HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1945-11-23, Page 7•
CONNELL HAYS
B rrtster+a,; soncitorp, Etc.'
Patiick,U. MCO•0
nn911 - N,'GIenn R,a'ya
ancon B, QNT, . "
Telephone 174
K. L McLE. N
Barrister, Sollcitor,.,,Etc,
SEAFORTH, -
BrancL, Office
BensaM
Phone 113
ONTARIO
- Hensall
Seaforth
Phone 173
MEDICAL
SEAFORTH CLINIC
DR. E. A. McMA8TER, M.B.
Graduate of University of ,Toronto
The Clinic is fully equipped with
complete and modern X-ray and other
up-toedate diagnostic and therapeutics
equipment.
Dr. F. J. R. Forster, Specialist in
diseases 'of the ear, eye, -nose and
throat, will be at the Clinic the first
Tuesday in every month from 3 to 5
p.m.
Free Well -Baby Clinic will beheld
en the second and last Thursday in
every month from 1 to 2 p.m. ,
JOHN A. GORWILL, B.A., M.D.
Physician and Surgeon
IN DR. H. H. ROSS' OFFICE
Phones: Office 5-W Res. 5-J
Seaforth
MARTIN W. STAPLETON, B.A., M.D.
Physician and Surgeon ,
Successor 'to Dr. W. C. Sproat
Phone 90-W•
Seafortli
DR. F. J. R. FORSTER
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat
Graduate in Medicine, University of
Toronto.
Late assistant New York Opthal-
mei and Aural Institute, Moorefield's
Eye and Golden Square Throat Hos-
pital, London, Eng. let COMMERCIAL
HOTEL, SEAFORTH, THIRD WED-
NESDAY in each month, from 2 p.m.
to 4.30 p.m.; also at Seaforth Clinic
Brst Tuesday of each month. 53
Waterloo Street South, Stratford.
AUCTIONEERS
HAROLD JACKSON
Specialist in Farni and Household
Sales.
Licensed in Huron and Perth Coun-
ties. Prices reasonable; satisfaction
guaranteed.
For information, etc., write or phone
1TA.ROLD JACKSON, 14 on 661, Sea -
forth; R.R1 4, Seaforth. •
W. S. O'NEIL, DENFIELD, ONT.
Licensed Auctioneer
Pure bred sales, also farm stock
and implements. One per. cent.
charge. Satisfaction guaranteed. For
sale daltes, Phone 28-7, Granton, at
my expense.
LONDON and CLINTON
NORTH
London, Lv.
Exeter
Hensall
Kippen
Brucefleld
Clinton, Ar.
1
SOUTH
Clinton, Lv.
Brucefield
Kippen
Bensali
Exeter
London, Ar.
C.N.R. TIME TABLE
EAST
Goderich
HoimesvfTle --...
-Clinton
Seaforth
St. Columban
Dublin
Miteheli
WEST
9.00
10.17
10.34
10.43
10.55
11.20
P.M.
3.10
3.32
3.44
3.53
4.10
5.25
Mitchell
Dublin
St. Columban
Seaforth
Clinton
Goderich
A.M.
6.15
6.31'
6.43
6.59
7.06
7.12
7.25
11.27
11.37
11.40
11.51
12.04
12.35
P.M.
2.30
2,50
3.13
3.21
3.27
3,35
3.47
(Continued fram last week)
"ICeep back all of you,"" said Der -
reek, as he stood free of his oppon-
ent. "This is too serious for any of
you to-" •
Bob was up and at him again. Der-
reck, heedless of being • struck broke
through the other's guard, picked him
up and flung him bodily into the har-
bor, But so quickly did Derreck jump
after him that the two actions were
almost one. There were only four . or
five Leet of water in the harbor, 'En-
ough to ,break Aplin's fall and Der-
reck's jump; buk the former.. could
not swim. Derreck, disjofutediy say-
ing how sorry he was at What he had
done in that momentary fit of sav-
agery, helped Aplin to the steps, up
which they went together, both men
expressing themselves quietly and
sanely on the matter. That d'p into
the icy water had put them into a
much more Christian -like frame of
mind. Others gathered about them
ns they gained the top of the Jetty,
most of them saying something pert-
inent as to what had taken p;acie. But
Derreck pushed through them, telling
all to stand aside and that he and
Bob would talk it out by _themselves.
