HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1937-12-23, Page 20PAGE TWELVE WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES
present need,
She had always been careless about
money, for she had never been tau
ght its power. Its force. Or the dif
ficulty of attaining it. Seeing some
of the girls who worked a whole
week in the mills to earn ten dollars,
she thought of afternoons at bridge
when thoughtlessly she had lost twice
that much and thought nothing of it.
Seeing men supporting whole famil
ies on sums that she had wagered
on a horse race and lost without a
second thought, made her ashamed;
seeing men and women toiling, suf
fering, denying themselves to pay for
a badly needed operation costing less
than she had once spent on an even
ing frock to be worn three times and
then discarded’, appalled her.
She looked down at Jim’s letter.
She studied curiously the woids “My
Lovely” and tried to visualize Jim
paying them. Closed her eyes and tri
ed to feel Jim’s arms about her; Jim’s
kiss warm and ardent and demanding
upon her mouth. And she was cold
and .composed, Jim was like a figure
out of a dream. Like a man out of
another world. She could not even
picture herself in his arms.
to the desk. Switched on the shaded
She got up at last and went over
light, drew before her the thick crea
my paper with her monogram in its
upper left 'hand corner. Dipped her
pen in ink and wrote firmly, with no
hesitation:
“Dear Jim: Your letter has just
come. I’ve been thinking a lot about
us, Jim/ and tI’ve decided that our
engagement was a mistake. That, I’m
sorry, Jim, but I don’t love1 you. I
hope you will agree with me that we
were both mistaken. It’s best to just
end it now. I know now that I never
want to leave Oakton. That I want
to learn a lot about the mills and a-
bout the people who -work in them.
That my life and destiny are here.
I’ll send the ring back to you by reg--
istered mail. and I hope you wonh
be angry with me. Good-bye, and
good luck, always.”
She signed it “Sincerely, Chloe,”
Blotted it, folded it into an envelope,
stamped it and drew a deep breath.
She was honestly relieved. Glad. She
drew off her finger the, handsome
square cut diamond ring that had
had been so big and so flashing pure
that it had seemed to weight her
slender hand. She put it into the white
velvet box in which it had reached
her, snapped the lid shut and said,
“That’s that.”
She was almost startled to discover
how deeply relieved she felt. That
suddenly she felt fear. She stood up,
squared her shoulders and went
downstairs to lay the letter on the
tray in the hall. It would be mailed
a little later by one of the servants.
CHAPTER XXIII
In the living room Chloe found her '
father, Jane and Melissa, chatting
comfortably before the fire. They
looked up as she came in and her
father said lightly,
"Not dressed yet, darling? What
have you been doing, taking a nap?”
"No, Dad,” said Chloe with a new
serenity that they all noticed. “I’ve
been*writing to Jim. To tell.him that
our engagement Was a mistake.”
“What?” demanded Jane, startled.
“You’re not going to marry him af
ter'all?”
“No,” said Chloe quietly. “I’m not
going to marry him, after all.”
“Good!” said Melissa frankly.
“Are you sure, Chloe?” asked her
father.
“Yes, Dad,”, said Chloe quietly,
though her voice rang with a little
note of sureness they, could not miss.
“Very sure. I have discovered that I
want to stay here in Oakton with
you and Aunt Jane and Gran.”
Melissa looked at her shrewdly and
smiled. Chloe felt the hot rush of
could cheerfully have slapped Melis
sa. For Melissa looked so outrage
ously wise. And into Chloe’s heart
shot the vision of Scott Kelvifi. as
he had looked at her that morning.
And her color deepened as she re
membered, as she knew that Melis-'
sa was remembering, the winged look
that had passed between them.
Unable to endure Melissa’s shrewd,
almost laughing eyes upon her, Chloe
said something about changing for
dinner and escaped to her room. Once
there she stood for a moment with,
her shaking hands over her face, feel
ing her cheeks hot against the cool
palms.“It’s true,” she told herself shakily.
“What Melissa thinks is true, I am
in love with him! I am! No Use kid
ding myself any more. I love him.
But after a moment a deep abiding
joy swept over her. For she was re
membering that Scott was in love -
with her, toO; So everything was all
right. Everything Was most glorious
ly all right! She knew the truth now.
