| Show hornets nest by GERTRUDE ROBINSON 0 mcclure arv L AT T THE crossroads john kay stepped down from the bus bua and bag in hand climbed the bars bara into the pasture swell of the rapa strawberries red cows wading in the brook the bent cedar tree at the foot of the lane behind which lay his camp there was even the hornets nest hanging like a misty little balloon from the cedars one ona twisted eastward arm it all made a shameful sick feeling come up in his throat lie ile was a fool to have come then he saw that there was somebody in the hollowed out seat in the gray boulder across across the brook somebody with a ruddy head smooth as luster ware in the sun still dropping his bag in the tall grass he crossed the brook on stepping stones it was all the same even jane by the time he had reached tier her his speech was on the up tip of his tongue 1 I dream of you here JEW jane justean Ju stran down for the weekend week end 11 instead hes heswood he stood to 0 S before her mouth foolishly open it was jane who spoke the same upward quirk at the left lef corner ot of her mouth why kaj dream of it you tearing yourself from your office and business humming again and im using your camp she spoke regretfully 1 I took your word for it about my being free to come here but of course the same dragging slur to her vowels the same husky maddeningly dear catch in her low voice i kay dropped on the grass im only here for an hour or so to get some books I 1 want he be continued to invent thanking his lucky stars stara lie he had left its his big out of sight well have tea before you gp go kny kay winced at tile the eb charming arming hospitality pita lity of her tone just so would she speak to old doctor thorp youre not going abroad ue ile managed a smooth casualness click of knitting needles above his head 1 I decided not to things came up A man not that ive any business asking it if its that asinine donkey wayne 11 he caught his breath in a hard bard thread you and its not jane slid from the rock with a cool of smooth alln linen en draped the red silk scarf she was knitting over her should shoulders ers and went rustling through gh the tall grass but it Is a man and ive come down here to fian try ry to decide what to do about him the clock on the church tower struck four notes an hour and hed be on the way back to town on that confounded bus on the wa across the stream to retrieve his bag he heard jane scream the th next neit moment he had turned and was pursuing a slim gray figure flashing past the old celar tree in its wake was a gray misting snarling cloud past the juniper thicket past the cedar tree where a red scarf hung from the swinging hornets nest at last lie had tier her in his arms and was making for the mud hole by the brook brool tile the little gray demons swarmed lied for a moment about his face and then a merciful whiff of 0 wind swept them down the meadow ile he put jane down on the grass ther ivere were no stings on her face or her hands but tier her lips were puckered like a child too proud to cry ay my iy feet she jojin joll kay snatched off the red sanda sandals on the bare ankles were angrily swelling selling lumps one moment he was scooping up handfuls of brown sticky clay mud all and plastering it over the slim feet tile tho no next at he was peeling off his shirt rending it in silken strips and binding the long rags over the mud laud plasters They lye stopped hurting she said fit last Il maybe laybe I 1 can walk to the camp for answer john kay lifted her andl and went trampling through the afi lanyi I 1 list hat led through a honeysuckle he hedge id e to the lodge on the thres threshold holdi of the living room he hesitated the anger that had been seething in him ever since he saw jane on the bowlder boulder their emilder boulder where he first made love to her boiled over there was the fireplace laid for lighting the big wicker chairs the j table ble set for two unceremoniously he dropped jane jana on the window box bos so youre having him here too much jane jane had slumped eyes closed he felt for her pulse it bent beat like a husky little engine under his hand youre putting it on jane what I 1 in n heavens name do you mean if I 1 I 1 should miss that bus bui rive five clear notes from the town clock A shrieking of brakes down the hill t a flash of brown and red from the state highway jane was sitting up you have I 1 was put up to it though to make you doit do it you big pigheaded pig headed donkey she began unrolling theril the mud ud bandages lie he caught jane in one arm and with tile the otter other the telephone toward ow ard him you knew I 1 was coming 1 ngau and djou you came first janes voice was muffled against his fils coat 1110 do call tompkins and tell him to stop those divorce papers she said 1 |
