Show honeymoon honeymon mountain by FRANCES SHELLEY WEES copyright by francos shelley wee service CHAPTER X continued 13 graham backed off precipitately just a minute tubby said sald softly where did you get all your infer ma matlon alon about our hero its none of dour your dama busl neis ness graham said let him go bryn said sharply to tubby its obvious it ellar blick back in the shadows stirred with a set frozen face she rose walked past grandmother and deborah and bryn standing er anahit at the top odthe of the steps and past graham staring at her she got into her car and without a backward glance was gone the morning bryn discovered had somehow whirled itself away pilar allar was gone graham was gone tubby and madeline bad gone wan dering oft off into the woods sally herself had bad taken a cushion out to the lawn after lunch with that avowed intention of getting another layer of suntan sun tan but she had promptly gone to sleep there in the heat and simon fiad bad carried out an umbrella and erected it over her to keep her from froin burning grandmother was sleep asleep to too on the couch before the open window in the sitting room bryn left the room softly and shut the door behind him and then he be went on with his search for deborah he went down the path toward the brook with long quick steps and came at last to the solid ring of trees that thai formed the back bach 0 of deborahh Debo most hidden sanctuary bryn rapped lightly on the tree trunk under his hand she turned quickly and looked up her eyes dark and still full of dreams her mouth red and soft bryn stood be tween the two trees and just out sid side ethem them may I 1 edme come in debo rahl rah he fie asked she dro dropped aped her lashes it you wish she said in a low voice he he squeezed through the opening b and came down toward her deborah would not look up bryn moved nearer and dropped down a aart away wj his eyes upon her you forgiven me bryn asked at last gently for not tell ing y you ad that grandmother knew I 1 told heegn her an that ride I 1 you did try to tell me tell me troubling you deborah all the fears and worries are gone dear she caught her lower lip between two white teeth she shook her heau head bryn moved closer to her ile he arle tried d to td take ahir her hands but she pulled them away she swallowed then 1 I wish go away she said under her breath go away the others are going today after dinner you could go with them go away deborah go away from iou you you mean leave you here go back to san francisco she nodded her eyes on a lent leaf bryn put his face down into his hands after a long time lie be said slowly 1 I dont understand debo rah this morning you why you gave gae me this dower 1 lie he said touching it 1 I thought you were beginning to care a little about me she did not reply lie he looked down at deborahh Debo bent head j final then he be asked quietly she did not answer sory sorry ll 11 he sil said dafter after a moment 1 I suppose I 1 was a fool to think that you could possibly care about me I 1 youre i so exquisite and so fine afine and youre you not made out olit of ordinary I 1 stuff like the rest ofus of us I 1 I 1 might have known from the beginning that it any use 1 think edid idid I 1 did know deborah so you reproach yourself site she was gazing up at him still with ft ath that ahat anguished look in her eyes bryn brin mana managed ieda a smile he heldris held bis his hand out sha shake ike hands ha ie Iriqui inquired red if you da dont al mind I 1 deborah 1 I 1 think ill go now novi instead of waiting 9 I 1 until tonight she got to her feet slowly her face waif was as ts white as chalk she put her hand in n his good by lluhi she whispered and he heswood stood or a iino moment looking into her ayes eyes then tan turned away no deborah said clearly pio no it a any 6 use inse I 1 cant let you go she was beside him her bands on its his arms arins her face upheld to his 1 I cant let bet you go she said 1 idon I dont it care w what it abu you t think i hinl about mi me e I 1 dont q care clie ih if I 1 am anew a new kind of toy to you yau 4 I 1 dont care if this ii Is only a vart ofin adventure to you you an ad venture that I 1 will be over tomorrow morr ovir or in just a little while I 1 dont carea care about b nuta anything ny thing oraha or what to me only J I 1 can t let yo you u no go away from me I 1 got apy pride or br any at strength deft left kryn bryn alood motionless star starene trig down at heri her in bewilderment 1 w e dont do 1 you understand the she cried a again g a 11 1 I 1 I love you 1 love a emo e mo ahe he repeated incredulously she lifted her wet lashes and looked achim at him W with I 1 tai i a little groan he moved his arms at last and closed them tight around her ile he bent his head and put his bli lips to her e eyelids deborah she turned her ber head slowly and looked up at him A flood of color swept up over her face he smiled tenderly down ather at her you funny little chicken he sald said do you think it would