She loved Scott Kelvin, not Jim Pear
sall. And loveliest of all, Scott loved
her! It was a thought that sent her
into her shower with her cheeks pink
and her eyes shining like stars.* * *
It was late the following afternoon
when she, found time in a day that
had been breathlessly crowded, to pay
her daily visit to Scott He was sit
ting up in a wheel chair beside the
window and the delight of finding
him so well along towards recovery
covered the first moment of greeting.
She told him about the Day Nurs
ery which had opened formally that
morning with a matron in charge,
with Margaret and Eljen as assist
ants, excited and thrilled with,, their
new importance. Suddenly while she
talked, Scott’s eyes fell upon her un
gloved hands, and he looked startled.
“Your ring,” he said suddenly.
"You're not wearing it .any more,”
Chloe met his eyes bravely, She
was flushed, starry-eyed, a little trem
ulous. • ’
“No, she said, her voice not quite
steady. "I’m not wearing it any
more.”
For the space of a moment they
were both silent. The thing that she
saw standing clear and shining in
Scott’s eyes brought a little mist of
tears to her own. It was Scott who
spoke first- and all he said was one
word, "Why?”
“I sent it back," sChloe told him
serenly, "because I realized that I—
that he—that we—had made a mis
take.”
Such an agony of longing looked
at her out of Scott’s eyes that She
leaned a little towards him, her heart
yearning in her eyes, a tiny smile
curving her red mouth," her whole be
ing palpitant with breathless waiting.
"You found that you didn’t love
him, Chloe. Was that it?” he asked
her, and now he had himself -under
control and his jaw was set and hard,
his eyes dark.
•“Yes, that was it,” answered Chloe,
and waited for the words that he must
say. That she felt she must hear in
order to go on living.
But’ after a moment Scott turned
his "head away and looked oiit of the
window into the bleak graydusk out
side. The trees leafless against a lead
en sky, their black branches tortured
by a rising chill wind. Little gusts
sent dry leaves scurrying, along the
sidewalk. Now and then someone pas
sed, shoulders hunched against the
wind, head lowered, usually with one
hand cling to a rebellious hat.
Chloe felt that the . silence had en
dured, for unaccounted years when.
Scott.said at last, his voi.ce harsh and
strained because of his effort at con
trol:
"He’s very rich, Chloe, and only a
rich man would dare ask you to marry
him—a Little Princess ”
"Will you stop calling me that ab
surd nickname?” cried Chloe, her vo
ice shaken, a terror- out of all pro
portion to the occasion, it seemed to
her, hammering suddenly at her heart.
Scott said wearily^ “Does it seem
absurd to you? It always seemed an
endearment to me.”
“There are other endearments I
like better,” Chloe flashed shakily.
Once more he turned his head and
looked at her. His face was set. His
uninjured hand lay on, his knees,
clenched until the knuckles showed
white with the strain. And there was
an unspoken agony of renunciation in
his voice that frightened Chloe be
cause of the thing it meant.
"Chloe, my dear, I’m afraid you’ve
made a mistake in breaking with‘this
fellow Pearsall,” he said wearily. “I
hear he’s quite a swell person. He’s
very rich—he belong in your own
world. He could give you alf the
things that a girl as lovely as you
are deserves. He could take care of
you. Guard you against ever being
in want of any good thing-----”
"But—if I don’t love him?” Chloe
interrupted passionately.
Scott studied her flushed face, her
bright, hurt eyes for a long moment
and then he asked quietly.
“You’re so sure that you don’t love
him?”
Chloe stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Well, it’s scarcely a thing you
could be mistaken about, is it?” she
demanded, incensed.
“You thought you were in love with
him, you know, to begin with,” Scott'
pointed out a trifle dryly.
“But that was before—Chloe be
gan impetuously, hesitated, went scar
let, And finished, steadily, "that was
before I knew you,”
There! It was out She had come
more than half way to meet him. He’d
have to remember now that he. had
said that he loved her, He’d have to
repeat that, and ask her to marry him.
Now that she had admitted that she
loved him, and not Jim Pearsall.
