Show The Price of a Kiss By FRANCES RIVERS Copyright 1MJG by Joseph 11 Uowlcs The moment that old David Johns cast his eyes upon till Hov Paul Bo litho coming toward him over tho brow of tho hill ho determined not to glvo him a chance of escape Tho young man noted tho Increased furrows over tho old mans strongly bridged nose tho deeper chlsclllngs at tho corners of tho resigned mouth now telling of war between will and weakening muscles A feeling of halfharmonious concession conces-sion to his own early affection for his companion mixed with a sense of his newly attained position of Importance as pastor was betrayed In Pauls I want you to conu > and hear mo preach Preach Yes for sure Wo nil lllo to do a bit of nroachln and tis not wonderful when one thinks how woll duty runs hand In hand with liking lik-ing but sometimes tho best words of a preacher are those ho doesnt say Harps and golden crowns and suchlike such-like thingswhats tho uso of such to mo j You have no religion Davy Titers alai o religion In good temper Paul Bolltho got up from tho bench and walked up and down the path tho Impetuoidty of his youth apparent In very stop Stopping In front of his aid friend his head shot aloft by tho Involuntary straightening of tho splno ttl want to make men honest women virtuous ho said Mcbho they would ho If thoy wornt Interfered with Tina smllo that played round tho old mans mouth poko of Intimate knowledge of Uio world worldMake Make what rules you can for your followmnn hut mnko nono for women thoyni exceptions ho advised Tho mobho you dont know yet that you counts em o any vnlly Ah ho chuckled yonro torrlblo young If you havent thought woman to bo rccknd with for sartaln sure theyll come even Into your lIfo Women with their crinkly hnlr their dancln eyes an toot their smiles an their mischief their altogether stonishlng ways that bad or good sort o paralyse a man But Thoy bo wonderful tryln too an zaspcratln for theyll bear no control con-trol Davys voice faltered tho periods of his talk became detached stopped altogether al-together Changing tho pipe over from ono sldo to tho other of his mouth he smoked In silence for some minutes whilst he dived Into the 10 cesses of his mind You dont remember my Maryno I aposo notbut you can BOO her ovry time you look at my granno my ereatgrnndaughter Sally I wouldnt let none o em havo my Marys name tho sound of It gives me now after all these years a funny feelln in my heart Ive heard my grandfather speak of your wife She waswell sho was Just Mary Tho close knlttln of man and woman I as comes about when day In and day out theyre together Is wonderful There was only one thing for which wo over fell out She was always lookln at girlsspecially pretty girls to seo If ono took notice o mo The very name of a girl drew her to zas pcrallon You wouldnt romembor Llzbeth Richards neither Before Paul had time to reply ho answered for him No to bo sure notWell Well she was a girl always up to some devilment a mischievous blue eyed girl I didnt know then though I knew afterwards that people had been talking of her an lIIebut worn en always will gossip their lungs is as big as bellows and tho bettor tho women are tho worse they talk Well Llzbeth sho como In ono day So yer off Davy says she I was Htartln with the boats to tho North An because sho looked at me with a tear In her eye or just because I was young an a fool an flattered or because I couldnt help It or because be-cause sho wished It or for some reason rea-son or tho want of any I put my arm around her waist and gave her a kiss An just then Mary who I though was In the next room she came In She was all atrembly an was akeart as I had never seen her before Sho seemed not to know what she was doIng do-Ing a sob a cruel deep aollIt I sounded like a cry strangled in tlto throat camo from her lips But It 1 Beamed to mo Mary was makin a strange fuss over so small a matter though tho most violent feelln in the world is ono womans hatred o another an-other I started to embrace her Dont you touch me and your arm Just from Llzbeths waist Sho went back a few steps Scorned to me my heart was belt toro out o my breast and tho pain o It was unbearable un-bearable What made you do It Why did you act so cruel to mo sho asked I didnt mean no harm twas no more than than I stared at her dumb findln no words small enough to toll her in At last Ive knowcd LIzbeth over since alma was a slip o a child I says Do you know all the things folks nays about her she said Do you reckon that If it had been me that bad been actln that way you would bo so hasty to forgive Twould be a narrow nar-row heart that couldnt find room for anger Sure you cant bo afraid of Liz both What for should I ho afraid Its not Llzboth that my heart Is hard agln I reckon Its all ono to mo what Llzhcth docn Tlsntof LIzbeth I thinks think-s of you Sho wont never como between us ngln Between usno that sho shant and Mary laughed I stood an lookd at her nfeolln blttor in my heart TIs tho way oman o-man to bo shy o own In himself in tho wrong I novor cared for any other oman same as I do for you so what do you want to punish mo for Tin no Judgo o others sho says with that obstinate way o wouum as rives men wild Tin goln Mary Do you mean to cud mo away In anger Do suro what you aro about Kiss ma just afore I go I said And take tho taste o Llzboth from your lips sho answered Dont you sceDavhl turned in vehemence to his listener that I had to pluck up n spirit after that so I took nor face between my hands her eyes didnt blanch she was so haldas halllas only a soft woman can bo I caught her to mo an tho I i AlH = i P t < I i Ali 3 F P Davys Voice Faltered SI she struggled I kissed her Darr took oft his hat in act of roveronco I thank tho Almighty Tho boats will be off unless I go now out Ill como back to you Mar an thingsll bo the samo as over I asked askedho Hho sort o tolled herself together but said nothln tho she faltered me to tho door Sho bad a shawl over her head and her dark hair blowed loose by tho wind was tangled about her head and face sho looked like nothing but a child holding another chlldmlnoIn her arms The boys was callln mo so I hurried hur-ried down the path and away to tho shore I listened listened and didnt qulto know for what From up along camo n cry that sounded lure Davy I Davy Twas as though some ono wore tcrrblo put out I waa most at tho shore then and tho others was tellln mo to come an I was always slow to BOO what 1 should dOIlow In tho uptake as Mary used to say It was May when wo went north and Juno wo was there and July wo vas there too How I longed to come back Davy dropped for a moment his nar rative to question his companion Novo you ever foil homesick Its IIellIcellIw nothln else but a sort o mother feolln 1 guess somo thin stretches out its arms an calls to you I was fair crazy with Joy o life tho mornln wo got back I cant explain but you youre young an maybo youll understand I camo up that hlllho stretched an indicating hand It was early when wo got In so I made my way up horo without seeln any o the boys The alrI took u till o it as t t stood at that gate was crisp yet j l J soft it tasted cold upon my lips lIko 16 j a draught of water from our well A curious holy feeling seemed to rest about tho place the sun thread tho mist with stiings o gold ands great grey gulls played over the creep In waves Id brought homo all my share of tho fish and was countln what I could buy for Mary an the life tlo ones Ostrich feathers Women love ostrich feathers meringues and f zinc kettles for tho bread Id thought o em all But when I got to the door I was afraid suddonllko a feelIng 1 feel-Ing o fear gripped mo I was most torrble afraid My hand grow cold 1 I an clammy my breath como short seemed I not to see thin way an disremember disre-member how I got In Davy paused Paul stirred to interest had given I from time to time by attentive eyes and inclinations of the head that human hu-man punctuation which arrests and without which a recital becomes but a stringing together of meaningless words Ho now asked anxiously Marywhat of Mary Davy rapped tho ashes of his Ions empty pipe then looked nt him whilst the easy tears of cherished grief trickled down his cheeks I was too lato even to see her but It wont bo long now afore I dp us 1 |