| Show n f ii ug 7 w y ONLY LY ONE oi e Sophie Underwood By y SOP P D 9 EKE E KERB It R Ii rm CHAPTER XII Continued 17 Bobs Dobs acquiescence wasn't whole whole- wholehearted hearted she thought after shed she'd greeted Mrs Duffy and pre empted the Duffy DulTy tub It m might be that he be was still in love with her and found it painful to see sec her it might but somehow she didn't be- be believe believe lieve it lt It was grand to be clean again even It if her clothes were tired and wrinkled TInkled She felt quite herself as she made the the various stores or hailed old friends on the street She told them nIl all the same tale she had Invented for Bob Dob and felt she didn't care II if they didn't be it At last she headed back to the house to be met on the terrace by an agitated Mr Kreel RIght away when I 1 went over this morning I knew been in An And I 1 ducked around down down- downstairs downstairs stairs and didn't find anybody but up in your mas ma's room there was your suitcase and I recognized it How to gracious did you get in While he put wood on the thc fire Rachel explained about the kitchen window and Mr Kreel was greatly bothered I mighty noticed that window and nailed it shet shek and then where would you rou been Id have come over and pounded on your door Mr Kreel I knew you had a key But Dut what'd you do thIs morning You didn't have a fire or nothing to eat You should've come over then llis Kreel's none too neigh neigh- neighborly neighborly borly I 1 know and sorry I am to ad ad- ad admit mit It it but shed she'd surely have made you a cup of coffee I went down and had breakfast with Bob Eddis You did Miss Rachel It sounded sly amused all the excitement about Mr Eddis Come on now be a good sport tell me I know theres there's something goIng on Mr Kreel liked nothing better than a dish of gossip He pursed his mouth wIth importance and crin crin- crinkled kled his bis eyes in a knowing Hes the new primary schoolteacher she's a right pretty girl too and cute as Christmas She She come to alter after you jou and your ma left last fall and first off she boarded at Mis Dully's and then Mis Duffy sent her over to her sisters sister's Mis lIns CaUin's Catlin's just an act of charity because Mis Catlin was so hard up an MIs Dully knew a pay regular but she and Mr Eddis they made it right up quick and most every everyday everyday day they eats theIr dinners together at the tea shop and he takes her to the pIctures and they walk on the beach just like you and him used to todo todo do Mr Kneel Kreel this Is exclaImed Rachel This This makes a alot lot Jot of things clear to me What's the schoolteachers schoolteacher's name a MIss Alice Hale Hope you dont don't feel bad about it Miss RacheL I contend to Mis Kneel Kreel that you could have had bad him II if you'd wanted him but you didn't want him A body with a pair glass eyes could've seen that he was alter after you last ast year She's a lIght blonde I wouldn't have any chance against a light blonde so Ill I'll have to make the best of it though it breaks my heart Now Now Miss Rachel quit your tooling fooling I guess you didn't want Mr Eddis and I say you were right for though h hes he's a nice young feller hes he's a mite so to speak peculiar Its It's no way for a youn young man to live In a little over made shack housekeeping housekeeping ing for himself A hermit you might as well describe him And then he dont don't like the radio That That's unnaturaL He goes on like this and hell he'll just grow into an old crank s 's too bad Ive I've cert had pleas pIcas pleasure ure out of your radio Miss Rachel this winter My name name was men men- mentioned mentioned twIce once for tor my bIrthday Cheerio sent me a greeting and Kel Kei Murrays Murray's orchestra played n a ape ape- special cial tune for me and called my name and address in full tun and ana said it was for tor me Several people down down- downtown town spoke to me about it He Interrupted his spate of taus to look lookout lookout out of the front window Here comes somebody up the road looks like a stranger Probably another one of these dinged brush peddlers hunting me down They gIve a body no peace lies lie's coming in here by mistake Rachel turned to follow tollow Mr Kreel's glance then she jumped up and ran to the door The stranger was Curt Curl Elton Ellon CHAPTER XIII It took a little maneuvering to get rId of Mr Kreel without hurting his feelings or indulging his curl curi- curiosity but it was managed at last And this being accomplIshed and Rachel and Curt left alone an odd restraint tell fell on them Rachel broke it I do believe youre you're disappointed that I wasn't In Inthe inthe the hands of gangsters or some some- something thing wild so you could rescue me Did you brIng a gun tommy Not even a slingshot Rachel why did you come Why did you come Curt got up and put some wood on the fire Its very pleasant here he said Any room with sunlight and a fire fire- fireplace fireplace place full of driftwood is decorated And besides theres there's the sea over the dunes It must be lovely in summer But Dut quite I said Rachel mock mock- mockingly Too too lovely I Simply dee dee- vine Gay GlY rugs and chintz covers ornaments on the I books pIctures and fresh flowers I artistically arranged my dear you have no