The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-04-29
CHAPTER IX-Continued

Her first real sentence was: Have
you cabled to Father?" Her second:
"What have they done to you, Don?
You look five years older!" Her
third: II think his hair will wave
like yours, darling"
Not until then did Don feel that
she had come back to stay.
The tide was coming in. Said
Nora, watching the restless break
ers: "That was a beauty, wasn't
it? Let's move back close to the
dunes, Don. Well be getting wet"
Her husband, fiat on the sun
warmed sands of Maine, command
ed lazily: "Sit still, woman. Who
minds a dash of salt water on such
a day?"
II do" confessed Nora, Eat least,
when it gets into my shoes! Jimsy
precious, don't throw that sand into
Daddy's hair. Haven't I told you
not to hundreds of times?"
"Hund eds O. times" Jimsy, aged
two years and some odd months ad-
mitted amiably; and sat down on
his father without warning.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Don. "What
do you think my stomach's made
of, Teller? He's buster, isn't he,
Nora? I bet he's headed for the
prize ring! Was my heir and name
sake as husky at this age? / can't
remember"
With cautious eyes on an APP
preaching wave, Nora responded:
''He was almost four pounds light
er; and then that awful typhoid in
South Africa pulled him down.
Sometimes I feel that he's never
quite recovered from the effects of
it. I believe ;"
She paused, because neither OF
them liked to recall that year near
Cape Town, especially Nora.
Though she had seen
Sc. the dawn in Africa
That gorgeous dawn of Africa
Which springs from out the weld"
it had left her cold. For 1t was
Africa, she thought, forgetting the
approaching breakers as she looked
down on Don, that had etched those
wrinkles around his eyes-sprinkled
his brown hair with gray, and, for a
time, frightened the corners of his
engaging mouth into something
grim. It had been months before
Nora saw those lines relax, before
she knew that, somehow, her hus-
bands spirit had risen again to the
heights where she so yearned to
keep it.
Cape Town! Always Nora was
glad to remember that it was not
Don's love of rowing which took
them there. He could never re-
proach himself for that. After the
birth of her first baby they had re-
manned in England for six months;
then returned to Italy, partly be-
cause it cost less to live there, but
principally because the London edi-
tor had agreed to use more of Don's
letters" They both longed for Ca
pr. Even without the Venables,
who were to winter in New York
that year, it would seem homelike.
But it was understood that Don's
articles must describe some differ
ent portion of the country, so tiny
villa overlooking Lake Como was
their headquarters during the next
year.
Not that the entire year was spent
in Italy. Trust Don for that! There
had been a wonderful two months
in southern France-another in Bel
gium--a German Christmas! And
there was always the joy of watch
ing their small son change and de-
velop: that ageless miracle which
to adoring parents is ever new.
Time drifted by, a happy time,
though there were days when the
realization that her father was still
unrelenting, would descend bleakly
on Leonora, binding her eyes to the
Italian sunshine-bringing her tears
at night when none could see. For
not even after learning that she
was a mother had James Lambert
written. This hurt the girl more
than all that had gone before; and,
knowing she suffered, her husband
was conscious of futile rage toward
the man who wounded her. She
said one day when the little boy
was taking his first steps:
''Don, when you wrote to Father
about the baby, did-did you tell
him how very sick WASP"
Don nodded; arose, and because
he feared to say something unkind
of Nora's father, merely stopped
down to kiss the top of her bright
head.
Perhaps he never got the letter,
Don."
Perhaps" Don echoed. And
then, suddenly furious at the situa-
ton: ''Nora, my dear, don't grieve
yourself sick over him minute
longer. You've gone so much more
than half way, haven't you? OF
course your father knows how i'll
you were. You've written yourself,
time and again since the boy came"
YES" Nora assented, "but I've
always made light of that part,