be much of an adventure just to marry anybody deb orah do you think I 1 would have offered to mari marry y just a ony n y girl at all who happened to be in houi your predicament not in this world you foolish baby the minute I 1 saw you standing there in the of flee deborah so something methin 9 said to me thires theres your girl bryn out of all the world I 1 was completely lost from that very first look sweetheart and I 1 going to let you go no matter what happened deborah Debo turned and burled her face again in his bla shoulder slowly he raised her head find and put his lips down to hers hero so soft and young and innocent deborah he said gently hove ollove you youre the only girl in the I 1 oh bryn you are a big silly world worlds das as fara far as im concerned D deb eb orah will you be my wife what I 1 im in asking you now is whether ler or not ot you think that some time you yon might love loe we me enough really to be my wife I 1 hope for so much yet but later when you get to know mo me better and trust me more do you think you could she began to understand when youre a wife you think about that Is about having children dont fou you if you want children 11 well deborah said positively 1 I do there any difficulty about that ive wanted them for years and years I 1 built this playhouse for them long ago for a little littie boy and a little girl she looked at him and smiled so all right site she said in a happy voice yes ho he said after a moment that seems to be all right I 1 think we could practically count on something like that eventually he reached into his watch pocket and drew out a ring box then drew out the ring ile he lifted deborahh Debo hand and slowly bookoff too took koff off her wedding ring lie ile slipped the new ring on the finger where the wedding ring had been lifted the hand and put it to his lips your engagement ga ring dear he said deborah looked down at it it was a great gleaming pearl flushed the palest rose and set exquisitely in thin gold filigree its lovely sho she breathed it iv wag aj mj my 1116 mothers deborah looked up tip jat at hini him when you want your wedding ring bryn went on carefully lifting a curl on her temple when youre sure atmo of me and positive that youre making no mistake and when yo you u get to know that you feel about methe me the way I 1 feel about you as nearly as you can of course and a nd cant live without me ill be very glad to put it back on your finger As far as im concerned deborah I 1 never did approve of long engagements it was time at last to say goodby to the guests sally and madeline got into knitted dresses and nd simon end and tubby into their knickers and their bags were put into the car a and n d grandmother had insisted on having gary pack a basket of fruit for them and at last they were gone grandmother went to bed early tired from a hard day De deborah borall and bryn sat near the door and looked across attic at tic the moon 1 I cant believe that youre youra real and that you love me and that were here together alone he said tell me again deborah she told him again and when deborah looked at him she knew that she loved him for always and when he spoke his voice ra rang g in her heart after a long time he be rose better get to bed sweetheart he said and his voice held the deep low note in it she was beginning to understand its been a long day for you too are you coming up too ill take you up ill carry you up cp he decided and slipped his arms beneath lier her they reached the top at last and were in her fitting room why did you wear your wedding dress tonight he asked oh deborah murmured just because do you like it I 1 ill never forget the first time I 1 saw you in it deborah she looked up at him this Is the last time im going to wear it she said its so delicate and old im going to save it for that Is im going to save it IV arent you going to wear it just once more deborah when just one more time sweetheart no she said under her brea breath 11 he bent and kissed her white shoulder where the tace lace sleeves lay against it there then he said what I 1 wanted to do the other time I 1 saw it then ile he kissed her lips again ngali quickly goodnight lie he said and went toward his own door bryn came out in a moment with some clothes hanging over his arm ile he started across across the room toward the hall deborah looked up where are you going she asked in her soft voice im moving down the hall he told her back back to my own room why he came back to her ile he dropped the clothes over it a chair arm and put his arms about her gain dont make it hard tor for me darling he begged ive got to go I 1 stay here so henr to you now why oh deborah P 1 1 I dont know why site she gilld simon stays with sally always doean doesn t he be yes but she stood on tiptoe and put her arms about his neck ohl oh bryn you are a big silly she said contentedly she kissed the cleft in his chin and put ll 11 her r palm against his cheek 1 I thought you approve of long eng engagements e THE END |