The midland journal., 1945-10-12
CHAPTER XVIII

UGdIus IL yOu WAN nave Ast A~
said, II lost my shirt"
"That's what he was saying to
Charley" insisted Bess Clifford.
"And l can't see what they 60 on
raising horses for"
"Just for the fun of giving 'em
away" said Charley, "or seeing 'em
lose on the race track"
ibid you really, Rob?" asked
Genevieve Scott.
81 did," said Rob grinning. "Who
could have done it but me? I hit
that sale with two carloads of horses
Just when the Argentine polo play
ers were unloading their stuff be-
fore they left the States. Their
horses sold for fabulous prices.
American horses sold for song"
Nell sat very still. That was the
way he had chosen to tell her. Eas-
ier on him than to tell it seriously
when they were alone together. Eas-
ier on her too.
Rodney Scott hit his head with his
fist. "And he owes me money!
he exclaimed.
"Owe you money!" scoffed Rob,
"and how many others! But I'm
serving you all notice. No bills 60
ing to be paid!"
NelFs eyes widened and flew to
Rob's. Was it that bad? 1t couldn't
be Surely, even if he had had to
sacrifice the horses for the lowest
prices, with two carloads, there
would be enough realized to pay
their bills
Her eyes held a definite question.
For the first time Rob met her gaze
directly and his hard expression
gave her definite answer. Her
eyelids fell. It was true. A dis
aster. But she didn't care. Money
what did it have to do with them?
While the hilarious and senseless
talk criss-crossed the table, Nell lis
tened to the music. An orchestra
and Arthur Rubinstein were play
ing a Rachmaninoff concerto. The
broad, impassioned crescendos en-
tered into her blood. So men could
feel that way too. 1t had been COM
posed by a man. 1t was being played
BY men. 1t was the way she felt.
Was it the way Rob felt too?
At some time during the evening
someone announced that it was
showing, and the men went out and
closed the windows of their cars.
Gus kept bringing in logs for the
freplaces and bowls of glogg. It
was too late and the weather was
too bad for anyone to think of driv-
ing back to Laramie that night.
Nell went into the downstairs bed
room to be sure there was oil in
the lamps. Striking a match and
shielding the Pickering wisp Of
flame, she suddenly saw another
hand resting on the table before her.
She could not mistake that hand
the hard power of 1.-THE signifi-
cance-
The flame went out. The hand
closed around hers, completely en-
quilting it. Her hand was lifted and
the palm was kissed twice, then
dropped.
Trembling all over she found and
struck another match. She was
alone in the room.
She lit the lamp and stood trying
to pull herself together. She looked
at the palm of her hand as if she
could see upon it the imprint of
that violent caress which had been
able to turn all the blood in her
body into fire.
She would stand there until her
trembling stopped and her heart qui-
eted down.
She looked at her hand again and
again. She laid it upon her cheek.
She wondered if, when she returned
to the living room, the mark of it
could be seen reflected in her eyes,
on her lips, in her smile, in ev-
erything she said, for the kiss con-
tinued to burn in her. She could
not get it out.
In the morning the men were up
early, digging out their cars and put
ting on chains, while the women got
breakfast.
They left Immediately after, and
Rob paused to kiss her and say
this time without even glance into
her eyes, GIVE got to 60 back to
Laramie with them-some business
to attend to. I'll be home soon. I'll
wire you, and you can drive down
and get me-"
The past week had been almost
as hard on Mellon appetite and
nerves and sleep-as the weeks be-
fore, and she was thin and strained.
But she dressed very carefully in a
six-year-old suit of green tweed and
a felt beret of the same shade. The
fever that was in her Lit her face
with color and quickness. Her iris
.colored eyes darted in every direc-
ton. Her lips were tremulous. She
laughed a great deal. When she