Show v towe MARTHA by 0 MARTHA SERVICE THE STORY THUS FAR lovely independent autumn dean returning home to british C columbia from abroad without her fathers knowledge stops at the home of 0 hector cardigan an pid old family friend he ha tells her that she should not have come home that things thines have changed arriving home at the castle ot of the norris morns she Is greeted lovingly by her father jarvis dean who gives her to understand that rhe he Is welcome co m e tor lor a short i visit her mother former belle named millicent odell has b been dead tor for years autumn cannot understand her fathers attitude though gives him to understand that she Is home tor for good she has grown tired alrod of life in r england ga nd where she lived with an aunt her father gives a welcoming dance at the castle autumn meets florian parr dashing well educated young man of the countryside late in the evening autumn leaves the dance rides horseback to the neighboring ranch where she meets bruce broce landor friend and chan champion of her childhood days H he tak esher her to see his mother an invalid his I 1 father I 1 Is dead thought to have killed himself As soon as his mother sees autumn she c commands 0 m mands bruce to take her away that death follows in the wake ol of the odelas aut autumn u m n Is both saddened and perplexed bruce apologetic can offer no reason tor for his mothers attitude autumn calls again on hector cardigan this time to find out the reason for mrs Lan landora dors outburst from his conversation she inferred that Ce geoffrey offrey landor killed himself because he loved millicent dean her mother meanwhile bruce landor rides to the spot where his lathers fathers body was found years before there he meets autumn who leaving hector was searching tor for a lost child bruce had found the child and there autumn and tie he talk of their families they agree that her mother and his bis father loved each other deeply and that their love Is the cause of present antagonism florian parr at the castle tor for dinner proposes to autumn she refuses him the next day autumn rides toward the landor ranch she meets br bruceik Bruc uc eIn in a herders gerders her ders cabin CHAPTER IV continued 7 bruce rose abruptly strode to the open door and stood looking out A thin misty rain had begun to tall fall he tossed his cigarette out into the wet darkness and kept his eyes upon the spark until it died he turned where he stood and looked at her autumn he said simply you have been living in a world worl d where men who were skilled in the art h have made love loie to you I 1 know very little about that sort of thing when I 1 tell you that ive thought of nothing but you since that first night I 1 mean just lust that she looked at him gravely 1 I rode ovir over hire here tonight because I 1 have thought of no one but you 11 she said softly but it frightened me ive been thinking ol of one other thing perhaps 1 I know bruce of course you do we have talked about that we will never know whether it was love that caused that tragedy twenty years bago ago perhaps no one IT knows Is 0 B we do know they loved each other th bruce and we must settle between ourselves once and tor for all what bearing that has on our own lives I 1 have settled it for myself he moved back into the room and leaned against the table looking down at her she returned his gaze for many moments without speaking at last she got up impetuously and began to pace to and fro her hands deep in the pockets of her coat bruce looked at her and his muscles seemed to ripple all over his body her lithe tempestuous motion back and forth across the room was like that of some beautiful caged animal presently she turned on him you and chave have our own lives to live she said vehemently its absurd 0 ato to think that we should be ruled by something that befell two people whom we can scarcely remember they lived their lives as they wished 1 I 1 shall live mine in my own way he lifted one of her hands and kissed its soft palm then he took hold of her shoulders and turned her about so that she faced him she let her head fall fail back and met his eyes solemnly autumn he said my darling autumn Autum nl I 1 autumn autum n slipped forward and w was as in his arms and bruce was kissing her in a glowing dimness which seemed to have caught them both up from the surrounding shadows the rain drifted in gently over the still depth of their kiss it was a rain that left a light glistening web over their hair their eyes a young rain that spun them into one indistinguishable passion 1 I love you bruce her voice was a stumbling whisper terri bly blaso so terribly 11 her lips moved softly over his eyes over the line of his brown cheek where a hollow came when he smiled abid and oven over his lips and throat presently bruce placed his hands strongly upon her shoulders and studied her face enough jostand to stand by me against them all he demanded gravely it will not be easy darling at first im strong enough tor for anything with you bruce she re replied pIled I 1 CHAPTER V the laird was still up though it was already anhoury past his bis usual bedtime ile he had come back from town and had gone to his study to wait for autumns return when he be finally heard the door open downstairs he was startled the dead stillness of the