Show LAW L A na C H E FIA A M A romance of the commonplace by frances parkinson keyes service copyright hy by frances parkinson iram CHAPTER XIV continued ac yes she la Is real peculiar her mother was the same shed go a long time without hardly opening her bend bead laura mannin would and then shed up and take die bit in her teeth like when she named algy and sent seat mary blary olt to ive always thought mary some like her er mother but the do seem to like her they never show much sense in their selections why I 1 never had bad an offer till I 1 was roost most thirty blanche dont teem seem to pandle none does docs she no ashes actually gained since ashes been nursing the baby and she said the other day shed never be happier in her life I 1 cant see what alls ails the girls in this generation rosalie king has come to visit mrs weston again find and I 1 cant see that ashes changed at all she even wear crepe just plain black and she says she should worry that ashes hung on to her old job and jot got a raise at that and that although she cant always buy the very latest to wear shelp got a long way from september morn whatever she means by that I 1 one of her usual vulgar expressions I 1 and yet mrs weston says she knows rosalie thought the world of that man she married she cant have alenot in the way a woman of real refinement would have cared why after martin died I 1 refused all nourishment except what was absolutely necessary of course to keep up my strength and lay in a dark room tor for weeks and never dreamed of stirring out even after that except to go to church and to the cemetery sly my heart was burled buried in the grave im afraid mary has been putting some of her queer ideas into anto blanches head for when I 1 asked her a little while ego ago if hers sae EQ said no indeed it was all with PhIll philip pi 1 land I 1 where does docs she think philip Is she said in heaven and that heaven was anywhere it you could only see ILI it mrs elliott arose and folded her work them kind of notions notion give mo me the creeps she said uneasily 1 I must be coln mary was sitting on top of countess hill her chin resting on her hands bands looking out over the meadows she sat eat very still watching the changing light without understanding why and in spite of all her grief and weariness she felt that one of the great hours of her life had come the beauty and pence peace and promise of the country suddenly seemed to overcome her as no inanimate things had ever overcome tier her before she felt like an actual presence the spirit of her der purl tan forefathers who had turned this valley from a wilderness into a garden who had lived their simple faith as is truly as they had professed it who had bad fought and died when necessary for an ideal she turned her head halt half expecting to glimpse some heavenly vision trembling but there was nothing to be heard nothing to be seen been only something wonderful to be felt she bowed her lend head and prayed lt it was a long time before the che lifted it again when she did paul bareheaded dressed in khaki was standing beside her she sprang to her feet shaking all over entirely unable to speak lie ile was taller thinner paler infinitely older and graver all the bloom and ess of his boyish beauty had bad gone for a moment she thought it must be she shut shui her eyes swaying and crying aloud its as she felt herself falling then suddenly she was upheld by a strong arm swung quickly around her shoulder a firm hand band taking both her trembling ones in a warm and steady grasp there there paul was saying as if he had been speaking to a little child and patting her arm as he spoke its all right I 1 mean to frighten you like this dont mary blary dont cry so why there Is nothing to cry about I 1 im all right im herel bore I 1 cant we sit down and talk ho asked and drew her down beside him on the big rock still holding her hand then seeing how utterly imps impossible ible it was for her to speak ho he went on 1 I 1 got in on the four and walked straight up to he ha form farm I 1 let mother know I 1 was coining for I 1 thought if I 1 did shed have the minister or a delegation froc the D A H R or the lie wallacetown Wallace town band or maybe all three at the station to meet me it never occurred to me that none of my letters from the other side telling tier in a general way when to expect rue me would have reached her tell me 81 J mary finding her voice fit at last there much to tal you know nhat ahat happened up tip to the th time I 1 was waa wounded and the wound the first one amount to anything I 1 wag ol at the front in oo no time and then I 1 wits was hurt again before iwas I 1 wai taken prisoner IGO go am on 1 I 1 was a prisoner several months you see I 1 write then even after the armistice was signed we released right off and then for a while I 1 well you mean you were starving well I 1 hungry any anyway 1 sat said paul