Show I ENDING IT ALL By NELLIE CRAVEY GILLMORE Copyrlfilit l > y Dally Story iub Cor l Yr The water was clear and cold and I still save for tho floating tipples made by PaiildlngH swift oars as he drove his shell determinedly toward the op posltc shore A dingy Panama was pulled quite over his eyes could one I have caught their look a sterner expression ex-pression was In the mild gray depths I I than they had ever before worn Ills I shirt sleeves were rolled back to the I elbows the brown muscular forearms fore-arms flashing like bronze In tho sunlight sun-light and with every dexterous stroke the grim lines about his mouth became mote sot Suddenly than uoa scraped on the sand and 1 Ptuldlng spiting ashore faa toning It to one of the willows that I dipped Its blanches low Into tho water wa-ter Ho stood a moment surveying I the placid expanse of treacherous green Over the distant edge of It a rim of blue like a tuiquolse hoop curved Itself In vivid contrast High up In the west the sun glowed a fiery challenge Pauldlng waited till the lake grew saffron under Its vanishing van-ishing splendor then wheeled abruptly abrupt-ly und walked up the bank Hinging himself down on the spongy carpet of daisystudded grass An hour slipped by and lie did not stir He was cynically reviewing the past and wandering with a last desperate des-perate thread of hope If life had really come to an end for him in this tingle way a suicides grave Cynthia was no weakling ho knew that She was as a matter of fact nncompioinislnij and he could not even try to deceive himself further with visions of her relenting When on the occasion of his last call she had coldly send down word that she would not meet him then or ever ho hud felt In his hones that her words were final I 1 Every effort to communicate com-municate with her thereafter either peisonitlly or by letter hud been met I by the tame uncoinpionilslng frigid Ity Every I note had been letuined I with the seal unbroken she would not even allow him a syllable or appeal ap-peal And for what Ho cudglcd lls Ingenuity in vain Obviously he had committed home unpaidonable sin In Cynthias eyes and quite as obviously obvious-ly he was never oven to know what It was Another 00 minutes were gUile and with a groan Panldlng dragged hImself him-self stliny to his feet and mov d down to the waters edge Twilight had choked away the pretty pink haze and long drab shadows were beginning begin-ning to quiver grevvsoiuely over the lake With benumbed lingers ho untied the tope thai fastened his shpll and threw It In the bottom of the boat He settled himself with painstaking care in his sent and resting on his oars sat for a moment gazing about him at the familiar landmarks every wjiere made doubly dear by association associa-tion For It was here almost on this very spot that Cynthia had given him her hand and he had kissed hot on the lips to seal their betrothal Twenty feet out tho water was deep It would be but a moments work and setting his lips he shot ahead like an arrow then gradually slowed down His face was quite pale almost ashen and his heart was pounding heavily His eyes from mild gray had grown perfectly black Suddenly ho dropped his oars and sprang Into tho water It closed over him sending millions of circles rippling rip-pling away In every diicctlon It was icy cold and chilled Paulding to tho nianow His head emerged after a seconds time ten feet nearer shore A few powerful strokes brought his to linn giouml He clambeioil uu ib bank shaking himself like a druucliail terrier The devil ho muttered Thm I sumo sudden revulsion of fett Ing caused him to laijgh aloud TUUKJ i was an Instantaneous echo and with i a hot guilty feeling Pauldlng turned and glaied In the direction from which It came Less than a rod away a girl slim and graceful In a white yachting suit smiled at him over the japan Cynthia The next minute he was at her side lint she deftly evaded his touch and stood regaidlng him with cold In Bcrutlble eyes lie noticed with a pang that her cheeks had lost some of their roundness and I much of their oldtime color Why did you come hero today 7 he asked steadying his voice hjuu effort The gIrl leinulnud silent with quiz leal eyes Her lips trembling humid hu-mid and hiaIf parted closed abruptly over the words she would luuo uttered ut-tered Her mute gaze accused him more plainly than words could have done Cynthia ho began after a constrained con-strained silence toll me why you refused to bee me The vivid spots of color leaped to her cheeks After the letter you sent rao she questioned Letter Cynthia fumbled In her blouse and drew forth a crumpled tearstained sheet She handed It to Pauldlng and he opened It wonderingly reading the words through a bloodred mist Farewell forever I have learned to love another better than yourself and cannot conscientiously let you bind youiself to me Believe me this Is fur best for us both Someday Some-day you will learn to bo hupplor than I could hope to rake you There was no address no signature But tho handwriting was unmlstak ably his own For a moment ho stood bewildered looking first nt the girl I and then back to tho letter Then In a flash It came to him This was the note he had composed for Billy the footman Billy could not write u line and he fool like had volunteered IIn help him out of his affair de color with the house girl next door But how in the world had the note gotten to Cynthia An embaiiassliig silence lay between be-tween t them Pauldlng was divided between an Intolerable sense of rage and mollification and an inexpressible feeling of joy nnd relief Cynthia ho said after awhile how came you by this The postman brought it It was diiected to you Certainly In my handwriting Naturally Pauldlng pondered a second Then Good Lord 1 he ejaculated Good I Lord l Tho girl looked at him with cairn I sonlng cheeks Her blouse cut low In the neck revealed her throat white and palpitant Did you ever get the letter I wrote asking you to go with me to Patsl fal She shook hen head slowly back and forth No she said I did not All at once and without warning Piiiildlng caught her In his arms and kissed her vehemently on her eyes cheeks and lips I guess 1 must have mixed up those letters he explained as Cynthia Cyn-thia struggled away from his em bract breathing fast her eyes starry through a sudden mist Suddenly she broke into a musical tipple of laughter and sat down weak ly I on the edge of a stump And the house maiddid you take her to Patslful Billy became cldcken hearted at the eleventh hour I believe and never sent his letter at all Cynthia had temoved the white duck hat from her curls and sat re ga cling the narrow baud of red about It with musing eyes Her cheeks throbbed ciimson All at once Pauld Ing stooped and got possession of hot hands they were trembling Seems queer you should comedown come-down here ho said down here Whet I came she Inteirupted him with a little something hetween a sob and laugh just as you didto end It all out there But you didnt cried Pauldlng exultantly flushing scarlet Nor you she echoed eluding his dilppltig arms I did my beat he laughed with a cynical face Dear me exclaimed Cynthia we came all round dying together to end It all didnt we Theres a better way than that said Paulding looking Into her shining shin-ing eyes we can live together instead In-stead Shall we She gave him her hands |