house and the sleepy patter of ligh light train raffi had drugged his bis k senses so that any sudden sound would have disquieted him butas but as he got up and went to 16 the door of thi the study his heart throbbed so that he his ba hand nd to his side and caught his breath in a moment autumn was at the head bead althe stairs why dal she exclaimed 1 I thought you would have gone to bed ion long g ago you been worried about me have you liivi its late he said li had begun to wonder what had bad happened oh im sorry darling she said coming into the study and throwing off her jacket but im glad youri youre the te fire e feels good she went and stood before it it ruffling her hair with her hands better get out of those clothes her father advised her wet not really she protested ill dry out here in a minute I 1 dont want to hurry away to bed just yet its so cozy here jarvis seated himself before the fire where have you been he asked ive covered half the countryside she said smiling at him 1 I started out early and rode up the valley for a look at the sheep its the first time ive seen them like that in nearly ten years daddy and it was lovely in the sunset and you had a lot to do jarvis said disgruntled now darling youre not going to be cross with me for that she coaxed im in no mood lor for a scolding A lot of good it would do you anyhow the laird replied not a bit dear she laughed at him then went and kissed him lightly on the cheek but I 1 dont want you to worry about me one bit I 1 dont want to do anything to make you unhappy and you know it jar jarvis T vis stirred uneasily in his c hair chair youre going to drive down to kelowna tomorrow to the parrs arent you he said by way of changing the subject arent you coming too she asked him theres too much to do 6 here he told her besides what would I 1 do spending two nights away from home when theres no call tor for it I 1 like my own bed best 1 I may not stay over sunday then autumn replied im not sure that I 1 wont be bored with it all if the rest of them are like florian jarvis smiled you dont care muc much h for the boy hes all right darling tor for what he is ive seen so much of his kind during the past few years that im not particularly thrilled any more by the species specie i 1 I cant say im sorry for that the laird observed they dont amount to much autumn turned and gazed into the fire tor for a moment she kicked a half burned stick into place and watched the sparks go trooping up the flue the fact is da she said at last 1 I came back to you to get away from all that it mean a thing to anyone except those who are cut out tor for it and I 1 cut on that pattern darling I 1 never realized it so much as I 1 did tonight when I 1 stood and watched the sheep moving up the valley it made me lonely as the devil and so you stayed out all hours in the rain just to cure yourself of a fit of the blues he retorted no autumn replied softly 1 11 I do that exactly I 1 knew you be home so I 1 rode on over to the landor place and talked with bruce for a while she glanced at her fathers face to see what effect her words would have upon him he gave no outward sign of having heard her except that his frame seemed to have become rigid and one corner of his mouth twitched nervously he spoke to her at last his eyes gazing steadily into the fire 1 I hope you are not going to make a habit of that he said of what daddy i you know what I 1 mean my girl I 1 dont want you going around with bruce landor have you anything against bruce she asked abruptly damn it all jarvis burst bur st forth must I 1 be cross questioned bemy by my own daughter or it enough that I 1 should give e my opinion and look to have it respected he leaned forward in his bis chair and placed his hands heavily upon the arms preparing to rise its time we were in bed lets have no more of this tonight autumn did not move she stared at her father aware that she was becoming angry she clenched her fingers and strove to control her voice da she said 1 I am not trying to cross question you and 8 nd I 1 respect your opinion more than the opinion of any other man alive but when I 1 ask you what you have against bruce I 1 naturally want to know when be lifted his face after what teemed seemed to her sn an intolerable inter val it was the face of a man grown incredibly old and worn he passed his hand across his brows and she could see that he was making an heroic attempt to speak jarvis subsided into his chair 1 I have nothing against the boy he said at last but you know as well as I 1 do that there are reasons why I 1 do not want you to go around with him 1 I know what you have in mind da autumn replied 1 I have thought about it too and ive talked to bruce about it bruce cannot be held responsible for the tact fact that his father took his own life and I 1 think it a little unfair that any stigma should will you stop this falkl her father commanded suddenly all autumns resoluteness surged up within her it if you insist da she said levelly 1 I should prefer to talk everything over with you but if I 1 must order my life without coming to you p do you know that your mother and geoffrey landor were in love with each other his face w was Is blanched as marble and even his bis eyes seemed to have gone white with fury 1 I do daddy she said to in an even tone