Show If COMMON LAW II IIII ss II r J BY Y ROBE ROBERT R T v W. W CH CHAMBERS AM B E R S I I Ir r INSTALMENT 22 Upon my word he exclaimed I 1 I never llever was wasso so o snubbed and patronized In all my life Beware then she retorted with an enchanting sideway glance gl noll noil me At the s same me Instant he was wasi I aware of h her r arm In light friendly contact against his hiss and heard her musing aloud in deep contentment II Such perfect satisfaction lo to have you again Louis The he world is a gray void without the gods I And so leisurely they breasted the I ascent and came out across the height height- I of Here and there a silvery ghost I of the shorn forest stood now almost I I mercifully hidden in the g green geen een foliage of h hardwood WOrthlesslY hardwood worthlessly yo young ng as yet I but beautiful From tree to tree flickered the brilliant bill bill- bril bril- 1 lIan woodpeckers they kers-they they of the solid soUd crimson head and barred hory d wings I IThe The great vermilion tufted cock the cock the o woo called atIe querulously over ever the I steel-blue steel stump ponds the blue kingfishers kingfishers kingfishers king king- I fishers soared against the blue U It was wasa j a sl sky y world of breezy bushes and ruffled waters of pa pathless h ss fields and dense young woodlands of of limpid streams clattering over o greenish white pouring into w waterfalls spread spread- spreadIng I Ing through wild meadows set with iris Iris' and pink azalea I How Is the w work rk going Louis 1 she asked glancing at him askance I I- I Its lt's stopp stopped d. d Je J e nen sais rien Valerie She flicked the harness with her whip absently He also l leaned ried backI back thoughtfully intent on on the the- blue hills in the distance I Has not y your ur desire t to paint re returned returned returned re- re turned No Do you Do you ou know why Partly I am up against a solid soUd wall There is no thoroughfare Make lake one Through the tile wall wan I Straight It Ah yes yes he he murmured murmured but but what I lies lies- b beyond yond 7 It t wo would ld spoil the pleasures of an anticipation an- an n to know beforehand He turned turne to her You are are aregood good for lor me Do you know it I I Querida said aid that hat liat too He said sald hat hatI I I was an experience a and d that all aU good work Is 18 made up of experiences I concern it It- only indirectly I Do you YO like Querida he asked cu curiously curiously cu- cu I Sometimes I l' l Not always Oh yes always more 01 or less les But aut autI I I sometimes sometimes- sometimes sometimes- she was silent her dark clark I II eyes dreaming lips Ups so softly parted What do you mean by that he InI in inquired inquired In- In I carelessly By gy what Louis she Je asked naively Interrupted in her hel day dream I By hireling that that sometimes you like Querida more Querida-more more than at others I Why I do dot she sz h id frankly Besides Be Be Besides Besides Be- Be sides I dont h nt things I say them She had had turned turned her h head ad to look look at I him Their Their- e eyes es met In silence for I a afew few moments You are funny about Querida Quenida she she I him said Dont You like I have no reason to tD 4 Oh Js s It the case Non amo ante te Sabia I nee possum ossum I quare quare- He la laughed uneasily Oh no no I 1 think I not You and and he he are such excellEnt excellent excellent ex- ex nt cellE-nt friends' friends that I I certainly ought to like him anyway I I I I I But Sut she remained silent musing and andon andon on the edge of her lip he saw J the faint smile lingering then fading leaving the oval face almost I So So they drove past past- the story one-story postoffice where a group of young peo peo- pie stood awaiting the arrival of the stage with its battered mall roan bags past t the e stump pond where pond where Valerie had c caught her first and only fish tish past a few weather-beaten weather farm houses a white washed church a boarding house I pr two a village store a watering trough and then drove up to to the wooden wood wood- woodI I I en en veranda where Rita rose from a ai I rocker and ad came fo forward ward with hand j outstretched Hello Rita he said giving her I hand handa a friendly shake Why d didn't you ou drive down with Valerie I That ch chUd ld would have burst into tears at such a suggestion l Probably said Valerie calmly I I wanted him for myself Now that Ive I've had him Ill I'll share him She sprang lightly to the y veranda randa ignoring Neville's Nevilles offered hand with a smile A hired man took away the horse a boy his suitcase se and I I l led d th the way way Ill be back in a moment he said to Valerie and Rita That evening at at supper a weird rite where the burnt offering was rice pudding pud pud- ding and the st stewed wed was 1 prunes Neville Ne was presented to an n interesting assemblage of ot