The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-11-16

her glass and went into the house
to prepare for dinner.
"Filthyl" Linda flung after her
as she disappeared.
Blame yourself for it." Florian
said. "You always get the worst of
it when you run into Elinor. Here's
Dad and Tim
The two men came up the steps
as he spoke. j. Elliot Parr was a
tall, slightly florid man, his hair
thinning bit, his chest thrust out
in the determined effort to defer an
inevitable corpulence. He was
dressed in white ducks and a polka
dot tie, handkerchief bordered
with pclka-dots nattily pointing from
his breast pocket. He greeted Au-
tumn with vigorous handshake.
'Well, I'm damned if this isn't a
pleasurel" he doomed. $50 this is
Millicent's grill Well, well-and a
fine young FLY she is, too. Eh,
Florian?"
Don't get in on this?" asked
Timothy.
Autumn took the hand he held out
to her and met frankly the search
ing gaze he bent upon her. He was
a heavy-shouldered, darkly good
looking man with eyes in which
there was a constant and aggressive
search.
Don't be afraid of him, Autumn
Linda piped up. 'He was divorced
last year for preferring blondes"
''Shut upi" said Florian agreea-
bly,.
"Im not narrow-minded," Timo-
thy assured Autumn. my only kick
f, against the world is that there are
too many good-looking women in it,
regardless of coloring. A man can't
get around to them ALL"
Timothy does his BEST" Linda
| jibed from her place on the swing.
"But what did your pater mean
by keeping you tied up over there
in the Old Country all these years?"
the elder Parr enquired.
HE probably thought it was for
my own good" Autumn returned.
'But I'm awfully glad to be back
home again."
Hell, yesl should think sol"
Elliot declared heartily. There's no
room over there for a girl like you.
You want space to move around in,
eh?" He turned away to enter the
house. "Wen, make yourself at
home, my dear. Your mother had
do say so myself" He took out
his handkerchief and mopped his
red brow. "But that was a long
time ago."
He disappeared through the door
way as he spoke and Timothy took
up the conversation as he poured a
cocktail and seated himself
"Well, I've laid a substantial bet
against your chances in the game to-
morrow, Florian," he said. ALEX
Campbell seems to think you ought
to win."
"Alex is a wise bird,' Florian
retorted. 1--WE ought to nick them
for margin of three goals, at
least"
/, mot with young Hutchinson back
In the lineup" Timothy argued.
Hell ride you into the ground"
"You haven't a chance, Florian," !"
Linda put in. ''I have two bets
out against YOU"
Keep it up, you bounders!" Flor
ian laughed. He leaned toward Au-
tumn. "It's a rule of the house.
They bet against me to keep the luck
on our side"
Autumn looked at Timothy and
gave him supercilious smile in re-
turn for the challenge in his eyes.
"I'd like to put ten dollars on Flor
ian's team, even money" she sug-
gested.
30. K.i" he said. 81 don't know
anyone whose money I'd rather
take"
Autumn listened while the talk
centered on the fine points of the
game, and strove to be attentive to
it. Presently japanese, whose
face was an obliquely discreet mask,
appeared in the doorway and an.
nounced dinner. They got up al
once and made their way to the din
ing room, Florian taking possession
of Autumn as they entered the
house.
The sun had already set when they
left the table and drifted out agair
to lounge about the porch.
Florian took Autumn's arm anc
led her down the crude stone step:
into the sunken garden, which wa:
a forgotten wilderness of flowers ane
fern and tangled brambles. Here
were meadow rue, moss pink, for
get-me-not and roses, tall blue stee
pies of delphinium, and white foun
tains of spirea. Autumn involun
l tarily drew her breath at the tum
bled beauty of the garden. At th'
extreme end of it a spring trickle'
over messy stones and formed
4 honey-colored pool in the early twi
I light.
Why had she and Bruce come to
: gether again? And why had som
: mischievous alchemy transmute'
them from their own independen
! selves into two beings, each incom
: plete without the other? That wa
: what she felt now, she thought wan
0 ly-inconpleteness. That was wha
she would always feel whenever sh
. thought of Bruce Landor. But tfla
r would never dol She must put tha
one brief, unforgettable hour benin
: her forever that hour she had sper