| Show honeymoon ho mountain I 1 I 1 by FRANCES SHELLEY WEES copyright by frances shelley wee service CHAPTER IX continued to 19 and his bis tenderness toward her hla his hand over hers sitting there in the twilight what was that then I 1 deborah got up and went into her bedroom she stood before her mirror and lifted her eyes to the girl la in the class the faded gingham dress the braided hair she looked like some gome forlorn little orphan youngster who needed deeded someone to love her bryn was kind he was sorry for her the feeling he had for her was pity she pressed her lips alpa together demly to stop their trembling she went into her bathroom and bathed tier her eyes eye in cold water arid and just at that moment she heard the sound of joes horn far down the mountain three long bla blasts ats and two short ones a pause three long notes and two short ones deb oraha heart sprang up into her throat she tore open opa her door and raced down the stairs to grandmother and madeline out on the veranda arinda at the foot of the stairs she caught the sound of voice going steadily on with shadows an on the rok rock deborah topped stopped atthe at the sound of that calm voice and ste steadied added hers herself elf then chin up dp she walked out serenely and smiled at Grandm grandmother othet she dropped down on an the step and sat there waiting A low humming cummin sound made itself felt on on the air krose it rose to a whine the shining top of a motor car appeared sliding along outside the wall it slowed abruptly and swung in to ward the gates gary started down don n the drive it looks as if we had guests grandmother said interrupting madeline 1 I wonder who it can bel be its probably another plumber madeline said bald languidly gary had reached the gates sc he I 1 opened them and passed through but thin then after a moments colloquy with the driver of the car whom deborah could not see he came back to the gates again and swung them wide and the long blue car jolted a R little and come came on an through deborah Debor put a slow hand to her hei throat but it was not stuart graham driving it was a woman a girl ing in n a bri bright glit jred red silk beret anda and a red jacket X gary plodded along behind the car afterpe after r lie he had shut abut the gates a and lid locked I 1 them the car came slowly up pobe the drivel drive and add stopped opposite the lie end end of the veranda 1 ahe the girl got ou out and deborah knew tier her she wits was tall and very slim with a long oval face and a vry very rd led mouth her eyes were black and sleepy like a cats with slow black laches lights drooping over them deborah and found madeline at her tide side they went down the steps step s its pilar 11 Madel madeline lne said under tier her breath und and deborah nodded ali ah madeline pilar sold said in a voice that made a tune she moved forward and lether hand rest lightly on elbow holding iier her as shea looked down at deborah and this she on caressingly this will be little deborah my bli child child you are adorable thank you deborah said sweetly and butout putout put out her hand in welcome 1 I am so fio glad you have come I 1 am sure you must be pilar I 1 have heard so much about you allar looked a little startled but she he lost not a whit ot of her poise slip looked at madeline and larent t you gw glad fo 6 beeme see me t too madeline oh rather madeline said coolly i and turned back toward the veranda berand a lie we must take you to grandmother 11 deborah explained as Il billars lars eyes lifted to the delicate old face turned toward her lovely vely pilar said in an audible whisper oh lovely grandmother deborah murmured this Is miss davillo ab she la 14 another friend f sallys Sally sand and im so happy to 16 welcome you my dear grandmother said warmly we ere are having such a pleasant dleasant time nnie I 1 am am viry very glad you have come to join cs oh thank you illar murmured and held grandmothers hand quite un necessarily long she straightened Si monand tubby and bryn all silent caine came around the end of the veranda bryns face as he glanced it at deborah was very queer and stift stiff tubby was white simon looked detached as usual but tits his eydi eyes went at once to pilar allar and she stood there fora for a moment beside grandmother beside deborah she put her hand lightly on od deborahh Debo shoulder before she moved and brn looked althem at them together so PIlar beautiful and narl awl perfect down donn to the last gleaming fingernail finger nail nall shining tri ld the sun sun deborah small and t in n her faded gingham angha nil 1 allar siaw ohe went forward and held beld out eill balb afi hands