Show PA A E by evelyn campbell by evelyn campbell service THE STORY linda Haver hills neer do well father dies when the she Is seventeen leaving her little beyond some ome worthless stock certificates these she takes to her fathers father friend senator converse to dds pose 0 ot f after a whirlwind court courtship hip linda marries courtney roth too late she discovers he Is if a penniless adventurer living by hla his wits roth dies in switzerland linda continues to live like a woman ot of wealth the sena senator t or supplies tier her with money rn 0 ney keeping up lip the lotion fiction that th at her stock 1 is yielding it on it a wit trip she meets brian bran anesey HB helps her out ot of an embarrassing situation CHAPTER III continued 7 their eyes met hers coot cool and mocking and ills his a little hurt and bewildered suddenly they realized zed how low little they knew of one an another othor yet they were wasting time la in generalities and tomorrow this 1 over the worldliness ot of a flying train would obliterate fill all tills lie he drew her to a window outside tb 0 radius of the big ani re stove store where the other travelers were unhappily congregated the panes were covered with lovely frost castles and piny peaks that reminded linda of switzerland but brian obliterated all this with his warmed handkerchief A little irtle town drowsing with will its covers half over its head was revealed lights winked through the drift that was beginning again dark smoke irom from burdened chimneys coiled slowly upward belated figures huddled in shapeless tha wraps hurried past do you like it he asked when she bad been silent a while 1 I would like to go and walk there the she said in a subdued voice tills this time they borrowed gaiters from the landlords daughter huge I 1 ince elgh cloth and ri rr overalls lined with thick cheerful red wool their owner called them aret les aud cheerfully helped to fasten straps linda so clothed could scarcely lift her feet and when a red knitted shawl was tied around her head anti and neck site she gasped and called herself a mummy the group of women beside the stove murmured together ant am looked at her superciliously but brian anstey seemed to consider these precautions merely sensible out of doors a piercing still coldness pressed their lungs until they gasped out words that were frost nipped before they left their threats thron ts linda was trying to say she could not endure it she roust must go back but he took tier her hand and drew her stumbling after him along the beaten paths of the little town little houses hidden by christmas trees larger houses shouldering tho storm lights everywhere warm and In uniting Nitin 1 I want to see inside linda pleaded childishly and then abey began a game that only children or lonely gron grinups ups ever play creep creeping hig cure carefully fully over the muffling snow they would reach a ii win dow and peer fearfully within wit liin sometimes they saw a little family father mother and and sometimes it was a 9 young mother alone rocking her baby then there would be young people w telling one another shyly slimly and secretly married or about to be married it showed upon their revealed faces that this was all that mattered malt ered but it was nas all pantomime silenced by walls and windowpanes they could never hear bear a sound from those moving voiceless lips they went too far in this engross in ing game and found themselves at the edge of the town where life suddenly ceased in the midst of blank fields linda was exhausted 1 I must rest site she gasped and leaned against a fence post but how low can we know that they are happy she asked bitterly wh n she could speak we only saw the outside of thin things gs it might have been frightful inside those houses lie ile looked at her in a troubled way weve come too far I 1 intend to carry you back ile he seemed to have forgotten what they were talking about linda started and laughed nervous what nonsense ensell site she exclaimed she looked around they were utterly alone in the midst of an empl world distances distance magnified ined by thi intense whiteness and stillness be came enormous she remembered that she he did nor know this man he be was a stranger in the gloom she could not see his frice face but only the bulk of ills his bronil broad shout ders and the length of ills his arms strange evil terrible thoughts surged upward in her mind all the thealma th earma arnis that had reached for her hungrily greedily in these elusive years were there around her site she bither bit tilt her lp lip to keep from crying out realizing that her exhausted voice could make nil n headway in that thickened air he took a step toward her and she put out her hands bands feebly tie he put ills arms around her and lifted her lightly and easily slie site could not struggle life and strength were ebbing from her under her breath she whispered something trying to fight the unreasoning terror that had her in its possession just put your arms around my uel said brian 1 I can do this easily I 1 eam obaed because becaas e she had no strength slie site was an inert bundle of clothes and helpless body lie could have done anything carried her anywhere for site she had no re resistance sWance but instead lie he stepped put out on the path and began to walk walh steadily toward the town again slie she could hear the easy measured murmur of lila heart slie site closed tier her eyes and imagined she wits was lying against a warm wall ills breast wa was like that his arms were like B cradle she remembered she had been afraid anti and wondered why that silly terror was ns far behind her as weariness for naw now life coming coining back s strange life that searched out the remotest nerves of her body anti and turned them into fine quire quivering ring strings site she felt ills his arms tremble and tier cheek against ills his breast told tier her his heart was pounding suddenly Stid denly slip she was war hot ho and gasping put me down she cried struggling inc 1 I am so heavy you must be half dead but no lie he was not even a little d dead ile he let her slip to the ground hut but his own hands foil fell to her shut shout ders and clung citing there ills eyes lighted with queer yellow sparks held field her own slie site felt ashamed and writhed under what site she read there to foi site she knew that lie he knew about her he fear arid and what site she had feared they walked slowly back bach to aba hotel nearly all the lie lights fights were out and they realized they had given grounds for scandal when they sav the face of the proprietor before his shocked eyes they ant bont up the stairs and stopped before maltas lindas door 1 I will see you in the morning of course site she stifled a yawn she was thinking of something that gave her an bugl ugly shock she he had to see him in tile the morning she had counted upon that and it would have been so much nicer to let him go now walt waft she was turning to open her door but she had to obey his voice it was wistful again 1 I wish believe in things again its easy if you try she laughed CHAPTER IV Flutter ings linda was dining stith senator converse 1 I 1 old uirl to see to the duckling himself um self he grumbled and see what he lias has brought no wonder youre not eating where is lie lie glanced around the room but linda interfered there Is nothing wrong pray dont make alcene a scene she said in her ley icy sweet voice she never touched anything when site she dined with hini him to watch him bin pawing over ills his food ordering more and devouring it with ills his eyes was too much the dinners were ivere always perfect and site she felt eyes humid with reproach rep upon tier her every moment but unless she could have closed her eyes and ears throughout tile the meal she could not conquer the distaste with which converse always affected h her er their meetings intermittent and infrequent for two or three years had begun to occur with some regularity L linda inda did not dread seeing him as she had before courtney time something hard liard and brittle like a tatu shell shelf had grown over her spirit in tills this time so that words and looks even the contact of ills hot hands could not react reach tier her she did not four fear him there were remote fastnesses fast nesses within tier her where she bite could retreat and where he could never follow the unlucky duckling had gone its way when the senator mumbling behind ills his napkin wanted to know the reason to which he be owed the pleasure dofher of her society felie be flushed slowly placing with tier fork why are you yon so certain that there is a reason perhaps I 1 was only 1 I bored lie ile gave her the little glance site she hated those small eyes from their ledge ledee of flesh seemed to know everything nonsense my dear all women want something besides food when they telephone an old man find and ask nsf him film to dinner TO BE CONTINUED 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