The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-03-28
CHAPTER XIV-Continued

IOSS 1TOll vase on ner dressing
table and drew it through the lapel
OF her jacket. The effect was chaste-
ly sweet, she decided. Well, one
had to contemplate the trivial de-
tails If one kept going at all-espe-
claIly when the important things OF
life seemed bent on ones undoing.
Bruce Lander might just possibly
call while she was away-no, no,
there must be an end to such
thoughts as that! She lighted her
lips as she heard Hannah's voice
calling her from the foot of the
stairs. That had been Florian's car,
then, that she had heard entering
the driveway.
I'll be down in a moment, Han
nah," she called back, and hastily
dabbed a powder puff to the shad-
ows under her eyes.
She had almost convinced herself
that she was gay when she descend
ed the stairway and approached the
drawing room door. On the threSh-
old, she paused abruptly and
checked the greeting that was ready
on her lips. The young man who
rose to meet her was not Florian,
but Bruce Lander.
Hello, Autumn" he said quietly
as he came toward her. 81 was
afraid I might not find you at
home"
She felt the wild, hot flush that
covered her cheeks. "Why-Bruce!
had no idea it was you. I was
expecting Florian."
In her confusion she knew, of
course, that she had stumbled
wretchedly there.
"In not stay more than a minute,
Autumn" he said, with a diffidence
that brought her quick marveling
of incredulity.
"Oh, pleased" she breathed. "Sit
down-until Florian comes, at any
rate"
What on earth was she saying?
She felt as if her wits had left her
completely. What she had just said,
in effect, was that he might leave
the moment Florian arrived. But
perhaps Bruce would not care to
meet Florian-after their last en-
counter.
She seated herself and Bruce took
a chair near her. Somehow she
could not bring herself to glance
directly at him in her sharp aware
ness of the distraught look on his
face. Every instinct of her being,
alive to his nearness once more, in
formed her that Bruce Lander had
been suffering even as she herself
had suffered.
II had hoped you might come"
she found herself saying, the words
stumbling out recklessly.
He darted quick look at her.
Had you, really? IL wasn't sure
you would care one way or the 9TH
er."
"Ohl" She was not sure whether
or not she had spoken. Her fingers
twined tightly together in her lap.
81 dropped over to say good-by,
Autumn" Bruce went on. "Tom
Willmar says you are planning to
leave for England within a few
days"
ST haven't set the time yet" Au-
tumn replied. ''It won't be for an
other ten days, anyway"
81 am going into the hills for a
couple of weeks" he continued.
''I'm leaving early in the morning.
You'll probably be gone before I
get back"
Her voice, when she spoke again,
seemed to limp like some injured
thing. "Oh," she said, sit was nice
of you to come"
He opened his cigarette case and
offered it to her. She was obliged to
make her fingers rigid in order to
control their trembling as she held
the cigarette while Bruce Lit it for
her.
II came, Autumn" he said at
last, his voice strangely tense, "be-
cause / did not want you to leave
with the feeling that-that we are
not friends"
A desire to give way to tears al
most overwhelmed her as she looked
at him now and recognized what it
meant for him to speak so frankly.
She could have gone to him in that
moment and wept in his arms.
81 have had no such feeling,
Bruce" she said with some diff
Guilty.
Il couldn't blame you if you had,"
he said. II think I told you-one
night-that we could not be friends"
She smiled at him but did not
speak, smiled frozenly, in silence
that was unbearable.
81 wanted you to know, before
you left, that we shall always be
friends-because we must be. had
dinner with Hector the other night"
He told me So" Autumn said.
81 heard the whole story-our
whole story" Bruce went on, with
evident emotion. 81 wish you had
told it to me before"
Autumn lifted her hands toward
him slightly in gesture of appeal.
ST wanted to tell you, Bruce, but
you must know why I could not
81 understand that perfectly, Au-
tunn. should have felt the same
about it mysef-and would proba-
bly, have acted as you did"
She forced herself to look square
ly into his eyes. ''It has all been
terrible-for both Of u.s."
Forget it, them" Bruce said firm
~. Whats past-is past!"
As he spoke, car drove up be-
fore the door and came abruptly to
a stop. Bruce got up and walked
toward the window.
THAT must be Florian now" Au-
tumn said.
"It is" Bruce told her. "I'n be
on my way"