Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1947-01-10

imagined nerSen IN love with Tom
because she had been caught by pity
for his unhappy plight, and she had
let herself be deceived into thinking
that her pity for him was a stronger,
more vital emotion. But now she
saw clearly, in the light Of the past
few months clarity of vision and
peace of mind.
Tom stood up and said quietly,
"Well, that's that. I didn't have a
great deal of hope, of course. May
be the reason why I even for a mo-
ment considered coming back to
Pleasant Grove was because I did
not want to face the facts. wanted
to 60 on believing that what we saw
and felt that night was as real for
you as for me. But, of course, see
now that I was fool"
"I'm terribly sorry, truly" she
managed with tremulous lips, her
eyes misted by tears.
He turned towards the door.
Megan said swiftly, will you
come back to Pleasant Grover"
He shook his head "There is
nothing to come back FOREVER
now" he told her in that same quiet,
almost toneless voice.
On Sunday morning. a glorious
June morning with brilliant sun
lying like bencdiction on green
fields and gardens burgeoning with
roses and zinnias and marigolds,
Megan went again to the Ridge.
She had dreaded this return to the
Ridge. She had avoided it all these
weeks, pretending to herself that she
was too busy, that there were tasks
to be performed that made it inn
possible for her to make her favorite
walk. But now she knew that she
had lied; she had been afraid.
The sudden barking of Dixie
warned her of the approach of some
stranger. She turned sharply and
looked across the meadow, and her
heart stood up on tiptoe. She felt
as though it, too, yelped with excite
ment. For even at this distance,
she knew that figure. 1t was Lau-
renee.
She sat very still and watched
him, while new, sweet warmth
spread throughout her body. Her
heart shook little and her hands
closed themselves tightly in her
lap. The sunlight glinted on Lau-
rence's bare head as he walked
with his hands in his pockets. his
shoulders dropping little.
And u,ofohi-r L;,,, -, H. !
up the meadow slope and across the
fence, she knew a contentment so
deep, so warm, so sweet, that she
was one with the June scene all
about her.
And then he was close enough to
see Megan, and he said with little
quick, meaningless smile, Hello!
Mind if l intruder"
you're not intruding," she told
him, and smiled and patted the rock
beside her, inviting him to sit down.
Looking down at Megan he said
quietly, "Annie thought I'd find you
up here. Why did you want to see
me?"
Megan's eyes widened a little and
she asked, why did l want to see
you? That's funny question"
Laurence frowned. "Well, after
all, when Annie telephoned me"
Megan gasped, and the hot color
flowed into her face as she SIAM
mered, "Annie telephoned your"
Laurence nodded "She said you
wanted to see me and that it was
important, so hitched ride over.
Why? What's the matter?"
Megan was scarlet. She could not
quite meet his eyes.
"Annie-Annie had no right to do
anything of the sort. She's really
getting beyond herself" she stam-
mered.
Laurence's tired face hardened
little and his eyes were cool. Il take
it, then, that you had nothing to do