Show PA ADE A by evelyn campbell s copyright by evelyn campbell THE STORY linda lind Haver hills neer do well father dies when ahe he la Is seventeen leav leaving in g her litt little e beronil some come worthless a tock stock these theae she he takes to her father friend senator converse to dig pose of after a whirlwind courtship linda marrlee courtney roth hoth too lus luke she bhe dincov era he Is a pent penniless adventurer living by his wits roth dies in switzerland linda continues to live like a homr ii of wealth the venator senator supplies tier her with mon money t y keeping up the that hat her stock lr ir yielding it on a tr trip p she ehe meets drum brian anesey ile he helps her out of an embar ra ragging salris situation CHAPTER ill III continued 7 their eyes met hers tool cool and mocking and tits a little imri ani and bewildered suddenly they reed how bow little they jhc thc knew of one ti nother yet they wore were wasting time tn in generalities and tomorrow this hiim ii 1 over tile the worldliness of a flying train would obliterate till nil this jle he drew tier lier to a window outside tin th radius of mhd lie big ru rth stove where the other travelers were unhappily congregated the panes were covered with lovely frost castles and piny peaks that reminded linda of switzerland gut but brian obliterated nil fill this with its his warmed handkerchief A little town drowsing with its covers half over its head was revealed lights winked through the drift that was beginning again dark smoke from burdened chimneys colled coiled slowly upward belated figures huddled in shapeless wraps hurried past do you like it he asked when when she had been silent a while 1 I would like to go and walk there site she said in a subdued voice this time they borrowed gaiters fro from tile landlords daughter huge knee high cloth and rr I 1 overalls I 1 lined with thick cheerful red wool their owner called them and cheerfully helped to fasten straps linda so clothed clothe d could scarcely lift her feet and when a red knitted shawl was tied around her head and neck site she gasped and called herself a mummy the group of women beside tile the stove murmured together and looked tit nt her superciliously but brian anstey seemed to consider these precautions merely sensible out but of doors a piercing still cold ness pressed their lungs until they gasped gasped out fords that were frost nipped before they left their throats linda was trying to say she could not endure it she must go back but lie he took her hand and drew her stumbling after him along alib the beaten paths of if tile the little town little houses hidden by christmas trees larger houses shouldering thi the storm lights everywhere every eherd warm and inviting 1 I want to see inside linda pleaded and then they began a gatine that mi 0 only ir jonely lonely grownups ever play creeping are muffling they would reach a window and peer fearfully within some times they saw it little family father mother and children and sometimes it was a young mother alone rocking her baby then there would be youri young people w tcheng aching one another shyly and ami secretly married or about to be mm mar ried lt it showed upon their revealed faces that this was all that mattered but it was nil all pantomime allme silenced by walls and windowpanes they could never hear a sound from those moving voiceless lips they went too far tn in this engross ing game and found themselves yes tit at the edge of file he town where life suddenly aea ceased ed in the midst of blank fields linda exhausted 1 I must rest sire gasped and leaned against a fence post but how can we know that they tire are happy she asked bitterly hIt terly when she could speak we ve only iiii the outside of things lil it might alight have been frightful inside those houses ile he looked tit at her in a troubled way weve come too far I 1 intend to carry you back he seemed to lieve forgotten what they were kint about linda started and laughed nervous ly what non nonsense I 1 slie she she looked around unfound they were utterly alone in the midst of tin nn knipl world distances magnified by abit intense whiteness and stillness became f me enormous she remembered that she did not not knaf th this Is man lie was was a sir stranger in fit tile the gloom she could not see fits face but only the bulkot fits broad shout ders and the length of ills his arms strange evil terrible thoughts surged upward in her cpr mind all the arms that had reached f for r her hungrily greedily in these elusive denra were there around her she ehlt it her lip to 0 o keep from crying tut out realizing thal inart tier lier exhausted voice could moke riot ni headway in that air lie ilo took 0 step stel toward tier her and slie site put oui out tier her hands feebly lie ile I 1 put tit ii his Is arms anns around her her bet and easily she could not struggle russle st life and strength were ebbing from her under her breath sh she e whispered something trying to tight light the unreasoning terror that had tier her in its possession zes sion just put your urica around my deck so said brian 1 I can do this easily ap obe bhe oberea geco eca use shii had no strength she was nn an inert bundle of clothes clot lies and helpless body tie ho could have lone done anything carried tier her tiny any where for she had no resistance but instead stend In lie ho stepped out on the lie path and began to walls walk steadily sten dlly toward tile the town again site she could hear tile the easy mons measured tired murmur of his heart site she closed tier her eyes and imagined alie he was lying against a warm wall hla his breast ivas was like ilke that flint fits arms were like in n cradle site she remembered she had been afraid and wondered why that silly terror was as far behind her as weariness for now life was coming coining back strange life that searched out the remotest nerves of tier her body and turned them into fine quivering strings she felt his arms tremble and tier her cheek against his breast told her his heart was pounding suddenly slip she was hot 1 and gasping put me down site she cried gling 1 I 1 am so heavy you must be half dead hut but no tie he was was not even a little donil dead me lie let tier her slip sill to the ground iut but his own hands fell to tier her shoulders and clung citing there ills eyes lighted with queer yellow sparks held cpr own site she felt nalin med and writhed under tinder what she rend there f adl ot she knew that he knew about her ten fear annd and what she had retired feared they walked slowly back to tha hotel nearly all tile lights were out and they realized they had given grounds for scandal when they sav the face of tile the proprietor before tits hla knocked eyes alte hey went up the stairs and stopped before lindas door 1 I will see you in the morning of course slie silo stilled stifled a yawn site she was thinking of something that gave her nn an ugly shock site she had to see him in the morning site she had coun counted ted upon that and it would have been so BO much nicer to let him go now walt site she was turning to open tier her door but she bad to obey tits his voice it was wistful again 1 I wish believe in n things again its easy if you try she laughed CHAPTER IV Flutter Flut ings linda was dining with senator converse 1 I 1 told henri hi arl to see to the duckling himself he grumbled and see what ho he lias has brought no wonder youre not eating where Is lie he he lle glanced around the room but linda interfered there Is nothing wrong pray iray dont make a scene she said in her ley icy sweet voice slie she never touched anything when she dined with him to watch him pawing over his food ordering more and devouring it with its his eyles eyes wa was too much the dinners were always pe perfect I 1 1 e et a and nd sho she felt 11 earls eyes humid with reproach upon tier every moment rut but unless slie she could have closed tier her eyes and ears throughout the meal she could not concu conquer er the dist distaste n ste wit with b which converse always affected her ond in frequent tor for two or three years hurt begun to occur with some regularity linda did not dread seeing him its as she had before courtney koblis time something hard and brittle like a thin she shell 11 b had ad grown over tier her spirit in this time so that words and looks even the contact of ills his hot hands could not reach tier her she did not fear him there were remote f fastnesses fast as tu nesses e s ses within tier her where she could retreat and where lie he could never foll follow dv the unlucky duckling had find gone ats djs way when the senator senn tor mumbling behind ills his napkin wanted to know the herlson to which heoweg he owed the pleasure of tier her society site she flushed slowly playing with tier her fork why are you so certain there la in a reason 7 perhaps I 1 was only bored tie he gave her the little glance site tinted those small eyes front from thel their ledge of losli flesh seemed to know everything nonsense my dear clear all women want something besides food when they telephone nn an old man and ask him to dinner CONTINUED |