Show 1 62 PLACED i I 1 MOON f fiu n 4 f MAC V GK I j ji i CD x M MI I p i aY P Ps s CHAPTER XIV Journeys Journey's End Harrigan dined alone He was In i disgrace he was sore mentally aswell aswell as as' aswell well as phys physically cally and ho he ate his dinner din din- ner without relish In simple obedience obedience obedi- obedi ence to those well regulated periods of ot hunger that assailed him three times a day day in spring summer au autumn autumn autumn au au- and nd winter By the time the waiter had cleared away the dishes Harrigan had a perfecto between his teeth along with a certain matrimonial matrimonial nial bit and smoked as if It he had bad wagered to finish the cigar in half the usual stretch He then began to walk th the floor much after aCter the fashion of or a aman aman man who ho has the toothache or the earache which would be more to the point To his direct mind no diplomacy diplo- diplo macy was needed all that was necessary necessary necessary sary was a few few- blunt questions Nora could answer them as she chose Nora his baby his little girl that used to oto run around and laugh when he applied the needed birch How children grew up And nd they never grew too old for the birch they cert certainly never did They heard him from the drawing drawing- room tramp tramp tramp Let Harrigan Harrigan Harri- Harri him be Nora said Mrs gan wisely He is in a rage about something And your father Is not the easiest man to approach when hes he's mad If It he fought Mr r. Courtlandt he bel believed eved he had some good reason for doing so Mother there are times when I believe you are afraid of father I I am always afraid of him It is only because I make believe Im I'm not that I can get him to do anything It was dreadful And Mr Courtlandt was such a gentleman I could cry But let your our father rather be until tomor tomor- e row And have him wander wandering ng about with 1 h that that black eye Something must be bH done for It Im I'm not afraid of him Sometimes I wish ya you were So Nora entered the lions lion's den fearlessly fearlessly fear fear- lessly Is there anything I can do dotor for tor you dad 1 You can get the witch hazel and v bathe this lamp of mine grimly She Sheran ran into her own room end returned returned returned re re- turned with the simpler devices for reducing a swollen eye She did not notice DoUce or r pretended that she didn't that he locked the door and put the ke key in his pocket He sat down Jn ln ina a a. chair under the light and and she went r to work deftly Ive got s some me make up and tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row morning Ill I'll paint lt it for you You dont don't ask aek any questions he a with grImness Would it relieve your eye ee any lightly He laughed No but It might relieve relieve re- re lieve e my Dy mind Well then why did you do so foolish a a. thing At your age Dont Don't you ou know that you cant can't go o on w whipping whipping whip whip- lp- lp ping every man you t. t take ke a dislike to I haven't taken any aDy dislike to Courtlandt But I saw tim kiss you I can take care of or myself m Perhaps I 1 asked him to explain He refused One thing puzzled me t I though I didn't know what it was at atthe the time Now when a fellow steals a a. kiss kiss' from a beautiful woman like you Nora ora I I dont don't see why he should feel m mad d about It When he had all allbut allbut allbut but knocked your our daddy to by-by by he said that you could explain Dont Don't press so hard warningly Well VeIl can you yau Since ince you saw what h he il di I do doI donot not I see where explanations on my part rt are necessary Nora Ive I've never caught you In a aU alt U lt MM I never want to When you rOll were I tt tte e you were the thing 1 I ever saw o No matter what hat kind of or I. I licking was wa-s in store for you rou ou you weren't afraid you told the truth There that'll do Put Rut some I cotton over i it ii and bind it with a handkerchief It'll be black all right but the swelling will go down I I can cantell tell em a tennis b ball ll hit me It was core like a cannon annon ball though Say dora fora you ou know Ive I've always pooh pooh- pi these amateurs People used u to say that there thero were dozens of or men In ill New York in my prime who could I have b v l laid I me me cold coldI old r I I used to laugh Well I guess they were right Court landt's landis got the stiffest kick I 1 ev ever r ran rani i Into A pile driver and if he had landed Ion on my jaw i it If would have bave been dorm bene i as you say when you bid me gool good I 4 night eight In dago That's all right now v until tomorrow I want to talk to you ou Draw up a chair There As AsI I Isaid said Ive I've never nevel caught you n a a He A 1 but I find that youve you've been living a liE He I for ifor two years You haven't been square square to me n nor r to your youn mother nor norto norlo to lo to the chaps that came around and love to you You probably didn't look at it that wa