Show I 1 I 1 j y y S 1 l U at 9 t ia CHAPTER VII continued 0 do you know dear girl such a proceeding never occurred to me that may have been because I 1 regarded these things as property to be disposed of in an emer emergency gepty they seem a part of myself norr because each one recalls some memory I 1 exchange for any amount of gold but I 1 confess to being rather bumball dumb dum ball all things considered your father has a nice taste himself ile he would have been impressed dons voice was rueful and nora promised well impress him betl ill make the most of these assets in my next letter for despite james lamberts continued silence leondras Leo noras chatty chronicles of her own doings had been unfailing they seemed to bridge the gap a little to bring him nearer and to know that he knows were well and happy is something it she asked don wistfully one day in late september its a great deal to a loyal soul like you he answered and turned away because the momentary sadness in her eyes had hurt him come on nora he called with cheer from the porch five minutes later tides out what say we tramp a mile or two on the hard sand it was an ail hour later when they discovered the stable beyond the dunes its ugly cupola with tiny windows of red amber and purple glass caught noras eyes and turning inland they explored what once had beena been a homesite house must have burned said don looking into a gaping cellar hole now overrun with fireweed A pity the barn gokoo go too nora its a blot on the landscape but the view from here is glorious come and see nora was standing before the stable door its queer the owners owners rebuild after living in such a heavenly place and queerer grinned don his eyes lifting to the cupola that those gay enticing windows have escaped the stone throwing prowess of some small boy ina in a village the same temptation would have been beed fatal to thi the windows window sJ I 1 meant 1 11 I never could understand that destructive trait in the you youthful ahful male said leonora only because the youthful female cant hit a target it if she tries my dear goehl nora youre right about this view anever I 1 never saw a finer stretch of ocean its a big barn it this look like farm land either well we roust must begetting be getting on it were to return via vla the post office and finish our supper before dark the postmaster produced one letter noras heart quickened as he held it out quickened until she saw the foreign stamp Is it fromar from mr venable don nodded tearing it open eagerly for once unmindful of her disappointment ile he read it sauntering along the village street his cifes hand haild on his arm preventing him from colliding with trees or light posts he smiled as he read chuckled lost to everything save this message from his friend and tor for the moment nora folt felt strangely gely shut out forgotten then don turn turned e d and she saw that his eyes were shining with some awakened interest 1 I just skimmed through the thing he told her happily ill read it aloud soon as we reach the shack ven writes a bully letter he wants us to loin join them in italy next month nora says theres no end of things I 1 could do and write about knows an english editor chos keen for that sort of stuff and will pay wellbor well for it says that constance wants to snowdon know Don grinned at the tarus thrust if im still oblivious to the necessity of filthy luceel what i do you think of the plan darling how does boesa a wint winter erat at capri appeal to you youre cureto sure to fall tor for ven and connie and the youngsters and love you nora bow right down and worship or imless I 1 miss rny my guess were footloose foot loose now I 1 cant perceive a single reason why we do it lets go and nora who was beginning to suspect a good and sufficient clent reason for staying home looked into her husbands eager face lighted once more with the love of roaming that was so i much a part of him and answered gamely lessl Let sl on a crisp october day some three weeks later they sailed for naples despite a promise of winter in the air nora left the shack almost reluctantly and remembering the dismay with which she had regarded the place a lew few months earlier was forced to smile at her changed attitude but it was home to her now when the girl asked herself and with lust just cause perhaps wo wod d they have another don absorbed in eager preparation tio for the new adventure aie felt no regrets no visible regrets at least this hurt nora a little foolish though she knew the hurt to be perhaps she mused her husband would feel differently were he aware of the secret she was guarding but it must remain a secret until they got away on that nora was resolved otherwise don might sense her ridiculous dread of starting out for a foreign country at just this time might even insist on changing oil all their plans and that she argued be fair to him after all she married this soldier of fortune with her eyes eye wide open she known held hed never be happy tied to a home and there was no sane reason why they go it if she had a mother to be near her here a i sister but there was no one not even a father as things stood now why should she care and like a beacon light its cheerful rays piercing the tog was the steadying thought of constance venable leonora was pondering on this chii one afternoon when she tramped alone up the deserted beach the shack was in order I 1 ready tor for their e arly early departure in the morning D don 0 n haa had accompanied jim perkins to the station with their luggage such swell luggage dar 11 jil I 1 I 1 J don lifted the rusty hasp ling he said gleefully thanks to 6 your father for sending on those steamer trunks trunk sl 1 and nora overcome with what she considered an unwarranted attack of homesickness was making a gallant effort to walk it off yes she was thinking as she watched a gull dive gracefully down in search of sustenance there would be constance venible venable don had told her so much about the older woman that she seemed a friend constance had had tour four child children ren philip the youngest was born abroad etwas it was silly to worry even for ona one minute connie would tell her what to do of course nora moved softly not wishing to disturb a flock of sandpipers sand pipers hurrying along in the wake of a receding wave but at her cautious step they seemed to sense some danger lifted their wings and like the famous S ladybug thought the girl whimsically flew away home watching their swift sure passage she found herself envying those birds a little they recalled some words she must have heard in childhood A verse out of the bible it the foxes nave ave holes and the birds of the air aar have nests but the sop son of man hath not where to lay his head how true that was of a vagabond like donl and how long wondered dons wife had those old old words lain dormant in her brain waiting to stir at sight of a flock of sandpipers sand pipers flying to shelter nora turned toward the dunes wishing although she have said why to gaze on something less re restless atless than the sea conscious that nostalgia still had bad the ippei hand band somehow it must be van squished before don returned their last honeymoon supper must be a happy one happy tor for both of them but rm im pretty tired and have walked so far she told herself