Aplin the elder was noisy for . he
knew not what, till Kings worth drew
him apart and talked him into a
quiet and better view of the affair.
During this, a. few.. woras. passed -be-
tween Derreck apd Bob, the result
being that they both went home, put
tai dry clothes, and at once met again.
and "talked it all over." The outcome
•of that conversation was an entirely
new and permanent bond o" friend-
ship between the two men. White it
showed` them virtues in each other
which they had never before seen, it
caused Aplin secretly to despite him-
self for that occasional passion and
falsity which he there and then de-
termined should not occur again.
10.33
10,44
10.56
11.10
11.35
C.P.R. TIME TABLE
EAST
Goderich
Meneset
McGaw
Ailbtrrn
1 13rth
Walton
McNaught
Toronto,
1
Taranto
McNaught
Walton
CHAPTER IX .
CLOSE SAILING
That affair on the jetty was na-
turally talked of in Quay Town,
where different versions of it were
spread about. But when the gossips
saw, as they did at once, that Der -
neck and Aplin were such good
friends, the matter was quickly al-
lowed to drop out of recognition. So
Christmas, with its homely gaieties,
came' and went, leaving Bella mark-
ed by the liberties of - the occasion;
and Derreck and Mary hurt and
grieved the more at her doings. Then
she recovered a little; but, all the
same, the end of February saw •her
drifting back to more frequent ap-
plications to the jug, thus necessitat-
ing a closer watchfulness and attend-
ance on Mary's part. To Mr. Milroy
this was all the more deplorable be-
cause it took his niece so increasing-
ly out of his company, as often as
the weather uid allow Derreck to
put to sea; p icularly in the qven-
ings, when the shop was closed and
he looked for Mary's society and her
music. To Derreck's mind it was
more proof of the tragic certainty
that his wife was beyond reclama-
tion. Both to him and to Mary the
truth was being forced home week by
week that Bella's love of drink was
assuredly overcoming Mary's influ-
ence for good. But while the latter
still hoped and worked for the best,
he was growing confirmed in the
opinion that his wife would continue
to follow the, stream, now in the rap-
ids of reckless bouts then easing
along on the moderation of a broad
deep, till it turned her loose over the
bar of finality.
Derreck also spent some + time now
and then in weighing -up the pros and
cons of Mary's influence, viz.: Was
it worth her while to spend so much
time and labour to no good end ev-
entually? Or would Bella after all,
pull out of the horrible mess?
Wouldn't it be best to leave her
alone and let her hu'try to the end
in her own way, than to go on like
this? -letting her nearly drown; her-
self time after time and as often
hauling her back to restore anima-
tion. In a sense, it was being kind
to be cruel. And -then he would
pause, wondering where his thoughts
were leading him. With every desire
to be loyal to the last, 'feeling that
'this virtue was slipping away from
him and in a degree angry at the
fact, he now felt -kind and attentive
though he still was to Bella -deep in
his inner consciousness the convic-
tion that their efforts would end in
failure. To ``some extent the strug-
gle -if struggle it could yet be •call-
ed -was between this .belief (as in-
tuitive as it was openly demonstrat-
ed by Bella's actions) and his grow-
ing leaning towards Mary on the one
side, and on the other that hatred,
together with its consequent pathos,
of having to heave his anchors out
of those dearly loved holding -grounds
to which he was temperamentally still
disposed, to cling. At this time he
often took Alice and spent his few
leisure hours with Kingsworth, as he
usually did when Bella was at her
worst and would not mend.
Then in a fatal moment he did
what he knew he ought not to halm
done. He hapilened 't6 be over ifi
Porlock. Very'g birthday was at
It h i
ad frllle� .to
Cine
Cod hick hand.
