Show 4 M NINN CHAPTER VII continued 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 emergency they seem a part ol of myself nora because each one recalls some memory I 1 exchange for any amount of gold but I 1 confess to being rather dumb all things considered your father has a nice taste himself 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 tier her own doings had been unfailing they seemed to bridge the gap a little to bring him nearer arid 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 S soul out I 1 like ike 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 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 been a homesite house must have burned said don looking into a gaping cellar hole now overrun with fireweed A pity the barn go too nora its a blot on the landscape but the view from here is glorious rious come and see nora was standing before the stable door its queer the 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 in a village the same temptation would have been fatal to the windows I 1 mean 1 I never could understand that destructive trait in the youthful male said leonora only because the youthful female cant hit a target if s she he tries my dear gosh nora you youre re right about this view I 1 never sa saw w a finer stretch of ocean its a big barn it this look like farm land either well we must be getting on if were to return n via 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 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 on his arm preventing him from colliding with trees or light posts ile he smiled as he read chuckled lost to everything save this message from his friend and for the moment nora felt strangely shut out forgotten then don turned 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 hac shack ven writes a bully letter he wants us to 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 well for it says that constance wants to know don grinned at the thrust if im still oblivious to the necessity of filthy lucre what do you think of the plan darling how does a winter at capri appeal to you youre sure to fall for ven and connie and the youngsters and love you nora bow right down and worship or I 1 miss 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 reason tor for staying home looked into her husbands eager face lighted once more with the love of roaming that was so much a part of him and answered gamely Le lets 1 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 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 just cause perhaps would they have another A k don absorbed in eager preparations V for the new adventure felt no regrets no visible regrets at least this hurt nora a little foolish though she knew the hurt to be per haps 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 au all their plans and that she argued be fair to him after all she married this soldier of fortune with her eyes wide open she known hed never be happy tied to a home and there was no sane reason why they go if she had a mother to be near her here a 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 fog was the steadying thought of constance venable leonora was pondering on this one afternoon when she tramped alone up the deserted beach the shack was in order ready for their early departure in the morning don had accompanied jim perkins to the station with their luggage such swell luggage dardon 4 14 fa X if e q i 11 th it W or 41 4 I 1 ah 4 g I 1 I 1 ea CW ri it 11 lifted the rusty hasp ling he said gleefully thanks to your father for sending on those steamer trunks trunk sl 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 g gracefully 1 race fully down in search of sustenance there would be constance venable D don on had told her so much about the older woman oman that she seemed a friend constance had had four children philip the youngest was vas born abroad it was silly to worry even for 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 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 have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the son of man hath not where to lay his hedd how true that was of a vagabond like don 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 lying flying to shelter i nora turned toward the dunes wishing although she have said why to gaze on something less restless than the sea conscious that nostalgia still had the upper hand somehow hov it must be vanquished before don returned their last honeymoon supper must be a happy one happy for both of them but 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 bay get back her calmness and then go home to don what a beautiful nora breathed deeply the sweet scent of balsam how her father would love it and with this thought she saw into her own heart facing the knowledge that her reluctance in going so tar far away lay in the tact fact that she could not reach james lambert should he need her true he had been curiously unforgiving tor for ont on who had fore n ro FO much in others in their tragic parting he had been neither fair to don nor generous to herself yet the girl knew that if anything happened that fateful anything we cannot voice her father would send for her she knew that should she fail to come safely through the valley of the shadow which lay ahead he would be at her side with don when the lights wen out and she was going away far 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 said aloud a valorous effort to pull herself together hold tight noral dont be a baby everything has its price it did dd 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 dont you dare cry or ill be ashamed of you I 1 she sprang up startled hearing nothing yet cannily aware of an approaching presence then she sa saw w don emerging from between the highest dunes he waved came toward her rapidly not even that dragging sand she noticed could take the lightness from his tread geel gee woman you gave me the dickens of a scare lie he sank quite breathless onto the old pew drawing her down beside him 1 I actually wondered for a moment a terrible moment noral nora if been then I 1 discovered your footprints in the wet sand and the rest was easy but dont you dare run off like this again and leave no message ive got a a palpitation feel my heart you goose said nora and at something in her voice don turned scanning her closely why the matter nothing im just a little tired Non nonsense I 1 think youre homesick only only a bit weve been so happy here he smiled at that Js Is happiness a matter of location silly 11 of course not but she hesitated and don said with mock severity listen to me madam something has given you the blues our last day tool I 1 shant allow it what does it matter where we are it if were together why were going to have a wonderful winter noral nora italy the narrow narro w streets of capri warmth and sunshine good friends like ven and connie when we want em and always each other sweetheart why are you sad no reason admitted nora smiling at him no reason at all then in a defensive effort to change the subject don do you realize what were sitting on lie he turned stood up regarding a carved post with interest it looks like it is a pew out of some old church nora do you see this carving it must have been done in the days when carpentry was vas an art and a man worked for the love of his task as we all should now A hewl pew 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 th no ins his eyes were measuring the seats capacity four kiddies hushed and important each one clasping his penny for the contribution box and lastly father very dignified you know and a bit uncomfortable in his sunday suit shoes squeaking a little while some prim old maid the village music teacher plays soft music on a melodeon con see it nora see it noras troubles were lost in this picture of dons imagination why its every bit as plain as if id been there do you know don I 1 I 1 believe you could write a bockl don laughed at the thought his eyes still on the ancient carving j maybe I 1 could a book that noi body but you would read do you know lie he added after a thought i ful moment it goes against everything in me leaving a splendid piece of work like this to be battered by the tempests of a new england winter why be buried in snow tor for weeks and weeks nora seem right does it a pew out of an old church 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 set it inside the barn dear this doors not locked I 1 tried it the other day already he was lifting the rusted hasp putting his shoulder to the heavy door then he turned and nora saw that her husbands thoughts were far away from that weather beaten stable beside the 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 vou see the chap who did this carving put his heart into it he must have or the work be so perfect for all we know it may have been his masterpiece and he was carving to the glory of god nora something he thought permanent something he thought would be a part of that old church long long after he was gone and perhaps forgotten don paused flushing a little as he met her eyes am am I 1 an idiot nora to want to save it for him she answered rising you are a dreamer but I 1 love you for it don don lifted the rusty hasp and putting his shoulder to the heavy door found it unlocked and youre a marvel to understand he told her ardently most any other girl would think me crazy lend a hand with that end dear and well have it safe inside in no time gel gee as they laid their burden down what a peach of a barni im going to climb into the cupola ive a longing to look out of those colored windows and risk breaking a leg so we cant sta start rt tomorrow retorted nora really don I 1 believe theres no one in the world just like you one minute youre a thoughtful idealist then presto change A bit of colored glass transforms you into a little boyl boy yes that was don DOM nora was thinking of this when hours later she lay trying to sleep yet unable to close her eyes as she watched a harvest moon brighten the room that was don a dreamer who saw into the hearts of others his imaginative sympathy might run away with him at times as it had today perhaps but without that quality without his unfailing capacity for seeing the other fellows side would he be able to regard her father without bitterness her father leonora had put the thought of him behind her durin during 9 the last few hours their supper had been a gay affair A bowl of late purple asters adorned the table her biscuits were fluffy as could be desired and even james lambert would have praised the since they must rise at six they had turned in early but it is one thing to go to bed and quite another to drop at once into refreshing slumber TO BE |