and I 1 know that geoffrey landor probably shot himself be mm musi I 1 be cross questioned by my own daughter cause of the hopelessness of that love bruce and I 1 talked about it tonight you talked with him about that we had to da she told him simply bruce and I 1 are in love im going to marry him I 1 the laird had risen slowly from his chair like some tremendous iceberg lifting its appalling shoulders above the frozen waters of the sea god in heaven heave nl he muttered and then completely and without warning he crumpled back into his chair his chin fallen forward on his hai breast breas t his gaunt frame heaving convulsively autumn flew to him kneeling on the floor she threw her arms about him da for sake what is it she pleaded clinging to him he lifted one hand and placed it tremblingly upon her hair his lips shook as he tried to speak but the words would not come tell me darling autumn urged what Is it he swallowed as though he would strangle and shook his head you you cant marry him he said thickly and then his voice sank almost to a whisper geoffrey landor did not take his own life autumn tell fell away from him but her eyes were fixed upon him still as though in some terrible enchantment realization came upon her in agony da tell me did you do you mean that you killed geoffrey landor her voice had been the meret whisper coming remotely from her stiff lips the old mans eyes became terribly revealed as though some power had gone beyond his body and murdered his very soul they were suddenly stark and desolate beyond any need of words the brief interval that passed before autumn heard her fathers voice again seemed to encompass an of torture she sat facing him her hands tightly clenched sat waiting against eternity hoping against hope tor for words from him that would dispel the horror that had bad descended upon her she saw his bis lips drawn back in a livid grimace against his teeth as though the tiling thing he must tell were too cruel for foi utterance too cruel to be transmitted fir from om his own mind into the awful silence of that roo room M summoning her last reserve of courage she leaned toward him and took his hands gently into her own tell me about it da 11 shi said scarcely above a whisper her touch seemed to resto restore rethe the life that had all but ebbed from his bis gaunt frame she saw him make an heroic effort to draw himself upright in his chair she saw his hands pass across his eyes as though to clear his vision and then the rigid ups lips moved in barely audible words youre getting me geoffrey he ha said softly at last after all these thesa years youre getting mel autumn turned from him her limbs unsteady beneath her and hurried to the small cupboard in tho the corner her hands trembled as she sha poured a drink into her fathers father glass and returned with it to her surprise he was sitting erect and staring before him with brilliant almost I 1 fierce eyes and color lay along each rugged cheekbone like a bright leaf he ignored the proffered glass at first and autumn seated herself on a chair in front of him and waited for him to speak while the silence seemed a gros tesque din of the throbbing of her own heart when she could wait no longer she placed the glass at her fa fathers ther lips and spoke softly da take tak this darling mechanically he took the glass into his own hand and without removing his eyes from their gaze upon vacancy he drained the liquor to the last drop autumn took the glass from him and saw that his clenched hand relaxed upon the arm of the chair thank you my dear thank you he said let us talk quietly yand and slowly da autumn said 1 I shall understand she heard herself speaking as though the words were coming through her from someone else someone who had fortitude beyond fortitude a stoicism she had never known his eyes rested upon her in a brooding gentleness lie he seemed to be contemplating her she thought with a qualm from beyond I 1 death she rose quickly took a cushion cus hion which she placed on the floor il or at his feet and seated herself with her head against his knees so they sat looking into the flames that licked at the great logs of the fireplace while jarvis unfolded the tragic past sometimes stroking autumns hair sometimes letting his hand tall f an in absent idleness upon her shoulder houlder as though he were communing with himself and had quite forgotten her presence she did not interrupt him while he talked but sat gazing fixedly into the fire it seemed to her as it if each detail of his story were fantastically visible there your mother was a siren and an angel autumn he said as her mother had been in her time your grandmothers hunt breakfasts were the talk of the okanagan Ok anagan she had sent to england E in the early days day for hounds and hunters and brought them all the way round the horn her daughter millicent was even more lovely than she was you must know this if you are to understand what I 1 am to tell you about your mother and if you are to judge her kindly he paused and into the monotony of his voice came a break every man who met your mother autumn fell in love with her he went on it was so before our marriage and it was so after our marriage I 1 never found that hard to understand I 1 had fallen in love with her myself nor was it hard for me to |