way but theres there's the fact Im I'm not Paul Pry but accidentally accidentally accidentally acci acci- dentally I came across this taking tatting the document from his pocket and handing banding it to her Read it What's the answer Noras Nora's bands hands trembled Takes Takee you a long time to read It Is it true 1 Yes And I went up to the tennis court with the Intention of or knocking his head off and now Im I'm wondering why he didn't knock off ot mine Nora hes he's a n man and when you get through with this Im I'm going down to the hotel and apologize You will wUl do nothing of the tho sort BOrt not with that eye All right I was always worried for fear Cear you you'd ll hook up with some duke you'd oud have 0 to support Now I want to know how now this chap happens to tobe tobe tobe be my son in Make It brief for forI I do dont don't t want to get tangled up more than Is necessary Nora crackled the certificate In her fingers and stared unseeingly at it for some time i I met him first In Rangoon she began slowly without raising g her eyes When you OU went around the world worldon on your own 1 Yes Oh dont don't worry I t was always always always al al- al- al ways able to take care are of myself An Irish idea answered Harrigan complacently I loved him father with all my heart and soul He was not only big bigand bigand bigand and strong and handsome but he was kindly and tender and nd thoughtful Why I never never ever knew that he was rich until after I had promised to be his wife wite When I learned that he was the Edward Courtlandt who was always getting into the newspapers I laughed There were stories about his esca esca- There were Innuendoes regarding regarding regarding re re- re- re garding certain women but I 1 put them out of or my mind as twaddle Ah never had I been so BO happy In Berlin Ber Der- Berlin Derlin lin we went about like two children It was play He brought mo me to the Opera and took me away and we had the most charming little suppers I never wrote you OU or mother because I wished to surprise you You have Go on I had never paid much attention to Flora Desimone though I 1 knew that she was jealous of my success Several Several Several Sev Sev- eral times I caught her looking at Edward Edward Edward Ed Ed- ward In a way I did not like She looked at him huh It was the last performance of the season We were married that afternoon after after- noon We Ve did not want anyone to know about it iL I was not to leave the stage until the end of the following follow follow- ing season We Ve were staying at same hotel with rooms across the cor cor- This was much against his wishes but I prevailed I see Our rooms were opposite as I said After the performance that night I went to mine to complete the final packing We iere were to leave at one for the Tyrol Father I saw Flora Desimone come out of or his room Harrigan shut and opened his hands Do you OU understand I 1 saw her She was laughing I did dd not see Bee him My Iy wedding night She came from his room My Iy heart stopped the world stopped everything went black All AH the stories that I had read and heard came back When he knocked at my door I refused to see aee him I 1 never saw him again until that night in in Paris when he forced his way into my apartment Hang it Nora this doesn't sound like him I saw her He wrote you OU 1 I returned the letters unopened That wasn't square You might have been wrong He wrote five letters After that thattie he tie went to India to Africa and back to India where he seemed to find consolation consolation consolation con con- enough Harrigan laid it to his lack of normal normal normal nor nor- mal vision but to to toh h he hs 6 single optic there was anything but misery in her beautiful blue eyes True they sparkled with tears but buX that hat signified nothing he hadn't been married these thirty odd odd years years without learning that thata a woman weeps for any of or a thousand and one reasons Do you care for him still Not a day passed during these theeo many months that I did not vow I hated him Anyone else know The padre I T had to ten tell some one or go mad But I 1 didn't hate hilte him 1 could no more put him out gut ut of my life than I 1 could stop breal breathing Ah I have been so miserable and unhappy unhappy unhappy un un- happy She laid her head upon his knees and clumsily he stroked stroke it His girl the trouble with u Irish Nora We Ve Jump without looking without without without with with- out finding whether were we're right or wrong Well your daddys daddy's opinion is that you should have read his first letter If It it didn't ring right why you could have ha jumped the traces I dont don't believe he did anything wrong at all It isn't in the mans man's blood to todo todo todo do anything But Dut I saw her a queer look In her eyes eves as she glanced up at himI himI himI him I dont don't care a If it you did Take it from me It was a put up job jobby jobby jobby by that woman She might have gone to his room