| Show A J TOP Y od 0 a hj qt r e jk jv A COHAN DOYLE I 1 in 1 IN international TIONA pre CHAPTER 11 N I 1 CONTINUED As far as I 1 know clata clara repeated d as the widow moved away to where the players were grouped round the net or sauntering slowly towards the house houge she rose to follow her but her head was in a whirl with new thoughts and she eat vat down again wh eh ch would be best tor for ida harold or charles she thought it 0 over o er with as much sol as a moth er who plans tor for her only child harold had seemed to her to be in many ways the noblest and the best young man whom she had known if ever she was to jove love a man it would rould be such a man aa as that but she must not think of herself she had reason to believe that both these men loved her sister which would be the best for hera but perhaps the was already decided she could not forget the scrap of conversation which she had heard the night before nor mor the secret which her s ster had re fused to confide to her it ida would not mot tell her there was but one person mho could she raised her ees and there was harold denver standing be fore lore her you were lost in your thoughts said he smiling I 1 hope that they were pleasant ones oh I 1 was planning said she rising it seems rather a waste of time as a rule ule for things have a dav of working themselves out just as you least ex hect what ere aou ou planning then the future whose oh my own and ida idas s and was I 1 included in your joint tu fu turese 9 I 1 hope all our friends were included don t go in said he as she began to move slowly towards the house I 1 wanted to have a word let us stroll up ind down the lawn perhaps you are cold if you are I 1 could bring you out a k shawl oh no I 1 am not cold I 1 was speaking to your sister ida last night she noticed that there was a slight quiver in his voice and glanc ing up at his dark clear cut face she baw aw that he was very grave she felt that it was settled and that he had come to ask her for her sister sisters s hand she Is a charming girl said he aft er a pause I 1 cried clara warmly and no one who has not lived with her tier and known her intimately can tell like how ow charming and good she Is she Is like a sunbeam in the house no one who was not good could be fo absolutely happy as she seems to be heaven s last gift I 1 think is a mind so pure and a spirit so high that it Is 1 unable even to see what is impure and evil devil in the world around us as long as we can see it how can we be truly happy she has a deeper side also she does not turn it to the world and it is not natural that she should tor for sl e is very young but she thi thinks iks and has aspina gions of her own you cannot admire her more than I 1 do indeed miss walker I 1 only ask to be brought into nearer relationship with her and to feel that there is a permanent bond between us it had come at last for a moment her ter heart was numbed within her and then a flood of sisterly love loe carried all before it down with the dark thought which would still try to raise s un hallowed head she turned to harold with sparl ling eyes and wards of pleas ure upon her lips I 1 should wish to be near and dear to loth both of you said he be as he took her land band I 1 should wish ida to be my sis ter and you my wife she said nothing she only stood looking at him with parted I 1 ps and great dark questioning eyes the lawn had vanished away the slop ng gard vas ens the brick villas the darkening sky with halt half a pale moon beginning to show over the chimney tops all was gone and she was only conscious of a dark earnest pleading face and of a voice far away disconnected from herself the voice of a man telling a woman how he be loved her he ile was unhappy saia the voice hia his life was a void he had come to the parting of the ways here lay hap illness and honor and all that was high and noble there lay the soul kill hg round the lonely life the base pursuit of money the sordid selfish alms aims he lie needed but the hand of the woman that lie be loved to lead him into the better path and I 1 ow he loved her his life would show he loved her tor for her sweetness for her womanliness for her strength he ile had need of her would she come to hima and then of a sud den as she listened it came home to her that the man was harold denver and that she was the woman and that all cod god s work was very beautiful the green sward beneath her feet the rust ling leaves the long orange slashes in the western sky she spoke she scarce knew what the broken words were but she saw the light of joy shine out on his face and her hand was still in bis ids as they wandered amid the twilight they said no more now but only wan dered and felt each others s presence all was fresh around them tarn fa villar liar and yet new tinged