the the freeborn free free- 1 born There was th the clerk lerk the 9 drummer ummer the saleslady and ladies ble and damaged by carping arping years ye-ars ye city city- wearied fathers of youngsters who called their t Barents arents DOD non and ann mom young moth mothers rs plem prematurely i ire re Yu aged g d- d dd and d J I neglectful of ot their coiffure and shoe shoe- shoeI I 1 heels simpering maidenhood acid maidenhood sophisticated maidenhood I I manhood flippant man hood full of strange sl slang ng and double I negatives unresponsively suspicious manhood manhood and manhood nan disillusioned I prematurely tired burnt out with the we weariness of a a. sordid Harlem struggle I Here in the heigh land height of among among scant pastures and the green charity which a a. spindling p second growth spread over O er the nakedness the of rotting forest bones bones her here here- amid ami the wasted uplands uplands uplands up- up lands and into this flimsy wooden I building came the rank and file file of of th the metropolis in search of air ot green of ot sky for ten days' days surcease from tolland toll toil and heat heat- and anti the sad perplexities 02 ol those with slender means Neville seated on the veranda veranda- with with Valerie and Rita in the long t Continued on page 4 l THE COMMON LAW Continued d fro from page 1 twilight looked around him at scenes scenes quite new new to himOn him On the lumpy croquet ground where battered wickets and stakes s awry constituted constituted constituted con con- the center of ot social activity after supper some young girls were playing in partnership with young men hatless stripped of ot shirt and very very yellow of ot foot toot A social favorite very jolly and nd cor corporeally corporeally cor- cor redundant sat In the hammock hammock hammock ham ham- mock fanning g. g herself and uttering screams of ot laughter at jests emanating from the boarding house cut up cut up a blond bIond young young- man with rah-rah rah hair hall and a a brier pipe Children neither very clean nor nor- very dirty tumbled noisily about the re remaIns remains remains re- re mains of ot a tennis court or played baseball baseball base base- ball ballin In dusty road Ominous sounds arose from front the parlor piano where a maiden lady rested one spare hand among the keys while the other pawed the music o of The I Holy City S Somewhere In the house a baby was being spanked and Sent to bed bedS There I cam came the clatt clatter r of ot dishes from the I wrecks of ot the rite In the kitchen ac- ac acI I by bi the warm perfume of ot dishwater 1 But little by little the high stars n name me out and the gray veil fell gently I over and squalor little by little the rau raucous hushed the scuffle and clatter and the stringy I noise of ot the piano plan died away till distantly distantly dis dig I the wind awoke in the woods and very far away the rushing mt music of a little brook sweetened the silence e. e I Ita tita who had been reading yesterdays yesterday's yesterdays yesterday's yesterdays yesterday's yester yester- days day's paper by the lamplight which h I streamed ov over r her shoulder from the I open parlor window sighed stifled a yawn awn laid the the paper aside and rand drew drewI 1 her pretty wrap around her shoulders I Its absurd she said plaintively but inthis place I become horribly I sleepy by 9 0 You Toil wont won't mind If it I I r go up will you Not ot t J-t if you feel feet that way about It it he said smiling smiling- Oh Rita said Valerie reproachfully reproachfully reproach reproach- fully I thought we were going to row r Louis about on the stump pond I C am too sleepy Id I'd merely fall tall overboard said Rita simply gathering gathering gathering gather gather- ing up her bonbons Louis you'll forgive forgive for tor- give me wont won't you I 1 dont don't understand understand under under- stand but that child huld why never sleeps sleep The They rose to bid her good gooc night Valens's Valerie's Valerie's Va Va- lerie's lenss rested a a. moment on 1 Nevilles Neville's sleeve in Ina a a lIght light gesture gesture of excuse for leaving him and of promise to return Then sire she went away with Rita When she returned th tha piazza was was was' de deserted except for tor Neville who stood on the steps smoking and looking out across the misty waste S I Usually go up with Rita flita she said Rita is a dear But do you know I believe she is not a particularly ha happy girl girt Why I dont don't know why After all such is a hers life hers and mine r ls only happy if It you make it U so And I dont don't be believe believe be- be lieve she tries to make it so Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps she doesn't care She is very I young young young-nd and very too pretty loo young oung and pretty to be so Indifferent so so tired I S SS S 1 to To-be To be continued I |