“If anything I said caused this-----•'*
Chloe’s head went Up and her eyes
flashed blue fire. She had lowered her
pride. She had all but asked him to
niarry her, She had made, it quite
plain that she had broken her engage
ment to Jim Pearsall because she 'had
discovered that she was in love with
Scott Kelvin instead.' And if Scott
didn’t want her—she drew a long hard
breatli*and stood up drawing her coat
about her, her face pale and compos
ed. •
“Please don't give it another
thought,” she said icily, “I have dis
covered -that Oakton is a very nice
place, after all, And since the Sar
gent Mills will some day be my re
sponsibility, I think is is as'well that
I should stay here and learn more
about them,’ don’t you? I’m so glad
to see you up. Perhaps you may even
be well enough to be wheeled over
to the Community House-on Christ
mas Eve. I. think you might like the
party.”
"Thank you,” said Scott, his face
,as cold, as composed^ as hers, “I’m
sure I’d enjoy it immensely.”
CHAPTER XXIV
Chloe walked to the door of Scott’s
room, opened it, stood there for a
moment With her back to the room.
And theh aS if he* had called to her,
she turned, her hand still on the door
knob, the lighted hospital corridor
behind her framing her in silhouette.
But the light had not yet been lit in
Scott's room and the room was al
ready filled.with the long gray shad
ows of twilight. So she could not see
his face very clearly. Though that
might have been because of the mist
of tears in her own eyes. For a long
moinent they looked straight at each
other. And then. Chloe went swiftly
out, closed the door behind her and
stood leaning against it, shaken,‘fight
ing desperately to down her tears. .
. A nurse came briskly along the
corridor and spoke, to her.. Chloe man
aged an answere, she never quite
knew what she said, and went swiftly
out of the hospital and into her car.
She drove home, her thoughts- a
thousand miles away from the details
of the drive.
, When she reached her own room
she dropped her wraps and huddled
in her chair. She had all but asked
Scott Kelvin., to marry her. He had
refused her politely, Oh, very politely
and without putting it into words...
But a refusal just the same. Her pride
was in tatters. But if wasn’t her pride
that hurt now, she told herself for
lornly. That was her heart that ached
so persistently.
Melissa came in a little later, very-
brisk and cheerful, with news of the
babies. Melissa, Jane and, Howell
spent hours with the two children,
and Melissa insisted firmly that small
Timmy knew her now and that he
smiled when she bent over him.
"Of course Jane insists that it’s
not a smile, that it’s merely a facial
conti action caused by colic or some
thing of the sort. Jane would. She
doesn t know much about babies-----
what’s wrong with you?” Melissa
broke off to demand frankly..
Chloe turned sharply away,* Melis
sa’s eyes were so keen. Nothing es
caped them. “ •
_ Nothing,” Chloe said brusquely
I have a headache.”
Melissa nodded and sighed. “It does
beat all how practically every woman
in thg world has a headache at any
time that she wants to cover up some
emotion,” she observed dryly, and ad
ded in the same brisk tone, “you and
Scott Kelvin been fighting?”
Chloe-walked to the closet door,
brought out a negliee and began to
undress,, more as a means of hiding
her face from Melissa’s piercing eyes
than anything else.
“Certainly not,” snapped Chloe, her
voice muffled in the dress she was
taking off over, her head. "What in
the world would Dr. Kelvin and I be
fighting about?”
"Don’t ask me,’’ answered .Melissa
cheerfully and curiously. “I’m asking
you. Personally, I’d say it had some
thing to do with your broken engage
ment to that Pearsall creature.”
"Gran, I’ve asked you not to refer
’to one of the best looking, richest
and nicest-young men in America as
‘that Pearsall creature’,” snapped
Chloe hotly.
"If you think so well of the man.
why don’t you marry him? demanded
Melissa, not in the least disconcerted
by Chloe’s sharpness.
"Because I don’t love him,” answer
ed Chloe, and went into the bathroom
Where she turned on the shower, hop
ing that this would send Melissa on
her way.
..It did nothing of the sort. It only
silenced Melissa who saw no reason'
for wasting her breath by shouting
above the sound of the shower, and
who merely waited until the water
was turned off and Chloe came back
into the room wrapped in the negligee
once more, Chloe sat down at the
dressing table to busy herself with
the^various crystal-stoppered bottles
and, silver-topped jars on the table. .