S g
r� fine
his share of late; ont cif antOthe
P.M
4.35
4.40
4.49
4.58
5.09
5.21
5'12
9.45
WEST
A.M
8.20
P.M
12.04
12.15
1:2.28
12.20
12.47
12:54
1.00
Blyth •• i .,
Auburn
.McGaw
...........
0666
spell of weather' and the ',new fishing
ground, and -partially incensed , at
Bella's recent potations and in part
to mark his sense of Mary's servic-
es -he spent a pound in a little gold
locket for the latter: The besto*al
of this gift occurred on the eve of
the birthday, duriirg Bella's tempor-
ary absence after some table neces-
sity of which she had run short. It
was the first thing he had given to
her worthy of calling a present.. His
thought had been merely to put it
into her hand and say, quite ordinar-
ily, "Here you are, Mary, here's a
bit of something in memory of your
birthday and of all' you've done for
Bella and me." But at the moment
he felt that he was powerless to treat
the matter so offhandedly. While it.
remained at a distance the action had
appeared to be quite easy to accom-
plish, and of no especial significance.
Now it had suddenly leapt intoe the
region of awkwardness; it loomed up
as a grave and weighty matter of
particular import. While he held the
locket in its fine tissue paper, in his
pocket -where it had lain some days
awaiting this opportunity, which was
fast slipping away for lack of deci-
sion on his part -the thought occur-
red to him: "Will she say no to it?"
Then, in a curious ' constraint that
was nnoticed by her, he said:
"It's your birthday tomorrow, 'Mary
-isn't it?"
"Yes," she replied, without raising
her head from the work in hand -
trimming • a hat for Bella, she being
rather deft at such niceties:
"And. I suppose you'll be getting all
sorts of fine things from old friends."
"I don't know. I don't expect
any-"
"Blessed are those who expect noth-
ing, you know," he interrupted with
a sudden and unconsidered effort at
gaiety.
"Yes. Besides, I never have had
much in that way; and I haven't
many old friends, you know."
"Ah, but you're not reckoning any-
thing on luck, girl!!" he rejoined, with.,
a further loss of that constraint. -
"No -I never do;. there's tob r such
counting your chickens in it;"
"Oh, well, you must count . them
sometimes!" •
"And be out in your reckoning for
doing so."
"But, you know, you never know,
your luck -look what ,you brought me
by that dream. Anything's likely to
happen, more so than nothing, genier-
ally - because something must be
happening all the time -things• can't
stand still."
"No -I wish sometimes they could.
As for luck, I don't believe in it -
except the bad."
"But no one can be always getting,
the bad; there's as much of one sort
about as there is the other."
"Yes, to some people, I've no,
doubt," she answered, without firaving
once glanced in his. direction since
his first remark.
Consequent to a rather persistent
train of thought on what the morrow
Wright have been under more favor-
able circumstances, Mary was in one
of lier rare despondent moods; and
Derreck began. tol feel. that the mat-
ter ,was 'becbming as serious in its
atmosphere as it was- in its bearings.
This would not do. and the minutes
were hurrying past. Bella would be
in before the accomplishment of his
purpose, then such an opportunity
might not occur again for days, and
his present would come something
like a "Happy New Year" at Easter.
Besides, she would be so much less
likely to take it then than as a pro-
per birthday- gift. So with a hurried
movement, quite different from what
he had intended the whole affair to
be, and at the moment failing to see
that rudeness which he afterwards re-
gretted, he jerked his hand from the
pocket, hove the wrapped -up ,locket
into her lap, and said,hastily:
"Well, here's a bit of luck, anyway
-take that in remembrance of to-
morrow and of what you've done for
Bella and.me." With that he .arose
abruptly, went around the other side
of the table and was leaving the
room, when she, suddenly turning on
her ,chair, the glistening gold between
her thumb and finger and her face
flushed with the joy that was making
her tremble as it rioted through her,
exclaimed: •
v "Oh, but, Derry, I can't! 1 mustn't!"