with the beauty of their new found happ nes did you not know it before he asked 1 I 1 did not dare think it what a mask of ice I 1 must wear how could a man feel as I 1 have done without showing if it your sister at leat knew ida it was last night she began to praise you 0 U I 1 said what I 1 felt and then in an F instant tant it was all out I 1 but what could you what could you j bia see jn in me mea oh I 1 do pray that you may not repent it the gentle heart mas as ruffled amid its joy by the thought of its own unworthiness repent it I 1 feel that I 1 am a saved man you do not know row degrading this city life Is how deba ing and et how absorbing money forever clinks in your ear you can think of noti ing else from the bottom of my heart I 1 hate it and yet how can I 1 draw back without bringing grief to my dear old father 9 there was but one way in which I 1 could defy the taint and that was by having a ho home me influence so pure and so high that it may brace me up against all that draws me down I 1 have felt that influence already I 1 know that when I 1 am talking to you I 1 am a better man it is you who must go with me through 1 ife fe or I 1 must walk forever alone oh harold I 1 am so happy still they wandered amid the darkening shadows while one by one the stars peeped out in the blue black sky above them at last a chill night wind blew up from the east and brought them back to the realities of life you must go in you will be cold my father will wonder where I 1 am shall I 1 say anything to him if you like my darl ng or I 1 v will ill in the morning I 1 must tell my mother to n I 1 know how hova delighted she will be I 1 do hope so me take lou ou up the garden path it is so dark your lamp Is not I 1 t yet then dearest till tomorrow harold my own darling he ile stooped and their lips met for the first time then as she pushed open the folding windows she heard his quick firm step as it passed down the graveled path A lamp N TV as lit as she entered it tie e room and there was ida dancing about like a mischievous I 1 atle fairy in front of her and have you anything to tell meb she asked with a solemn face then suddenly throwing her arms round her sisters sister s neck oh you dear dear old clara I 1 am so pleased I 1 am so pleased CHAPTER VII VENIT VENIT T WAS just three days after the doc doe tor ter and the admiral had congratulated each other upon the closer tie which was to unite their two families and to turn their friend ship into something even dearer and more intimate that miss ida walker fe re calved a letter which cause caused I 1 her some surprise and considerable amusement it was dated from next door and was handed in by the red headed page after breakfast dear miss ida began this curious document and then relapsed suddenly into the third person mr charles hopes that he may have the pleasure of a ride with miss ida walker upon his tandem tricycle mr charles will firing bring it round in half an hour you in front yours very truly chaales the whole was written in a large loose jointed and hand very thin on oil the up strokes and thick on the down as though care and pains had gone to the fashioning of it strange as was the form the mean ing was clear enough so ida hastened ta to her room and had hardly slipped on her I 1 grey cycling dress when she saw the tandem with its large occupant at the door he ire handed her up to her saddle with a more solemn and thought ful face than was usual with him and a few moments later they were flying along the beautiful smooth suburban roads in the direction diree tion of forest hill the great I 1 abs of the athlete made the heavy machine spring and quiver with every stroke while the mignon grey figure the laughing face and the golden curls blowing from under the little pink banded straw hat simply held firmly to her perch and let tr treadles eadIes whirl round beneath her feet mile after mile they flew the wind beat ing in her face the trees dancing past in two long ranks an on either side until they had passed round croydon and were approaching norwood once more from the further side ide aren t you tired she asked glanc ing over her shoulder and turning to wards him a little pink ear a fluffy golden curl and one blue eye twinkling from the very corner of its lid not a bit I 1 am just getting my swing isn tit t it wonderful to be strong you always remind IBS me of a steam engine why a steam engine well because it Is so powerful and rel reliable lale and unreasoning well I 1 didn dian t mean that last you know but but you know what I 1 mean what la Is the matter with youa why because you have something on your mind you have not laughed once he broke into a gruesome laugh I 1 am quite jolly said he oh no you are not and why did you write me such a dreadfully stiff letter there now he cried