The midland journal., 1946-08-02
CHAPTER XVII

ten. saw Laurence while I was
in town"
Megan was startled to discover
that her needle had slipped and
pricked her finger, startled at the
sudden tingle that ran through her
at the mention of Laurence's name.
She looked up, feeling her fathers
eyes upon her, and knew, by the sud-
den warmth of her face, that she
was blushing. Which, she told her
self furiously, was pretty silly, any
way you looked at it.
''He asked about you," said Jim
when she did not speak. "He sent
you his love-"
Once more the needle slipped and
Megan WINGED, but her voice was
quite steady as she asked, "Are you
sure he said his love?"
Jim took his pipe out of his mouth
and stared at her as though sur
prised. "Well, of course I'm sure
he said, 'How's Megan? Give her
my love and tell her I'll see her
soon'."
And Megan, a little warm some
thing stirring in her heart, bent her
head above her sewing, and tiny,
secret smile touched her mouth for
a moment.
The busy, crowded days of early
spring melted into the even buster
days of late spring. Early sum-
mer came and the crops stood lush
and green in the fields, but Lau-
renee had not come.
Jim was finding the newspaper
business exciting, though he quar-
relied with Mrs. Morgan and came
home occasionally smarting with
fury at some fancied slight or some
contradiction she had given to one
of his orders. But his editorials had
been well received.
On late June evening, when the
whole world seemed locked in a
golden haze of loveliness, Megan
came up from the fields, intent on
nothing more exciting than a brisk
shower and fresh clothes, when she
saw car standing at the gate.
She came on into the kitchen and
said, ''Have we got company, An
nie?"
Annie's lower lip was thrust out,
an indication that Annie was angry
about something; but her tone was,
as usual with Annie under such
moods, almost expressionless, when
she answered:
"Yessum-he waitin' in de settin'
ROOM"
Megan stripped the gaily figured
scarf from her head, shook out her
tumbled curls, and walked into the
living room. The man who stood at
the window turned to face her-and
Megan was still, rigid with shock.
Because the man who faced her was
Tom Fallon.
He had aged, and his face was set
and grim, his eyes those of the trag-
ically lost. But as he looked at her,
some of the haggard look vanished
from his face and he said in a tone
just above a whisper, you're love-
lier than ever"
"Please sit down." she said.
''I've been offered the job of prin-
cipal at the school again this year,"
he said.
Megan caught her breath.
"But-but surely-you wouldn't
want to come back-here?" she
gasped.
He studied her for moment, and
then he said quietly, ''You can't pos
sibly imagine my being willing ever
to return here, to Pleasant Grove,
can you, Megan?"
"Well-no, Pm afraid I can't"
Megan answered him quite honestly.
Because so much of tragedy hap
pened to me here?" he asked, and
before she could answer he added
gently, "But had very small and
very perfect glimpse of Heaven, too,
Megan. Perhaps one could cancel
the other-or could it?"
Megan said huskily, ''I-don't
quite know what you are talking
about
Lets not beat about the bush and
tell pollte lies, Megan, he said with
a forthrightness that was rather
staggering. 81 know that it will be
long time before I can-speak to
you of love, Megan. It would be the
worst possible taste for me to do
so now. But there was an evening,
Megan, when we spoke our hearts
for the briefest possible moment.
haven't forgotten. Have ypu?"
Megan felt the color rush to her
face and she could not quite meet
his eyes. AZ
$50 it's like that" he said very
quietly, his tone tired and heavy and
old. II should have known that
was just seeing something that
didn't really exist. You were emo
tionally upset and you were sorry
for me-was that it, Megan?"
Megan sat very still. Because that
was it. She knew it now. She had