idea how really charming the little dump can bet bel I dont don't deserve that do I I But Dut what do you deserve Curt I dont don't even know why youve you've come But youre you're not sorry I came No of course not not- I was worrIed about you that's why I came Pink showed me your telegram and I phoned Terriss and he said the Caynes had taken find find- finding in ing out about theIr son pretty hard ft r t n r t I 1 V t 1 f 1 ti irl l t I Come Back to This MysterIous Man Ian I Want to Know About Him lIim and I was afraId they'd been so rotten to you that you'd run away And then another reason for com com- coming coming ing I didn't know when you were coming back You could have wired me or telephoned I wanted to see you with my ov own eyes Youve You've been awfully over over- overstrained overstrained strained Rachel remember the thelast last time we talked You were so undecided about searching that brats brat's room you took it all so se- se seriously seriously as it if it mattered what hap hap- happened happened to any of them I got you into that job and I Insisted that you ought to make the search so I 1 felt responsible But how did you get here this time of day theres there's no train I took Vincos Vinco's car and drove Id I'd have been here earlier but I 1 lost my way in the night Youve been driving all night Pretty nearly Want to drive back with me I suppose I might as well I thought Id I'd take the afternoon train But you cant can't drive back wIthout a arest arest rest and a sleep Curt It If you'd let lct me take the news news- newspapers newspapers papers off that sofa and catch an hours hour's nap Id I'd be all right You really want to go back today Theres There's no reason for you to stay His voice was anxious No not a thing I was awfully a upset by that last interview at the Caynes And I felt I couldn't go goback goback back to the flat and nd begin in the morning at Vincos Vinco's I suppose I Ilet Ilet let my nerves trick me Curt And so I came down here and and-and had a good nights night's sleep and a great big breakfast and I feel all right again Now Ill I'll tell I you had a sort of half date for tor lunch but Ill I'll break it and while you lake a sleep Ill I'll go downto downtown and get some food and well we'll have a picnic here Or we could go down on the beach and make a fire no its it's too loo cold for that Id I'd like to have a run on the beach before we start back though just for a minute By the way wheres where's Vincos Vinco's car In a garage one of the tho Inner tubes was leaking its it's nothing they only have to put on the spare I 1 Iam am sleepy its it's this warmth getting me And the relief relict ot of finding you so- so he paused Finding me how Yourself agaIn She left him lying on the sofa and went joy joyfully tully down the long road once more Curts Curt's coming had been beena a marvelous lift and then the news about Bob and this Alice Hale Halel Her mouth quirked remembering No wonder he had been awkward and evasive I She stopped at the library and was glad to find him alone and she pulled her face Into gravity Now Bob about lunch lunch-It she be be- be gm gan But he stopped her Im I'm awfully sorry Rachel Im I'm afraid we wa cant can't have bave lunch to- to together to gether today today- all right That's just what I came to say Ive I've been obliged to make another engagement engagement- She began to laugh Its almost impossIble for tor you to look relieved and annoyed at the same tIme Bob Dont Don't be fussed Mr Kneel Kreel told me all she was halfway out of the thedoor thedoor door ready to jump about your light blonde She Sha banged the door and ran down the street and when she heard him call after her she dashed precipitately into the tea teashop teashop shop There she leIsurely pur- pur purchased purchased chased a quart of oyster stew halt half halfa a dozen sandwiches celery and apple ap- ap apple salad a package of peanut brit brito brittle tle and a bottle of homemade elder cider And if that Isn't n a magnificent lunch she thought what is Then her eyes fell on a tray of fresh tresh sugared crullers and she bought two dozen All that she and Curt didn't eat shed she'd take to Pink Pinkas Pinkas as a borne home coning coming gilt gift And though she was laden with packages she went round the block to avoId pass ing the library again It would do Bob Dob good to wonder who might be beher beher her luncheon date Curt was fast tast asleep when she got back She tiptoed past the livIng room into the kitchen and noise noise- noiselessly noiselessly lessly hunted a pan to reheat the stew got out dishes spoons and glasses Back Dack into the living room and she set the pan on the coals and arranged the other food tood on the desk He might just as well sleep a awhile awhile while longer she thought Ill slip out and run on the beach I must do that before I go The morning wind had fallen the winter sun was almost warm and the sea had caught blue light from the sky The path across the dunes was hidden under wind blown sand but she knew her way and dots el on the curve of the beach the sand was hard and smooth That search search- searchIng Ing breath of the sea cold to pene- pene penetrate penetrate and envelop and make even wool and fur chill to the touch yet giving a sense of vIgor and