"Yes, you can and you will," he in-
terjected, in the' doorway, looking at
her as he paused. "Or at any rate,
take- it to please me; it's only a little
mark of my gratitude for all you've
done. Or take it as a sort of pay-
ment for the dream. So -s -s -s -h."
And he passed into the kitchen, as
Bella was closing the back -door and
asking if Alice had awakened.
During the short remainder of that
evening Mary was so preoccupied as
to draw a couple of jocular remarks
from Bella. Ili a way, and in a- Simi,
lar vein, Derreck answered for her by
suggestions on both • occasions. Mary
allowed . the matter to pals, and it
excited no further interest, That
night, after a closer look at the locket
and some .inevitable cogitation that
fo 'tiere'd an tniiiib'asaht at iYi; she
put the .gift under her 1)1110W -that it
Was ;g'tr�etil to her 'by the hosb.an :df
another woman had 116W no More part
In her. thoughts . thb,n had the idea
that she was acting guiltily In re-
taining posseftelon,'•' To her it was
'just a memento, tie first and more
dearly prized beeguse of that, from
the man for whom. she was prepared
to lay down• her life, bear calumny
or go through all the horrors of priva-
tion; yet to 'obtain ',whom she would
not lift a. finger so long at his wife
lived,
When morning came she cut the
head from a small photograph' of Der-
reck-which Bella had given 'to her,
along with one of herself and Alfee•,
during the first month of their friend-
ship -and put it into one half of the
locket. Then she hung the trinket•
around her neck, in such wise that it
and its suspending. ribbon would al-
ways be hidden by her clothing, and
went downstairs to busy herself with
the doings of that ever -to -be -remem-
bered day; while a new lightness of
heart ran through her veins, sending
her from time to time to hurry down
some lines in that still -maintained
diary, and no thought of guilty appro
prittion came to Mar the_l even tenor
offairs.
During the past' week or so
uncle had held out, in his gentle way
for quite a grand party in honor of
the occasion; but Mary had steadily
over -ruled, hie .desire, in favor of "just
a few friends in a quiet why in the
evening." So instead of the compan:'
being made up of the ship-chgnller's
higher social acquaintances, there.
were some eight or ten clkser though
humbler friends in the parlor that
evening. Amongst these were Der-
reck and Bella -which happy arrange-
ment could not have been •in the
grand party had been held -he quiete
but thoroughly at his ease apparent -
!y, and wearing a neat st:.t of fine
pilot cloth;,. she light, without spoil-
ing herself by being silly or flippant
(omissions that quite won her Mr.
Milroy's favor), and attired in that
fancy finery which she usually wore
on company occasions. While the
men smoked, drank whisky, ate sand-
wiches and talked politics and the
coining of the lifeboat -due to that
memorable' rescue -in the ' intervals
between songs and music, the -wo-
men held to port wine, cake and gos-
sip. And two hearts in the dozen
were supremely happy -not that Bel -
la's was much behind them for the
time being. These' were Mary's and
her uncle's -hers fol` reasons that
could not be more obvious to the
reader; his, because of her quiet ‚plea-
sure, wherein he could 'see a depth'
and a reality, unknown to the others
generally, which he innocently put
down ..to the occasion and to that
"nice little gold ' watch and chain"
which he had given her in commem-
oration of the day. When the guests
were gone, and he sat enjoying his
last church warden before retiring,
his comment was:
"Well, my dear, p'rhaps it was hum-
ble in a way; but; gracious me, it
was very pleasant. t`"•doll}'t-think any
fine slap-up affair could have been
more enjoyable." For himself he had
no pretensions above his station.
