Show r gd a A Romance OP OE The Commonplace e Frances it n y y Parkinson y t JaL keyes kc e Sy r s SERVICE y CHAPTER XIV Continued XIV Continued 13 1 Yes There was never any ques lion of or Thomas Or of or tae iDe roe Yes there was as some question of gnu fOll 1 I thought you Ime knew that could Will Will could you ou answer it any differently now No Nog Or ever er do Ilo you think No Nn Im I-I'm I Im I'm sure I never could Then how are you going to an an- answer iwer er Paul when he comes home Ia ant II I Isn't ever er com coming In borne bone slid Mary steadily steadily-se steadily s steadily In Pact fact act that that- thata a roan man who ho I Knew ne her less well ell than gale ale did would have la been en completely deceived decel by lip hAr r tone What hat happened Mary Jary he be gently Please tell me lie Ile was wounded last Slay May she said ald In a hard bard voice olce Not serl- serl seri serl seriously Cousin Violet had a n letter leifer written rItten by Paul himself In the hos hns- hospital pital Ital s1 saying the wound was just Justa justa Q a scratch flint scratch hed he'd be out agaIn for tor the nest bl big scrap Yes lIp He was He lie was at Belleau Wood and Chateau Thierry Then be he was listed as Prisoner or Miss Miss- Missing Missing ing n We haven't ha heard since That was nine months ago lOr Yes es There were very ery few rew marines taken prisoner We thou thought ht after the armistice was signed wed we'd have some word And you haven't hn not No No not a s syllable We hope hope- hopet hope 1 t hope that anyway anyway that he was killed It would be much less hor hor- horrible than the the other Then wIth witha a swift change chane of ot tone she exclaimed ex exclaimed claimed Dont you ever er read the Casualty lists yourself Oh 1 I be be- believe lieve Ue you knew mew all nil the time I Yes I Yes 1 did But I 1 wanted you to to tell me yourself Ive I've been walt wait watt waiting C to C t ing Ocr ever since last summer to see see see- seef f you rou wouldn't I I wanted wante to know IlIst how you ou felt about It It Do you know now I think I 1 Mary do-Mary do dont don't you ever fer bend B Lend Bend nd If dont don't Im I'm Yes because Yes because you some day youre you're oure goin going to break You did very ery nearly you know once before You remember the old aid fable I h ha have e been doing what I mould could Gale went on as Mary did not DOt answer to locate your cousin ever since 1 I found out the situa situa- situa situation situation tion But nut so far I 1 haven't ha discovered ered erect any anything thin Now NO however Im I'm starting Jor for Europe m myself myself-al- myself al al almost most immediately Until now It has bas seemed as ns If It 1 I could be most useful here I 1 am glad that at past last there appear to be ways In which t 1 can cnn help over there there reconstruction tion Investigation I I dont don't need to tell you you- you There my dear He Be waited patiently for the storm to pass stroking very gently the soft hair about the bidden hidden face lie He waited it seemed seemed to him end endlessly lessly For Mary was weeping with Rath the abandonment the utter hopelessness that marks the ul- ul ultimate ul ultimate despair of ot those strong Souls whose fortitude enables them to r restrain their grief until It 11 reaches its culmination and the Shattering of ot whose spirit is all the more tragic because It Is so sudden Gale Hamlins Hamlin's heart twist twist- twister twisted er ed d In his breast at the sight of her unrestraint and the thou thought ht of her agony lie He knew he be was powerless to help her except by surrounding her n with ith the he sense of his Infinite compassion It was a long time before she he raised her head and andas n as she did so still far from com coin com the door was thing flung unceremoniously open and Algy and Moses entered noisily Mary was sitting on top of o f Countess hill bill her chin resting on tier her hands looking out over th the e meadows She sat very ery still watch watching ing the changing chang light Without understanding why and In spite or orull n nill i ill ull her grief and weariness she e felt that one of ot the great hours bOllIs ot other o oher f her life had come corne The benot beauty and peace pence and promise of the country coun country try suddenly seemed to o e ber bel as no Inanimate things had ha d er overcome O her bel before She felt rile like an actual presence the spirit t of her puritan forefathers who had ha d turned this valley from a wilder wIder wilderness ness Into a 8 garden gorden who had hod live d their simple faith as os truly as os the they p had professed It It who had fought t f S 11 d died when necessary for an n n teal 1 al She turned her bel head bend hat t expecting to o glimpse some Borne heaven heavenly ly ty vision trembling trembling trembling- But ut there they was thing to he be heard beard nothing g to b be seen Been only something wonder ful to be lie felt She Slie bowed her head and prayed It was a long time lime before she I lifted sheI It ted It if o again aln When she did I Paul aliI bareheaded dressed In khall was standing beside her ber She sprang to her reet feet shaking nil all over o entirely una unable hie to speak lie le was taller thinner paler In finitely Infinitely older oath