Show his H i g vacation a C ion 7 ata cookie C okie I 1 by GENE GENEVRA v RA COOK F allom ROI the moment he saw shirley cookson donald bunn loved her sh she a was standing out on the rocks rock a that jutted butted into the lake a slim delicate figure one hand g gathering around her slender blender body a brief blue bine beach coat the other raised high to wave at him oil oh please are you yon going over to the cove will you tell the crowd I 1 cant come over swimming today jay staved a a hole in the cancel canoe 1 with a practiced sweep of his bronzed arm don swung Us his canoe around and pulled into shore ile he smiled up at her this Is a ferryboat he be said and its all ready for the fairy I 1 shirley shook the soft spun gold curls curia back from her forehead and held out her hand to him its awfully sweet of you prince Char charming 1 and please not to disappear I 1 just like that it was a little breath of romance from fairyland with the sapp sapphire bare gem of a lake la in the berkshire woods for its delicate sparkling setting when they reached the cove hours houra later it seemed though once afterward war they rowed over in tour four minutes he was calling her cookie and she was calling him don ile he knew about her work in new york etching for maa magazines mostly and that she sha wa was s sta staying ing in her con cousins sins cottage the birches for a six weeks vacation one of which was already gone and she knew that he was in business tor for himself in the town at the foot of the lakee real estate and insurance su rance five days of fairyland perfecta perfect breathless freighted with ecstasy and then friday night at sunset as they P paddled addled lazily past the island watching the cool smooth ripples in the silver water there was a shout from the shore oh cookie Cool lel 1 tall dark imperious immaculate in the city mans conception of what to wear in the country he stood there and called to her and do donald bald bunn conscious suddenly of his khaki kaald shirt op open en at the throats throat his wind rumpled hair felt the fragile web of his dreams crumple over the silver water and drift silently away at cookies bidding he be swung the canoe into shore was dimly aware of introductions being performed quite in the new york manner was intensely and aware of the supercilious jay daggett in the bow on monday when jay had gone back to the city it was wonderful to don to be alone with shirley again cut but it could never be quite the same every weekend week end jay came up from new york and talked art and writing and sketching and studio teas and curled his lip at what he designated as the rural joys don help feeling too that jay belonged to cookies world and that cookie belonged to the city and lie he swore to himself that before she went back jay was bringing a car to carry her down with him this sunday he be w would ou I 1 d n not ot tell tel I 1 h her er what was in his heart when they came in from their last morning swim together don paddled slowly up the lake toward the island it was very still suddenly cookie cried oh ob look don theres a box on the rocks pirate treasure levs lets get it IL don fished it out on the end of his paddle it was an oblong wooden box such as are shipped to grocery stores and across it in flaming red letters 0 only n 1 y a I 1 little ittle subdued by tile the water was painted vacation cookies what you are he told her lofti softly my aly vacation cookie tonight be all over vacation and cookie and all he did not see the quick tears come into the violet eyes nor feel the sadness of her deep drawn sigh at sunset he headed the canoe up the lake alone ile he could not bear to watch them drive away together suddenly he heard the swish of a beaching canoe the drag dragging ing of something wooden across the rocks noiselessly he stepped out of the canoe and walked quietly along the shore it was cookie alonet alone she was lying in her canoe her slim arms flung up over the box of vacation cookies and she was crying as though her very heart would break ile he spoke to her gently not to frighten her ile he said cookie then suddenly his arms were round her he was holding her CIO close f e close oh cookie I 1 love you so I 1 you you sald said I 1 I 1 was only you your 0 my vacation cookie I 1 thought you were going to go go back lck and leave me 1 I go jay went alone I 1 I 1 will you be my vacation cookie shirley shir ley after a long time she said softly only I 1 wont be a cookie any looser longer will I 1 nel never er mind cookie he murmured murnel tenderly his bis lap lips close to hers boull you be a bunn com ri glit |