a bed tray.
Paul sat down beside her and
slipped her arm about her Shout,
ders.
Dearest" he said. She smiled
and nuzzled his chest playfully.
al had a caller this morning,
on the boat" he said. "a little
ragamuffin named Pierre. He's
about 10 years old. His father
runs that little tobacco shop at
the end of the quay. Pierre swan
all the way out to the boat to see
met must have been half a
mile. He came aboard as naked as
a cherub. | put my bathrobe on
him and we sat there and discuss
cd the fishing business. He sug-
gested that take the Irene and
20 into the trade in earnest; he
offered to be my manager and
said he'd look out for my inter
ests ashore and see that ] got
the best prices"
He grinned. Hes a great kid
Then he frightened his arm about
her. "Ardath-couldn't we have a
boy of our own"
She said nothing. If she stiffen-
ed slightly beneath his arm ne did
not notice it, so intent was he on
developing the idea that had come
TO him. ,-.
"What n place to bring up a
youinesterw he said. "He'd grow
up brown as an Arab and strong
as an OK. We could get a tutor
down here, and when he was old
er he could go back to Northum-
bra to school. And viewed have
some point to our lives then,
something real and great to bind
us together and"
"Paulw she said, drawing away
and turning to face him. care
you insane?" 80.
He stopped, taken completely
aback, and stared at her.
"a baby" she repeated. paul,
what are you thinking of"
He looked at her in mounting
dimay.
"All because some street urch-
in swan out to your old boat
Paul, what could we do with a
child if we had one? How could
we bring one up here? And be-
z.loe ~ che mt q hapJ IN he