and graver nil all the bloom oath and softness of his b boyish o SI I beauty 01 had lind 11 n d do gone one For a moment she II 11 thought II must most be- be beI beShe be She I shut her eyes swaying and cn crying I aloud as she felt relt herself railing Then suddenly she was upheld b by byn byn n stron strong arm orm un s swung quickly around her shoulder a firm hand to taking both her trembling ones In Ina ina Ina a warm and ond steady grasp There there Paul was saying as If be had been speaking to a 1 aPaul r ca 1 its Paul Bareheaded Dressed In KhakI Was Standing Beside Her little child and patting her arm armas armas armas as he spoke Its all nil right Dont Don't Dont Don't diary 1 Dont Don't cry so Why there theres Is i s nothing to cry about 1 l Im I'm all allright allright allright right Im I'm here bere herel I Cant we sit sll down and talk tail he asked and drew her down be be- beside beside side him on the bl big rock still hold hold- holding holding ing her hand Then seeing how utterly Impossible It was for her herto herto herto to speak he went on I 1 got ot In on the four o'clock and walked straight op up to the farm I l I didn't let mother know I I was coming corning for rorI forI I thought If Ir I did shed she'd have the minister or a n delegation from the theD theD theD D A It R or the Wallacetown band bandor or maybe be all three at the station to 10 meet me It t never occurred to tome tome tome me that none of my letters from the other side telling her In a gen gen- general gen general eral way nay when to expect me me would have ha reached reacted her Tell me said sold Mary finding her he r voice olce at last There Isn't much to tell You know v wheat what happened up to the time I was wounded And the th e wound wound the the first one one-didn't one didn't amount to anything I was back ot at the front In no time And then before I 1 was J I hurt was was hurt again taken prisoner prisoner- prisoner Go on several se months I was a n prisoner you see I 1 couldn't write then I Even after afler the armistice wa was s signed we weren't released rIght otTo off And then for a while I I wasn't well well- well You mean menn you were starving star Well ell I wasn't hungry anyway l I Im I'm al alright all allright allright I said Paul lightly But nut right now And Im I'm home borne You ou u wont Ont mind will you If it I 1 dont don't tea tell 1 you more than this just now v Wethe 11 We e the the men who've hove been ther there e about ito It to talk dont don't like Ilse Wont Won't you say youre you're oure glad to o se e me All the rest of ot the family has Mother had h hysterics of ot but she was awfully fully glad 1 s t the same I couldn't help belp knowing knowin g that And well Blanche Blanche well of ot course cours t Blanche lanche and I both broke down a n littie lit little see about tie tle I 1 didn't know you Philip Philip or little Philip Well then the thearn o I II the barn arn and found I went t arnt to find Ind d Cousin Seth He lIe said 1 I la might here you up sitting on the old d Now they were ere band as os they d boulder hand In used to rest after r done when they blackberries picking she salt said with witha t Youre not stron strong and youve you've had till tilla tills ls s effort I great a to reach me I Im I'm m I this this bard climb I sorry forry Paul did not on an vcr ans For a n moment took the hand be beb h e be he saver Then hit lips It against held b It oath and loll laid I he be t sal d eN strong not Im I'm No N o that And I 1 have hav e Y J I knoW huskily hUS to climb a long 01 had to toto climb to to But Im I'm not oe sorry gry I 1 i m to reach you I rend eind Iad Paul I 1 You know I didn't mean It that w way I l 7 1 know you ou didn't dear but Idid I IdId Idid dId for or or Its It's true But tell me me-aren't me arent aren't you glad Im I'm here or at last Insl Yes said Mary Iary very cry low v In- In Indeed In Indeed deed Then may I 1 tell you you anything I 1 want to Yes she said again lower still Do 1 0 you ou remember what you ou said to that we-that me that day In Boston about Boston what ln 10 loving really reilly means Yes said Mary a n third tune time though h It was only a n whisper now Well that's fell that's the wa way 1 l love lo you You were I 1 right I didn't th then n nut Bat I 1 have hn It learned to since At first It was just a n dreadful ph physical lon longing ln and raging grief because I got Ol what I I wanted Id I'd felt so hopeful so so that sure sure that day I went to you JOU In Boston that Id I'd get my but week week but all the time the tim e things you'd said about aboul how bow yo ou u loved lu me mime kept hammering them wm themselves selves into Inlo my stupid brain making makin g me see more and more clearly that even then 1 I didn't care for you like that or It wouldn't be tie my own dis dis- disappointment disappointment appointment Id I'd d be hc thinking mos most t about It would be the way Id I'd i d treated you JOU from time the time we were e youngsters taking taking all nil your larch loveli loveliness ness and goodness for granted and granted d then throwing It away ay away Dont Paul she said softly I Dont ont speak of that or even en re- re remember r re remember e member It any allY more Ive I've for otten n nil about it It I haven't he said between hi s