I 1 was sure it was stiff then why write it ita it wasn gasn t my own composition whose then your oh no it was a person of the name of slattery goodness who is he I 1 knew it would come outi felt that it would you ve heard of slattery the authors never he is wonderful at expressing him self he wrote a book called the secret solved or letter writing made easy it gives you models of all sorts of let ida burst out laughing so you actu ally copied one it was to invite a young lady to a picnic but I 1 set to work nork and soon go it changed so that it w ud uld do very well slattery seems reems nev r to h have alv e asked any one to ride a tandem but B u t when I 1 had written it it seemed so dreadfully stiff that I 1 had to put a lit it tie begh ning and end of my own which seemed to brighten it up a good deal I 1 thought there was 6 t f anny abr abc t the beginning and end did you fancy your noticing noticing t the difference in stale how quick yola bod are re I 1 am very slow at things like that I 1 ought to have been a woodman or gamekeeper or something I 1 was vms made on those lines but I 1 have found some thing now what Is that then ranching I 1 have a chum in texas and he says it Is a rare life I 1 am to buy a share in his business it Is all in the open air shooting and riding and sport would it would it inconvenience you IOU much ida to come out there with me mea ida nearly fell oft off her perch in her amazement the only words of which she could think were my goodness me so she said them it if it would not upset your plans or change your arrangements in any way he had slowed down and let go of the steering handle so that the great machine crawled aimlessly about from one side of the road to the other I 1 know very well that I 1 am not clever or anything of that sort but still I 1 would do all I 1 can to make you very happy don t you think that in time you might come to I 1 ke me a little bit ida gave a cry of fright I 1 won wont t like you it if you run me against a brick wall she said as the machine rasped against the curb do attend to the steering yes I 1 will but tell me ida whether you will come with me oh I 1 don t know its it s too absurd how can we ve talk about such things wl en I 1 cannot see you youa 9 you speak to the nape of my neck and then I 1 have to twist my head round to answer I 1 know that was why I 1 put you in front upon my letter I 1 thought that it would make it easier but it you would prefer it I 1 will stop the machine and then you can sit around and talk about it good gracious cried ida fancy our sitting face to face on a motionless tricycle acle in the middle of the road and all the people looking out ot of their win dows at us it would look rather tunny funny wouldn t well then suppose that we both get off and push the tandem along tn in front of us oh no thi this Is 1 better than that or I 1 could larry carry the thing ida burst out laughing that would be more absurd still then we will go quietly and I 1 will look out tor for steering I 1 won t talk about it at all if you would rather not but I 1 really do love you very much and you would make me happy if you came to texas with me and I 1 think that per hapa haps after a time I 1 could make you happy too but your aunt oh she would like it very much I 1 can understand that your father might not like to lose you I 1 m sure I 1 wouldn t either it if I 1 were he but after all amer lea ica Is not very far off nowadays and Is not so very wild we would take a grand piano and and a copy of browning and denver and his wife would come over to see us we should be quite a family party it would be jolly ida sat listening to the stumbling words and awkward phrases which were whispered from the back of her but there was something in charles west bacott s clumsiness of speech which waa was more moving than the words of the most eloquent of pleaders he paus paused ed d he stammered be he caught his breath be tween the words and he blurted out t in little blunt phrases all the hopes of his heart if love had not come to her yet there was at least pity and sym pathy which are nearly akin to it wonder there was also that one so weak and trai as she should shake this strong man so should have the whole course of his I 1 fe waiting for her deci slon sion her left hand was on the cushion at her side he leaned forward and took it gently in his own she did not try to draw it back from him may I 1 have it said he for I 1 fe tea oh do attend to your steering said she smiling round at him and don t sav any more about this today please don t when shall I 1 know then oh tonight tomorrow I 1 don t know I 1 must ask clara talk about some ang else and they did talk about something else but her left hand was still en closed in his and he knew without ask ing again that all was well TO BE |