as the stable explored not long before came into view its varicolored cupola windows sparkling like jewels in the sunlight there was a seat in front of the old barn a pew from some abandoned church why not rest there for a while feast her eyes on that matchless vista of curving shore beyond the boy bay get back her calmness and then go home to don what a beautiful rora laora breathed deeply the sweet scent of balsam how her father would love iti and with this thought she saw into her own heart fading facing the knowledge that her reluctance in going so far away lay in the fact that she could not reach james lambert should he need her true he had been curiously unforgiving for one who had forgiven so much in others in their tragic parting he had been neither fair to don nor generous to herself yet the girl knew that it if anything happened that fateful anything we cannot voice her father would send for her she knew that should she tall fall to come safely through the valley of the shadow which lay ahead he would be at her side with don when the lights went out and the she was going away J far tar far beyond the reach of those steady comforting hands she loved so dearly noras eyes misted the lovely distant shore became a blur A lump rose in her throat she could not swallow it and ana said aloud a valorous effort to pull herself to gether hold tight noral conj dont be a baby everything has its price it did you really expect to avoid paying be your age cant you remember youre not a butterfly any more its just as well dad kept those silver slippers slipper sl 1 dont you dare cry or ill be ashamed ol of you 1 I she sprang up startled hearing nothing yet cannily aware of an approaching presence then she saw don emerging from between the highest dunes ile he waved came toward her rapidly not even that I 1 dragging sand she noticed could take the lightness from his tread geel gee woman you gave me the dickens of a mcarel he sank quite breathless onto the old pew draw ing her down beside him 1 I actu ally wondered tor for a moment a terrible moment noral nora it if been then I 1 discovered your footprints in the wet sand and the rest was easy but dont you dare run oft off like this again and leave no message ive got a a palpitation feel my heart you boosel said nora and at something in her voice don turned scanning her closely why the matter nothing im lust just a little tired Non nonsense I 1 think youre homesick only only a bit weve been so happy here he smiled at that Is happiness a matter of location silly ot cour course se not but she hesitated and don said with mock severity usten listen to me madam something has given you the blues our last day tool too I 1 I 1 shant allow it what does it matter where we are if were together why were going to have a wonderful winter noral nora italy the narrow streets of 0 capri warmth and s sunshine good friends like ven and connie when we want ern em and always each other sweetheart why are you sad no reason admitted nora smiling at him no reason at all then ln in a defensive effort to change the subject don do you realize what were sitting on returned he turned stood up regarding a carved post with interest it looks like it la is a pew out of some old church nora Tora do you see this carving it must have been done in the days when carpentry was an art and a man worked tor for the love of his task as we all should now A hewl A real old fashioned pew it say cant you imagine the family that used to occupy it first mother rustling up the aisle on sunday morning in her best black silk followed by three no his eyes were measuring the seats capacity four kidd kiddies les hushed and important each one clasping his penny for the contribution box and lastly father very dignified you know anda and a bit uncomfortable in his sunday suit shoes squeaking a little while so some me prim old maid the village music teacher plays soft music on a melodeon con see it nora see all noras noraa troubles were lostin lost in this picture of dons imagination why its every bit as plain as it if id been there do you know don I 1 I 1 believe you could write a bobki 11 don laughed at the thought his eyes still on the ancient carving maybe I 1 could a book that nobody but you would read do you know he added after a thoughtful moment gilt it goes against everything in me leaving a splendid piece ot of work like taisto this to be batte battered redby by the ahe tempests of a new england winter why be burled buried in snow for or weeks and weeks noral nora I 1 seem right does it a pew out of an old church it if I 1 knew who owned the thing 1 I 1 I believe id buy it and cart it to the shack what say we wa set it inside the barn dear this doors not locked I 1 believe I 1 tried it the other day already he was lifting tho the ru rusted S ted hasp putting his shoulder to the heavy door then ho he hir turned ried arid and nora saw that her husbands thoughts were far away from that weather beaten stable beside the tha sea 1 I cant help wondering about the man who carved these posts he observed dreamily 1 I cant help thinking how id feel myself if after creating anything so good it was left neglected in such a place you see the chap who did this carving plit put his heart into it ho he must have or the work be so BO perfect for all we know it may have been his masterpiece and he was carving glory of god nora something he thought perin anent something he thought would be a martof part of that old church long long after he was gone and perhaps forgotten don paused flushing a little as he met her eyes abam am aal I 1 an idiot nora to wan want i to save it tor him she answered rising you are a dreamer but I 1 love you forit tor it don don lif lifted t ed the r rusted hasp and ana putting his shoulder to the heavy door found it unlocked and youre a marvel to understand he told her ardently 11 most any other girl would think me crazy lend a hand with that end de dear ar and well have it safe ate inside in no time geel as they laid their burden down what a peach of a barnt im going to climb into the cupola i ive a longing to look out of those 1 colored windows and risk br breaking akong a leg degso so we cant start tomorrow retorted nora really don I 1 believe theres no one in the world just lik like e you one minute youre a thoughtful idealist then presto change I 1 A bit of colored glass transforms you into yes ves that was donl nora was thinking of this when hours later she lay trying to sleep yet unable to close her eyes as she wat watched cheda a harvest icon brighten the room that a dreamer wh saw into the hearts of others his imag 1 inactive sympathy might ru run n away with him at times as it had today perhaps buff without that quality without his unfailing capacity tor for seeing the he other fel fellows lowi side would he be able to regard her father without bitterness I 1 her father I 1 leonora had put the thought of him behind her during the last few hours their supper had been a gay affair A bowl of late purple asters adorned the afie table her biscuits were fluffy buffy as as could be desired and an deven e ven james lambert would have praised the since they must rise at al six they had turned in early but it Is one thing to go to bed and quite another to drop abonce at once into refreshing slumber lumber TO HE BE CONTINUED |