power welcomed her to the familiar scallop scallop lop of the cove and made her want want to shout There wasn't any reason why she shouldn't run though it would be wiser not to shout but run she did all down the white cause cause- causeway causeway way turning to run back when she reached the rocks that led out to the point Sun and sea a hard beach and best of all the maggot in her brain was gone she had her her- herself sell self destroyed it No more worry worry- worrying ing about her own mother no more secret resentment against Anne Annel Anneli i There was the old spar Anne had leaned against last summer when i shed she'd told Rachel the story of Eli Eli- Elinor nor Rachel stopped her run run- running running ning beside this relic I might put a tablet on it she thought frivolously Place of revelation or Heres where the blues began or something And then I ought not to be hIgh alter all that poor and Elinor-and Mr Cayne- Cayne But it was no use they were gone she couldn't drag them up from the shadows and reproach herself herselt with them any more Then she heard her name called and saw Curt coming dO down 1 the dunes I woke up and there was all that elegant food spread about but no sign of you and then I discovered you running about down here What do you think you are are-a beach bird Almost Mother and I practical practical- practically ly live down do here in the summer Are you rested Oh fine 1 This is n a grand cove Come along Ill I'll run up and down downa a couple of times and get the sleep out of my head Want to race They ran together now all the way to the spur of rock on the other side Curt kept beside her and though she ran her swiftest she knew he could easily beat her best speed Golly what a day dayl he said as they turned and alter after what a night You and me both I Id I'd lIke to torun torun run up and down here for an hour houri Very fine but doesn doesn't t that ele- ele elegant elegant gant oyster stew I saw before the fire need eating I only had a glass of milk for breakfast Well go in then said Rachel and lap up the oysters Im I'm hunt hun hungry gry too all I had bad for breakfast was I an orange and two fried eggs and some bacon and rolls and a spot of marmalade and two cups of cot cot- tee fee with three lumps Jumps of sugar in each If Lay off orr youre you're making me medro dro drool ll I never heard of such a breakfast Its It's indecent Where did you get it I stopped In to see a friend and he was just about to eat If lIe Right it was a he And though he wasn't terribly glad to see me he e did give me my breakfast And he didn't say it was indecent to cat so much as you did he be merely called it disgusting Rachel no I-no not now What not now Nothing now that isn't lunch lunch- lunch said Curt firmly I observed doughnuts as well as oysters Crullers not doughnuts is the rIght name said Rachel as they came up on the terrace Look Curt do you see what I see see-in the next house two ladles ladies eagerly wa watching our every move from be- be behind behind hind the lace curtains in the first window They were there when I came out out said Curt wonder wonder- wondering wondering ing It If I mean to do rIght by our Nell or II if youre you're just a brazen hussy hus- hus hussy sy Well Veil keep them guessing it will brighten up their lives The fire was homelike and wel- wel welcoming welcoming coming Curt sat on one side of at atthe the desk and Rachel on the other whIle they ate It was a pleasanter meal than the breakfast with Bob Dob that morning Rachel thought The two men were a little alike not in appearance but in the way they talked But Curt was steadier san san- saner er What are arc you thinking about he asked Nothing much Im I'm so glad I came here Are you glad I came Yes Id I'd have had to borrow money for tor a ticket back to New NewYork NewYork York it If you hadn't come with Vin Vin- Vinco's cos co's car I surely do appreciate being liked for myself alone Rachel be tell serious me something Did you run away here because you felt you must see someone in particular No Why Because Pink saId there was a aman man here who rated very well with you And she thought perhaps you'd had a message from hIm or wanted to see hIm Was that it And what else did PInk tell you She said this man had asked you to marry him last summer and you'd turned hIm down but that you mIght have changed your mInd Rachel please tell me was that why you came No it wasn't There is h ha a man here Ive I've known him eVEr since we were brats and he did ask me meto meto to marry him last summer quite earnestly too I didn't think about hIm at all when I came I only thought thIs was my home and it was very quiet and I wanted to be quiet and sort of pull myself together er cr That last day at the Ca Caynes was too awful it shook me up I dont don't want to think about it Dont think about It Come back to this mysterious man I Rant lant to know about him lies not in the least mysterious his names name's Bob Dob Eddis and hI he runs the library here bere and anel he carves wood panels and lives atone alone in a little house he fixed up for quite himself a hermit according to Mr Kreel But Dut hes he's not a hermit Curt Curt hes he's terribly nice Describing Bob Ed Ed- Ed Eddis dis put him farther away from her TO nr BE CONTINUED |