for any number number number num num- ber of harmless things But Dut I think she was Curl curious Why didn't she come to me if It she wanted to ask questions I can see you answering them She probably just wanted to know if you were married or not noL She might have been in love with him and then she might not These Italians dont don't know Half the time what they're about any any- how But I dont don't bellev believe It of Courtlandt Court landt lIe He doesn't line up that way Besides hes he's got eyes Youre You're a thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand times more attractive Hes He's no fool Cool Know what I think A Ag she was coming out she saw you at your door and the devil ic to her got busy Nora rose roso flung her arms around aroundhim aroundhim aroundhim him and kissed himL him L Look ok out for that tin Un ear Oh you great big loyal truehearted truehearted truehearted true- true hearted man mani Open that door and ald let me get out to the terrace I want warn to sing sing He said he was waa going to Milan Inthe Inthe in the tho morning She danced to the door and was gone Nora he called impatiently He listened In vain for the sound of or her return Well Ill I'll take the count it comes to guessing what a womans woman's going to do Ill I'll go out and square up with the old girl Wonder how hov this news will harness up with her ber social bug 1 Courtlandt got Into his compartment at Varenna Jle Ie had tipped tho the guard liberally not to open the door for anyone anyone anyone any any- one else unless the train was crowded As the tho shrill blast of the conductors conductor's horn sounded the warning of all aboard the door opened and a heavily veiled woman got in hurriedly The train began to move Instantly The guard slammed the door and latched it IL Courtlandt sighed the tho futility of or trusting these Italians of trying to buy their loyalty The woman was without any luggage whatever not even the tho usual magazine She was dressed in brown her hat was brown her veil ven her gloves her shoes But whether she was young or old was beyond his deduction He Ho opened his Corriere and held it before his hie eyes but he found reading Impossible The newspaper finally slipped from his hands to the floor where it swayed and rustled unnoticed He was starIng staring star star- ing lug at the promontory across Lecco the green and restful hill the little earthly paradise out of or which he had been unjustly cast Ho He couldn't understand under under- stand He had lived cleanly and d de decently decently de- de he had wronged no man or woman nor himself And yet through some evil twist of fate he had lost all all' there was In life worth having The train lurched around a shoulder of ot the mountain He leaned against the window In a moment more the thevilla thevilla villa was gone What was it He felt fell Irresistibly drawn Without Intending to do so he be turned and stared at the woman in brown Her hand went to the veil veU veiland veiland and swept it aside Nora was Nora was as as' as full of romance as a child She could have stopped him before he I made i d the boat but she wanted to be alone with him bim Nora She flung herself on her knees in front of him I am a wretch she said eaid He could only repeat her name I am not worth my salt Ah Ab why did you run away Why did you not pursue me importune me mo until I 1 wearied perhaps gladly There were times Umes when I would have opened my arms had you been the worst scoundrel in the world Instead ead of the dearest lover the Ali Ah can you forgive me me- Forgive you Nora He was wae numb I am a miserable wretch I doubted doubt doubt- ed you I When all all' I had to do was to recall the wa way people misrepresented misrepresent misrepresent- ent ed things I had done I 1 sent back your letters and read and reread reread reread re re- re- re read the old blue ones Dont Don't you remember how bow you used to write them themon on blue paper Flora told me everything It was w was s only because she hated me not that she cared anything about you She told me that night at the ball She was at the bottom of or the abduction When you kissed me didn't you know that I T kissed y you you back Edward I am a miserable miserable miserable miser miser- able wretch but I shall follow you wherever you go and I haven't oven even ovena evena a vanity box in my handbag There were tears in her eyes Say that I 1 Iam Iam am a wretch He drew her up beside him His arms closed around her so hungrily so strongly that she gasped a little He looked into her eyes his glance traveled here and there over her face searching for the familiar dimple at atone atone atone one corner of her mouth Nora he whispered Kiss Kies me And then the train came to a stand Jerkily They fell back against the cushions Lecco cried tho the guard through the window They laughed like children I bribed him she said saia gaily And now now 1 Yes Yea and nd now eagerly if It still b be be- Lets go back THE END I M t tI |