lightly but ini im all right now ow and im home you wont mind will louif you it I 1 dont tell you more than this just now wethe we the men dhove been there dont like ilka to talk about it much wont you say youre glad to see me all the rest of tho the family has fins mother had hysterics of course but she was awfully glad just the same 1 I help knowing that and blanche well of course blanche arid and I 1 both broke down a little I 1 know you see about philip or little philip well then I 1 went to the barn and found cousin seth ue said I 1 might find you up h here ere now they were sitting on the old boulder hand in hand band as they had done when they used to rest after picking blackberries youre not strong she said with agrest a great effort and youve had this this hard climb to reach me im sorry for a moment paul did not answer then he be took the hand he be held and laid it against his lips no im not strong be said huskily 1 I know that and I 1 have had to climb to fo climb a long longway way to reach you but ria im not sorry rm im glad paul I 1 you know I 1 mean it that way I 1 1 I know you dear but I 1 did for its true but please tell me arent you glad im here at last yes yea said mary very low indeed then may I 1 tell you anything I 1 want to yes she said again lower still do you remember what you said to me that day in boston about what loving really means yes said mary a third time though it was only a whisper now well the way I 1 love you you were right I 1 then but I 1 have learned to since at first it was just a dreadful physical longing and raging grief because I 1 got what I 1 wanted wan teil id felt so hopeful su so sure that day I 1 went to you in boston that id get my week but all the time the things said about how yuu you loved me kept hammering themselves into my stupid brain making me see more and more clearly that even then I 1 care for you like that or it be my own disappointment id be thinking most about it would be the way id treated you from the time we were youngsters taking all your loveliness and goodness tor for granted and then throwing it away dont paul she said softly dont speak of that creven or even remember it any more rye ive forgotten all about it 1 I he said between his teeth 1 I never shall I 1 never can un less I 1 can atone for it il I 1 began to forget that I 1 had lost you and to wonder how illow how you could get me back not even that till afterwards only how I 1 could make things up to you whether there was anything on earth I 1 could do to make me worthy to come to you and say I 1 was sorry whether iou were proud of me or not that id got to change inside id reached that point by the time I 1 got to prison and then it was weeks and weeks before I 1 could think at all cut but when I 1 could it was what kept 1 l me clenn and there any pretty little french peasant he said after a long pause and in that one simple sentence mary understood though she c could not answer all that he be was trying to tell 1011 her lie ile misinterpreted her silence he kissed her hand again dropped it gently and rose it was wrong of me maybe to say all this to you so soon he said but I 1 saw mr hamlin just before I 1 sailed for home lie ile told me that that thai you changed your mind about him and that he knew you never would ue he told me too that he know knew refused thomas gray sylvia sent me a message once by david I 1 get it until after she died telling me never to stop fighting for you if I 1 had to die fighting I 1 thought for a while that I 1 was going to ile die fighting then in that german prison I 1 was afraid for a while that I 1 even going to die fighting that it was to be starving rotting now I 1 know im not going to die ale at all not for a good many years I 1 mean but im going to 11 live e fighting a do you remember er when I 1 was a little chat how I 1 used to stand in the front yard whenever I 1 wanted to see you and simply holler come over mary come over and you always camel im going right on calling for you now until ive made you come again I 1 ill go down now arid and see mother I 1 romi sed her that I 1 be long but well see sea each other some way right along wont we mary ile he was halfway half way down the hill when he felt her touch on hla hit arm ue he turned quickly what la Is it dearl dear he asked Is anything tho the matter no yes I 1 been honest you been honest hon estl 1 echoed baul an in astonishment what do you mean 1 I 1 let you go away thinking that luat I 1 was afraid to let you think anything pise else because I 1 new though you wanted me ale so much you really love me then 1 I 1 I hoped yolk you vy vyila ild some dily its nearly killed in me e eie eer since to t think if you never came cama bac bam i you yon know to remember that I 1 even kiss you goodby good by for I 1 honest I 1 mean it was waa possible I 1 mean I 1 did paul stood for a stupefied moment staring at her then he cried aloud with