The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-07-04


dom had come to him which, by the
gesture, he had attempted to COM
municate to them.
Perhaps-But the wisdom which
might come with death was, now. of
no practical value. He and Cav
had, in all probability, great deal
of living to do. Their divergent
courses were charted, had been de-
termined, he supposed, long before
they met here at the lake. That
meeting was accidental and had no
influence upon the direction of their
separate lives. He was going to
Portland to take over DR.. Sargeant's
practice for a year in payment for
loans which had enabled him to
complete his medical course at Har-
ward. After that, if he could man.
age to support himself, he was going
on with scientific research. There
were before him years of work
which he loved, Of loneliness which
he accepted. Gay was to marry
Todd Janeway-
He had not allowed himself to
think of that until now. His thoughts
had moved warily, lodging that
painful fact. But it must be faced,
squarely and honestly. The fact
must be accepted and removed from
his mind. He'd known, of course,
almost as soon as the engagement
had been announced. He'd thought
he had accepted it. He'd been able,
during the summer, to look at cam
era poses of Gay and Todd Jane
way with interest not too intolerably
mixed with pain. There had been
great many of them. 1t would be
an important wedding. Todd Jane
way was connected with the pri-
vate bank in New York of which his
father was president. The Janeway
estate on the Hudson adjoined
Dunedin" the Graham estate. It
was all eminently suitable, he sup
posed. He'd met young Janeway
at Gays party and had been i'm
pressed with his friendly manner
and blond good looks. Oh yes, it was
all eminently suitable, Gays desti-
ny, determined at her birth, an
eventuality which no chance meet
ing could alter or efface.
The cigarette he had Lit and neg
lected had burned his fingers. The
smart of physical pain routed men,
cries, brought him abruptly to his
senses. What he'd been thinking
was madness. Uncle John had not
intended them to have a stolen week
together, hidden away in the woods.
And he'd been presumptuous in as
suming that Gay had any such
thought or desire. Besides, there
was Miss Oliver
No, not too presumptuous, revert
ing to Gays possible thought and
desire. He'd seen the expression in
her eyes when she'd looked at him
through the lamplight. There was
no sane middle-course of friendship
for them. At word, gesture, the
antagonism which was their safe
guard would melt and with more
far-reaching consequences, now,
perhaps, than in the past, since now
they met as a man and woman
and would never meet again.
His resolution wavered as he
opened the door into the kitchen.
Knowing that she was there seemed
to give the door she had opened an
especial significance. He felt her
presence in the atmosphere of the
kitchen and more materially in the
perfume that filed the air with
fading scent. A light burned in the
living-room. He would not go in
there. He passed the door with his
face averted. And then he heard
her voice calling his name. He
turned, disconnected, incensed at
having his resolution SO unexpected
ly frustrated, immensely and joy
fully relieved.
Hello" he said from the door
way. II thought you were asleep"
II am--almost." She sat curled
against heaped cushions in corner
of the couch beside the hearth. She
wore a soft white woolen robe fas-
tened close up around her throat
ted about her waist. The light from
the lamp fell upon her loosened mop
of red-brown hair, lay warmly
against the curve of her cheek. She
smiled up at him drowsily, an over
ture of friendliness in her long very
deep blue eyes.
"You should be in bed" He
walked to the fireplace in which a
log she had evidently placed there
burned above bed of embers. "Are
you warm enough? It's cool here
at night
"It's heavenly. New York has
been blazing furnace"
''The papers report heat wave"
He bent over the log on the andiron,
making a Gathering noise with the
tongs.
Its been really dreadful"
$50 I've understood.
She laughed suddenly, disarming.
ly. Must we talk about the wealth
err" she asked.
He rose to a standing position,
stood looking down at her, unable to
resist the appeal of her smile. "You
suggest subject" he said. "I'm
afraid I lugged in the heat-wave."
The smile slowly vanished. 1--WE
been thinking of Uncle John," she
said. 81 was terribly sorry not to
have come for his funeral"
ut was pretty CHASTITY. The col
lege turned out. You were fortu-
nate to have escaped it,
"But would have come. I was
| in Rermuda.n