my dear bryd bod 11 die eald affectionately but how boyr well you look and how happy 1 allow allow afi me to congratulate you I 1 mink she as Is toe the level loveliest lest thing I 1 bae ever seen 09 grandmother rand mother looked up a at a deborah and deborah calm abw new with cold and frozen where her heart bad berun some gome abort ibort urno ago io to ache smiled gently and contentedly back 0 4 0 the rain which had threatened for twenty four hours came at lost last on tuesday night deborah I 1 lay ay awa akaka and listO listened nid to 19 the soft steady fall oo on the balcony floor outside her bedroom window she found herself wishing ardently that it might rain hard bard and long so go that the road might be impassable to stuart graham so that nothing further should break lu in upon the peace and loveliness of the sum mer days but that was a useless wish she knew the peace and ad loveliness were already gone aliar was ns very ey beautiful but bat the most troubling thing about her was the so obvious fact that she belonged to bryns world his real world that she was vart part of tits his own life and always had been and not just a chance passerby whose path had happened to meet his bis and for a time followed along close beside it madeline and sally and simon and tubby were out of bryns life too but somehow before illar came deborah realized what a different life it was from tier her own how far away and impossible pilar was very kind and she did her best to draw draft deborah into the conversations and at al ways waya stopped carefully to explain any thing that she thought would bo be un familiar or strange to deborah in a wa way y that sally and madeline never neier had thought of doing cut but milars vilars very kindness and thoughtfulness seemed to emphasize deborahh Debo with the world bryns bryn s world and its customs customs all the time she had tilt felt lost and forlorn and alone because this was bryna j ap world and bryns life a mod ern sophisticated pageant in which she had no part and because it made her see how drab and dull and uninteresting tier her own ufa life of cucumber frames and brook trout and made over clothes must be to him and 01 11 ills his talk about knittl knitting ng and winter evenings by the hearth and tho the kittens he would mould get for tier her all tits his interest in that simple sort snit or of thins thing was pretended for her salm sal c bryn was aa 4 0 her eyes were black and sleepy like a C cats a va agent a lewan and he lived up to his bargains to the last pencil stroke not by word or suggestion would he let her discover how bored and lull he was going to dad the rest of ills his year here on the mountain nor with what biffl culty lie he was going to earn the money she bile would PRY pay him deborah slept very little that night life that only yesterday tad seemed so beautiful and serene was becoming complicated and unhappy there t seem to be anything ahead but more difficulties and a lonely unhappy time because bryn would go back to allar when abe year basup as up and when lie he did there t be anybody at nobody could elerbe ever be like bryn even een if lie were only pretending but there would have to be a way to make him stop pretending deborah knew because it if lie he went bh on like this evea though th the elook look in his eyes was only th the e tenderness ond ona feels tor for a child or a lost puppy she go ing to be able to bear it when at the end of the jear lie drove out of the big gatiss gates tm leave her forever the was cold and grey al though die rain had stopped at dawn deborah had them laia ay a gri alre in the sm small all sitting room downstairs so that or grandmother might not feel a chill 11 here when breakfast was over allar and madeline and sally and grand mother mothe and lier herself self were sitting sifting the three nica men were outside 1 pilar la in a beautiful dres I 1 forne very Aae flue woollen material ark crimson color sat sai beside I 1 witcher with her feet fee tout out on a to lo oa 01 w and a loni long cigarette holder between her fingers she could see up into the orchard too and deborah noticed that tier her eyes went to bryn frequently although site she gave no sign grandmother was in ii a low chair beside the fire Us iii toning to pilar with kith the same fascinated interest she had shown last night watching hr her taking in every ciery perfect detail of her grooming 1 I hope you dont mind my coming here uninvited lik like ethis this mrs larned lamed 11 shyang ja het her biow low voice 1 11 I found myself comple completely iely deserted deserted and lonely add il f I 1 stand it it any 1 longer l TO RE BE CONTINUED |