joy you care now cowl I 1 he exclaimed you ton have cared all the timer then as he tried very genty gently to ta take ke down the trembling hands with which she had suddenly abd denly covered cover iid her face he realized that his own were shaking too loo mary he said brokenly 1 I wont it if you really dont want me to gut but if you do you wont make me wait any longer will you ive starved for you too you wont ever have hava to starve again said mary with a great sob bob and took down her hands herself 0 it was very late that evening when jane manning remembering that she had not set back her chairs against it a possible storm though there was waa not a cloud in the sky went out on her piazza to make sure everything was waa nil all right for the night she stopped in the middle of her pleas pleasant ant task and stood stock still the moon shone very clear and bright and on the wide granite doorstep ot of her cousins house opposite she could see two persons a man and a girl standing very close together their arms around each other then the man bent his head bead and it was a long long time before he lifted it again good night sweetheart ehe heard beard III him in say at last and then saw him turn and come down the walk his young face lighted with a radiance that did not seem to come wholly from the moon great glory 1 ejaculated cousin jane aloud and without conscious profanity paul heard her stopped for a minate and then walked rapidly toward her Is that you cousin jane he called fixing up the piazza here let na me help you I 1 when complete order was restored he blocked her entrance into the house for a minute standing with his back against the door mary Is going to marry me he said his voice ringing like a hallelujah right off weve going away for a few weeks till I 1 get stronger and she gets rested to some quiet place by the sea and then were coming back here to lady blanche farm coming home together oh god how happy I 1 am ami I 1 1 I dennos I 1 blame yo ye said cousin jane nis ills mothers house was dark and paul did not feel sorry in the morning of course she must be told and marys father but tonight 1 how ever when he noticed a faint light shining from the upper windows of carte blanche he went close to the little building and called blanchel blanche may I 1 come came cpr op ay yes es ive been hoping you would ab she e was sitting in a low rocker nursing her baby anby ile he crossed the tha room softly and sat down on a footstool beside her marys going to marry you she whispered how did you know now how could I 1 help knowing looking at you ive seen that look in a mans face before oh you poor little thing 1 hush I 1 dont speak that wayt way I 1 I 1 dont feel like that about it I 1 and rm im so thankful so happy that ive seen it in yours too they sat for a long time together after the sleeping baby had been laid back in his cradle and meanwhile the woman who had never had it a lover went slowly up to her room and sitting allting down in the old chair took up the bible that lay near it to read in it as always before she went to bed it fell open at the last chapter of proverbs who can find a virtuous woman read cousin jane for her price Is far above rubles her children arise up also and call her blessed her husband also and he be pr alseth her give her the fruit of tier her hands ani and let her own works praise her in the i ga gates tes the bible slipped from her lap unnoticed and cousin jane sat for a long time with happy tears rolling I 1 down her cheeks 1 I 1 suppose that woman in the bible may have had bad her faults she sidd gald aloud at last same as aa mary has I 1 be a mite surprised it if she be bad a tongue and a temper and a backbone and forgive and forget very easy though solomon mention it seems to me theres therea 8 some ome likeness ilk C ness between the two marys mary ben bea faithful to the trust her dead mother left tier her find and dented herself to do tor for her father and her little brothers ashes ben strong and wise enough to say ino no to a rich man she sha love and turn the poor weak shiftless toy boy she did love into a one fine creature that tant be afraid to look hla his maker in tho the face and she shirked or nagged or complained or boasted while ashes ben doln it thea kept herself sweet and lovely through it all there may be better jobs for women to do than things like them but if there la Is I 1 never heard beard of lem cm any more than solomon seems to hey hev weve ben worry vorry ln considerable lately about the little countess curse and I 1 dont diny deny that it seems the almighty gives ti powers to hu hn ann t nn belas sometimes even after dead out but for all that I 1 guas guess ills Iless ln Is more powerful than anything else jus the acme and I 1 duesi too that as long as ag mary stays here that bless blessen ln will rest on lady blanche farm in the ite future same lama as it MY ha in tho the past TUB END |