Manly without being forcefully mas-
culine, he loved the homely, so be
that it was clean, well-behaved and
of good appearance, rather than that
,stiff aping of "form" which marked
the social doings of his higher -class
acquaintances. And, in addition to
his natural trend, he had spent too
many years amongst, his closer neigh-
bors not to have much in common
with them.
her
lie lock, niakihg' nu°
ovement; than the sla
tiid against ilia crisp 1}ai
uucotisciously• to hien nor e)l t i ep to
er,: there.paeeed 4hrotIgh t3iat'physf-'
cal, touch, like an unseen power along'
a .Covered way, an influence, to her
au entirely•tiew and awakening .seusa-,
tion, felt theUgli Unheeded at the''
moment, v,Tlti4h wee to prove to be !aa
,s ta•e'ngttltcuer yet a 111,14er
the bond that wee. owim.3 ,about
thezn-. It WAS also; ,tt be 'a.•• e/irt pt
fresh departare..alotif the road •which
they were tr veUtng,`evade tracat with
the sinister view of human frailty
against that iigh and, chaste vista of
detached,, 'even consecrated', sacrifice
which had hitherto been the body and
the office of her thoughts and actions
towards hind.
40 Now she stood uptight again, look-
ing down at his face, quite quietly,
except for that .growing trembling.
Seeing not the slightest change in
him, Mary hurried the stolen thing
into her purse, gathered up the work,
crept out of the house and, hastened;
home -to feel, even before she ar
rived ther;:eJ that, in spite of her joy,
in this acquisition, there was a de-
cided canker at the root of it all. Im-
pulsively as the act had been done,
she deeply felt its meanness; and
wondered how on earth she would
have got out of the matter had he
awakened at the moment. For once
Mary :had played the traitor to her
conscience and her standard of eon -
duct, lowering the one, while the
other now made her suffer for doing
so. Yet many months and tremen-
dous griefs came and went ere she
learnt that he knew of what she had
done,
Although being far 'from one to let
Mary know this and still hardly in
love with her -certainly not with
that depth. _of. feeling -which he tad
given to Bella in their happier days
-he could not sleep again after she
left him. On the contrary he arose
and did as he had pretty often done
of late, when his wife happened to
be deep in her drinking bouts. He
went upstairs, to• that little box -for-
merly apt unlocked, but not so now.
-where his few papers of value were
stowed away. There he took out the
sets of verses which had been given
to him by Mary, to read in the order
as they had come into his possession,
he now seeing them in the light of
that knowledge which gave a fatal
sweetness to their perusal. Gener-
ally Della's letters came out with
them, because all were usneliy toge-
ther,the earlier ones tc}Mbe 'read and
returned, leaving behind some fresh-
ened disgust at his wife's drunken-
ness. Then he would o*.en the vers-
es, giving his first attention to that
early piece "The Alchemy of Love,"
and reading between its lines the -be.
ginning
he-be-
ginning of a story which was so hid-
den in the other poems as to require
this key and' subsequent• events to
make it understandab:e even to him,
and finding in it all a treacherous
pleasure that grew because of its very
subtlety. His feeling on replacing
these papers was commonly ene of
shame mingled with a joy- in which
there was much pain -a keen heart-
ache that was two-thirds sorrow fcr
'Mary and one at his own blighted
life, together with an unquietable
stirring of conscience at this lack of
loyalty to poor, ' weak Bella. Such
was the case with him now, except
that Mary's action over the lrtek of
hair had increased the guilty plea-
-su';e in his reading.
Then, as if some evil genius, fired
with the insistent pitilessness of in-
evitability, • was hurrying their two
lines to a converging point, unex-
pected though quite ordinary circum-
stances jostled Mary and Derreck to-.
gether oh the broken waters of •that
tempestuous sea over which her bark
had set out independently on its
lonesome and despairing voyage;
then, as we have seen, from the offing
to flaunt -without meaning to do aso
-signals that dared his still in -har-
boured craft to follow, and -at .the
time cried for assistance whil
So Mary again repaired to her room
in a joyance that was too great to be
laeting; it was more solid- •and tran-
quil than it had been on the previous
night, and on the following afternoon
she found occasion to add to it ra-
ther largely, yet at a certain cost and
danger which might have caused her
considerable pain. It happened that
she went to finish the trimming of
Bella's bat. The latter was out and
apparently had the child with her.
