The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-11-11


I'd want to marry you," Jermyn
said, with a COOL appraising glance
at furious Mary
SHRRT anne. Fury be-
SaASNa comes you So" he
eH~nz went on. 'In a good
0nSN Z temper you're n o
@-~Hxx more than fair look
SHOkY ing-but with muir
der in your eye
take care! Your husband, I'm sure,
will have many, many bad half
hours-even bad half days-but he
will surely escape monotony-which
is GROWING mercy in matrimony."
Wisdom, the distillate of expert
ence, is entitled to respect" Mary
anne flung back with a wicked
smile. He also smiled-but not
quite easily. He had thought to
provoke her to the edge of tears,
always her climax of anger-one
which held her inarticulate. In
stead, there was not even an under
note of tremor, rather a silken
amusement as she went on: I'm
wondering what is the root of con-
versation-truth, or a desire to be
original? The cave man, you
know, chose his mate, then did his
wooing with club. Are you a re-
version to type-but withheld by
the veneer of civilization from in
dulging your proWess?" .
Perhaps! Intuitively so-hadn't
thought of it that way" Jermyn
countered, bending a trifle nearer.
POSSIBLY that explains my broken
engagement"
GIVE heard of that affair"
laughed Maryanne. Three separate
friends came to warn me against
you"
"You believed them, of course?"
Decision reserved"
"When will it be rendered." Jer-
myn asked.
Not until I have all the facts in
the case-which will be when l see
your next fiancee," Maryanne
fenced cannily.
"f-you never see her-?" Jer-
myn began
MYTH an eerie smile she an
w swered: "The impossible hap
pens l know-but not that sort of
impossible If the future Mrs. Jer-
myn, now Miss Cora Layton,
thought, I'd never see her in the
holy estate, she'd lose half her zest
for marrying you"
Nothing else is quite so invincible
as ignorance" Jermyn said, bow
ing, making as though to leave. He
was acknowledgements also rose.
Neither was at all points a model
both had Enthusiastically the hall
marks of race. Maryanne was fair
to pallor, but with dusks of silken
hair and large black-lashed violet
eyes. It was the flushing of anger,
of any deep emotion that so trans
figured her, making her the perfect
complement of Jermyn's Saxon
gold-and-ruddiness, just as her 1.-the
slenderness accented the appeal of
his Drawn. A half minute he stood
hesitant-then his arms went about
her-he crushed her ardently-but
loosed her so quickly, she staggered
and almost fell. Gently he steadied
her, but his face was white as he
STROBE away. Mounting the black
hunter, in wait outside, he sat a
moment irresolute in saddle, torn
between mad impulses to stay for
ever beside Maryanne, whether or
no she chose, or to gallop away, and
let the unspoken good-by be forever.
A FTER a mile long gallop he
dropped rein, letting Selim
choose his way. 1t turned sharply
from the main Travelled road into
path across grassy fields, breath
ing out pastoral charm. Then a
giant, rough-clothed and violent,
laid hold upon the bride, jerked
Selim upon his launches, and said,
smothering an oath: God gimme
the chance l prayed for-ter settle
with you, man ter man. All sum-
mer long you've blotted me out o.
the eyes that are rightly mine. You
know who mean-Will you fight
fer her?-'greein' at the start, she
goes to the best man of us?"
81 will not" Jermyn reared,
flinging down like a cat, and toss
ing away his coat. He knew the
giant-Stubbs, the Layton planta-
ton manager.
Followed a combat neither easy
nor beautiful of record. In the lull
that came finally by reason of utter
exhaustion, Stubs said painfully
through gashed and bloody lips:
''No matter who whips-she'll have
er man fer mattel" half wistful ca
dence in his voice at the last word.
Jermyn saw with but one eye-and
that not very clear-but something
in the spectacle moved him to say:
Fright we are, Stubbsy-and you're
the right man. I'd have said so,
right off the reel-only l couldn't
you know that And / know-there's