Melissa studied her and, - after a
moment, said, as if to herself, “What
I can’t understand is why any1 girl
as young and as pretty as you are,
Chloe, wants to mess her face up with
all that silly stuff.”
“Because when I’m your age, Gran,
I still Want to have a nice complex
ion, said Chloe sweetly,-.
Melissa grinned as a tribute to the
neat shot that went home.
“Then I’d advise you to avoid be
ing left a young widow with two small
children, and a plantation to be man
aged,” said Melissa quite undisturbed,
“Riding in the sun and wind and rain
all oyer Chinaberry Grove didn’t aid
my skin any, you may be sure.”
Chloe turned swiftly, dropped on
a hassock at Melissa’s feet and put
her arms about the old body, lifting
a contrite face and remorseful eyes.
“Gran, I’m a beast. I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean to be hateful,” she apolo
gized warmly and gently. “Forgive
me, darling?” '
Melissa looked down at the Upturn
ed 'face, put a hand gnarled by rheu
matism on the shining head and sat
silnet for a moment. Chloe saw the
shadow of tears in the sharp old
eyes before Melissa said gently:;
"Of course, dear, I never pay any
attention to such little barbed speech
es from you. I always know they are.
not directed at me but at 'something
else that has hurt you. Sometimes I
feel so sorry for young things, Chloe..
I don’t know what fool poet it was
that made the first remark about
‘happy, carefree youth’. Youth is nei
ther happy nor carefree. It’s tender
and inexpierenced and it’s always be
ing hurt—and hitting back, usually
hitting anything but that which hurt
.it. Want to tell Gran what’s making
you unhappy, child? Maybe Gran
could do something about it-----”
« The gentle old voice, the loving old
face made Chloe hide her head again
st her grandmother’s knees- arid burst
into tears. Melissa sat quiet, her hand
resting on that shining head until
Chloe’s paroxysms of sobs ceased.
Then, brokenly, Chloe told her grand,
mother'Of-the scene with Scott and
the blow it had dealt her, Melissa,
nodded once or twice and murmured
a soothing word until, when Chloe
had finished, Melissa said gently: .
“But, darling, you didn’t ‘'think _ it
would be easy to win Scott Kelvin,
did you? The man has pride.-He doe
sn’t wan to be, called a fortune hunter.
He’d probably be fool enough to re
fuse to live on the Sargent, money and
he has sense enough to know he
couldn’t aslc you to live oh what he
makes in the village-.” .
Chloe lifted a tear, stained face,
eyes as blue as wood violets and said
shakily, "Then what are we going
to do, Gran?” . * ■
"The hardest thing in the world
for young things to do, darling —
wait!" said Melissa firmly..
Chloe’s face darkened mutinously.
“Wait?” she repeated with extreme
disfavor. "For what?”
"For time to' adjust things,” said
Melissa firmly and, as Chloe made a
little impatient sound, Melissa went
on shrewdly: “Oh! I know, of course
it’d hard to wait, when you're young
and want something desperately. You
wouldn’t believe me if I told you that
when yo-u get to be my age you don’t
mind waiting. Never mind, I won’t
preach. But if you’ll just wait—time
will make the adjustment. Remember
the old line,/Calmly I wait and know
mine own. will come to me?’ Well, it’s
true, Chloe!”
Chloe stood up. Bent to kiss her
grandmother’s cheek. Turned. away
and began to dress, .her red mouth
angry, her eyes dark
‘ 0. K., Gran, since there’s nothing
else I can do, I’ll wait!” she agreed
grimly.
Melissa smiled a little and her eyes
Were tender, yet touched with a faint
tinge of amusement as she watched
the girl and noted the .mutinous droop
of her red mouth. ’
CHAPTER XXV *
The following day Chloe and a
committee of six went to Atlanta for
the final shopping. Such things as
Oakton was unable to provide, and
.which Chloe felt the partv needed to
be complete, Jane, chaperoned 'the
group and they stayed overnight at
a hotel where Jane entertained them
at dinner and later at a movie,
"After such dissipation,” Jane told
them tcasingly as they started for
home at noon the following day. “I
hope you wild young things will be •
able to settle down to a cjuiet, orderly
life again,”
“You’ve had the darndest luck with