Derreck, who had been about since
the early hours of the morning, was
snatching a short sleep on the couch,
preparatory to some work on the ear-
ly night -tide: Unknown to her, how-
ever, he awoke. as she entered, saw
her, then immediately losed his eyes
with the idea of falling, asleep again.
Mary stood for a minute, wondering
whether to take the work home or
go with it into the kitchen, in order
not to .disturb him. Sheg decided on
the former course. The'Dhat lay on a
small table close to yet beyond the
head of the couch. As she took them
up, her glance fell on a lock of Dar -
rock's hair that protruded from the
mass generally. Instantly the desire.
arose in her breast to have that vag-
rant for her locket -it would make
such_ a complete whole of the thing.
The scissors were already in her
hand. She looked hard at his face,
mechanically replacing on the table
what she held in her left hand. He
was breathing regularly, with all ap-
pearance of being in a sound sleep.
Like the fabled bird to th'li mouth of
the snake transfixing It,.both hands
went out to that desleed Object. While,
her heart beat apt nereastndiy rap'd
pit pat, her temple ]beginning to;
trait put uipon'them -
throb tinder the s
ani•:,he did .not so Moth as Oliver an,
same e
disclaiming any need of help. When
we look deeply enough into life we
see that both gobd and ill fortune
have the habit of striking while the
iron ishot; but to our prejudiced
short-sightedness the latter' appears
to be the greater opportunist of the
two. So it w.asre with Derreck
and Mary, and, through their agency
with Bella.
In the afternoon Mary had gone
over Greenaleigh (the . great hill on
th'e north-west of the town), to have
tea with a friend, the understanding
being that her uncle should fetch her
home about seven o'clock. But as
the ship -chandler was putting up his
shutters, in the beginning of the twi-
light, Derreck went by, saying:
"You're closing early tonight, Mr.
Milroy. Nothing up, 1 dope."
"Well, yes and no -that is. I'm
closing a bit sooner than I should -
Drat it!" A gust of wind, aver the
harbor -wall, had struck the top end,
of his shutter and nearly driven' it'
through the window.
"Give It to me, I'm younger and
stronger than you," said Derreck,
taking the shutter and putting it up;
then adding, as he continued the
work and Mr. Milroy enlightened his
inexperience here and there. "What's
gone wrong?"
"Oh, nothing in particular; only
Jimmy liras just dropped a mast-he'ak
bioek on his foot, and may be hell'
want the doctor to it-"
"Oh, I'll fetch the doctor-"
"But it's .only may be -he's got it
in het water now. That isn't it.
Here's Mr. Webber sent down for
Me on an iriJportatit businese matter
and I was to have fetched Mary frot'n
Mrs. Rawle's Sarin tip Forth 31111, ill
about an hour. Dear me, Y dtet't
to eiid >rhe sttrtlrly ;enol canoe Crit " it tk *ha% 1' • 2.fu`' ` btfi ` . tat le"diffIde
Buy ardt''.�";...
Christi as Seals
"HELP WIPE OUT TUB
Please Give- Genero
CHRISTMAS SEAL ' COMIMITTSE.'
382 Wellington Si., LONDON
and-"
"Never mind, Mr. Milroy, you go
up to Mr. Webber -if Jimmy can see
to himself for an hour or two -and
Bella arid I will • go out for Mary.
I've nothing on this evening.''
Thus by the . time a11• the shutters
:were up the matter was arranged.
Derreck continued his wev-
wards,. binking that, as the evening
was fine though breezy, he and Bella
would enjoy, the walk to Mrs. Rawle's
and back -a distance of about three
miles altogether. When he 'entered,
however, it was to find that his wife
Was hardly in a fit state to' go Auld
the presence of mere a'quaintancee.