teeth I 1 never shall I never can unless unless-I I can atone for it I 1 beg n to forget forjet that I had bad lost you ant you you-an you d to wonder how how- how How flow you could get me mc back bock Not even en till that that till afterwards Only how bow I 1 I could make things up u uto p to you ou Whether there was any timing thing on earth I I could do to make mak e me worthy to come to you and say I Iwas Ivas was vas sorry whether you were proud of me or not That Id I'd got to change chonge ins Inside de Id I'd reached that lint point by the time Id I'd got to prison and then It was weeks before I 1 could think at all oIL alL But when I could It could was what kept me clean and clean and sane whatever whatever they did to me- me me What did they do to you asked Mary brokenly Ill tell you ou that some othe other r time he said briefly The rest I have hn to tell toll you now Ive I've ve waited a along along along long time to do it it Its It's the only thing Ive I've got to tell you The war wa didn't make me over That That Is I suppose It helped most of ot us a little but It didn't create a n new man o ome or orme f me as ns the novels no say say- say It was you all the time before time before the time war and ond ondI durIng It and now most of all all- all I that made me want to be a 0 better betterman betterman man And now Ive I've come home to toI t o I settle down In Hamstead just oa a plain ordinary not farmer farmer not even en a class first class one It Isn't In me to tobe tobe tobe be any anything thin better than that But ButI I love lo you you- you I And there wasn't any pretty lit little tie tle French rench peasant he said salt after a long pause And In that one sim situ simple pIe sentence Mary Iary understood though she could not answer 0 all II that lint he was trying to tell her He lie misinterpreted her silence Ie le kissed her hand again dropped It gently and rose It was wrong of ot me ma maybe be to soy say all this to you you-so you so soon he said But I 1 saw Mr Ir Hamlin Just before 1 I sailed for home He lie told ID that me-that-that that that you hadn't changed your mind about him and that he knew you never never would ne lie told me I too that he knew you'd refused Thomas Gray Sylvia Syl sent me a message once by I David David I didn't get get it until after she tellin died telling lied me never ne to stop fighting for you Ir if IrI I 1 had to die lie fighting I thought for fora fora fora a while that I was going to die fighting then fighting then In that German prison I was afraid for a while that I wasn't even going to die fighting Now I I know Im I'm not going to die at not all nil not for a good many years ears I mean but mean but Im I'm going to live Ii fight Ing Do you remember when I 1 was wasn wasa wasa n a little chap chaD how bow I used to stand In the front yard whenever I want want- wanted wanted ed cd to see you and simply holl holler r Come over Mary Iary come overt over o And you always came camel I Im I'm m going right righton righton righton on calling for you now v until Ive I've made you come again I 1 Ill I'll II go down now and see mother mother-I mother I promised her that flint I 1 wouldn't be long But nul Butwell well we'll see sec each other oilier some way rIght Blon along wont won't we Mary lie He was way halfway down the hill when he felt fell her bel touch ouch on his arm He Be turned quickly Whal Vhal Is It dear he asked Is nn anything the matter No yes No No yes I es I haven't been honest You haven't ba been heen honest 1 echoed Paul In astonishment What Whal do to you mean meun I let you go swap away a way thinking that I 1 was afraid to let you think any anything thing else because I 1 knew though you wanted me so much you yoo didn't really love hove then me-then me then I-I I I I hoped you would a some day Its It's nearl nearly killed me ever since to think If Ir you never ne came back you rou wouldn't know know- know to to remember that I didn't even kiss S you by good For 1 I wasn't honest I It mean It was OS possible I possible 1 mean I did dW Paul stood for a stupefied mo- mo mo moment ment meat staring at her bel Then he crIed aloud with Joy You Toll care care now l I he exclaimed You have ha cared all nil the time time I Then as ns he tried very gently to take down the trembling hands with which she had bad suddenly cov eov covered ov ered creel her bel face he realized that thai his own were shaking too Mary he be said brokenly I 1 wont won't If It you really dont don't want meto me meto meto to But It If you you do-you do you wont won't make I me wait unit any ony lon longer cr will rout you c starved ed for you oU too too- too You wont won't ever have ha to starve again said Mary with a II great greal sob and took down her hands bands her her- herself self sef S e e e It was very late that evening e when June JUlie Manning remembering that site she had not set back bock her chairs against a II possible storm storm- storm there was not a a II cloud inthe In InI I the he went sky sky went out on her piazza to make sure everything e was allright all allright allright right for tile the lie night She stopped In the middle of her pleasant task arid stood stock stock still The moon shone very ery clear and bright ht mind mindon on the he wide granite doorstep of ot her |