Angered at this, because'she had been
carrying it, on for some days 'and
had faithfully promised,. him at noon
that she would "take a spell off,"
he said nothing to her about Mary;
but quietly changed his clothes, put
on a • collar and tie, told Bella that
he was going ont for an hour or so
and ,went -feeling, as he had felt so
often of late, how futile it was to
be continually spending time and
persuasion in trying to keep 'her re-
spectable. In this dangerous frame
of mind he was soon away over tale
hill and swinging along to' the farm-
stead. A few words explained the
situation when he arrived and he and
Mary immediately started back' toge-
ther, neither of them being in any
particular hurry 'to reach horie, a"-
cept that Mary thoeught she might be
of some service in the matter of
Jimmy's mishap. Briefly Derreck ex-
plained why he had gone' alone to
fetch her, then they walked along in
a silence that was broken only now
and then by some casu&-1 remark and
a short 'rejoinder. They -w ere both
too full of thought for many worts
to be said, • •
Night proper had just set in; and
right away ahead, over Blue Anchor
Bay, the ten-day old "traveller's
lamp" hung like a thin and pallid
ghost -moon in a clear sky; while be-
hind them there was'still some pink-
ish opal light over the western sea,
where the sun had gone down. A$
a nearer though less frequented way
home'ards they had, in silent aare;e-
ment, taken an open path that lay
between the highroad and the Lrrea`_
cliffs; and- over the latter, a quarter
of a mile away, a dull rumble o: the
sea's roughriders came up to .,them.
filling the air with a sense of brine
and tumbling waters. In themselves
aldne the scene and its concomit-
ants were productive of such thoughts
and feelings as filled the hearts and
minds of Derreck and, Mary, a subtle
seductiveness that would have foe-
tered any mood short of anger. b
deep despair. And, althougls, then,
lived,from day to day withitethe far-
reaching
arreaching but little noted influepce':.of`'
the sea, these atmospheric conditions
were playing strongly on oth' of ':"
them; as such things .alw ys do in
receptive and responsive netures.,par
tiouiarly in 'tames of mental or er4,ie=
titinal stress.
It was in this manner that the
were faring homewards; ,whe . sud-
denly a hedgehog ted acres their
path, making Ma "''• tart . ut of her
preoccupation and inv, untarily step
aside quite close to serreck. It was
her instinctive, . e appeal for that
which she w. • not have sought else-
where. Instantly his arm was around
her, while the other hand grasped
hers, both actions at the mordent be- •
ing merely a combination of reassur-
ance. But the weakening subtlety of
touch was upon them, and to it there.
was added the no less ppwmag- .
nef-in such a case aV theirs -of
shelter and protection. Mechanically,
in a sedge, Mary remained, and he
held her,.. there. Perhaps the contact
did not, last more than a minute, cer-
tainly not more than two; but into,,
it were crowded sensations which
would last for months, producing
tleceights such as could not have come
without it and would ask at'd ask
again for non -forthcoming answers.
In itself it was proof, humiliation,
joy, shame, exultation and. guilt of .all •
that she had felt so long and so deep-
ly, and he was now feeling with in-
creasing force. It was their first real
touch of love, of any form of bodily
contact and attraction beyond a mere
handshake; and in that fact alone lay
their pardon for its brief continu-
ance, as also did the height and
depth of their immediate renuncia-
tion. Others in .their place -not of
greater passion, particularly than
Mary's, but of less, forbearance and
control -would have held on ' till
shame and burning, unrequited satie- •
ty .had performed their hot rites over
the funeral pyre of self-respect and
honor. With them it was otherwise.
(Continued Next Week)
After • much thought, an Aberdeen
couple decided to adopt an orphan
bay, -
"I, wonder, Mrs. McFie," remarked
a neighbor, "that ye didna choose a
lassie. Nppw you're up in years she
would hate been helpful tae ye."
"Maybe," replied Mrs. McFie, "but
ye see, we have a guid glengarry, bon-
net in the hoose."
LUMBER BASIC POST-WAR NEED
pf;odutse ibeifteii an,.j 1 •14i u tr r rust lthu6 Itttnb
In relic m are t rttleall lover • 'as. • si-, � intOJ ►bila till
reaiin'attruntlon° demands,
Ina
to attw ntent. b' ,
*OiJor .P, .
wsil5trSf1°wGdo{ rkMiet'ai $01
wt etMu8ttr tn''dt`u3abtr, drr T
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