Part 38 (1/2)

Dinner was served, and he fell to like a harvest hand As he had the habit, when he was very hungry, of stuffing his mouth far too full for speech, she was free to carry out her little progra talk and action As she advanced frolances, to lingering look, she es of dreadful necessity have made it second nature to every woman, even the best of us,” reflected she If he weren't a handso it s, so roedness, were helping her to dexterity and even enthusias, how she deceived herself--for the har The fact was, thismood had far more of nature and sincerity in it than there had been in her icy aloofness Icy aloofness, except in the heroines of aristocratic novels, is a state of mind compatible only with extreanic diseases that sour the disposition Never had she been in such health as in that ca alive been so deliciously intoxicating; the scratch he had made on her throat had healed in twenty-four hours, had all but disappeared in seventy-two Never had she known to such a degree what a delight a body can be, the sense of its eagerness to bring to the lorious pleasures of the senses

Whatever disinclination she had toward hi of class education; now that she had let down the bars and released feeling she was in heart glad he was there with her, glad he was ”such a MAN of a e fire down by the shore, and left the incessantly; her overtures had roused in hiue of egotism and rant, he poured out poetry, eloquence, sense and hureat ht, for in hervoice, which, in other oad, harreat, starry sky and the mysterious, eerie shadows of forest and ht fire As they rose to go in, up ca face, the face of a aret She tre?” asked he In his voice was that exquisite tone that enabled hireat audiences to their feet to cheer hi eyes to his ”What?” she inquired under her breath She had forgotten her schemes, her resentments, her make-believe of every kind ”What--Joshua?” she repeated

”It's saying: 'Hurry up, you silly children, down there! Don't you know that life is a minute and youth a second?'” And now both his arms were round her and one of her hands lay upon his shoulder

”Life a minute--youth a second,” she murmured

”Do you think I'd scratch you horribly if I kissed you--Rita?”

She lowered her eyes but not her face ”You ht try--Josh”

CHAPTER XXIV

”OUR HOUSE IS AFIRE”

Next -room and had almost finished her toilette before he awakened For the first time in years--perhaps the first ti of her first season in Washi+ngton society--she felt like singing Was there ever such a dawn? Did ever song of birds sound so like the voice of eternal youth? Whence had come this air like the fuht! What colors, what tints, upon mountain and valley and halcyon lake! And thewho had soht for expression of all that bewitched her in these wilds

She laughed softly at her own ecstasy of exaggeration ”The other Josh will coet to be practical THIS is episodic” These happy, superhuman episodes would come, would pass, would recur at intervals; but the routine of her life must be lived And if these episodes were to recur the practicalthe practical that so rief,” reflected she And the first mandate of the practical was that he a uncertainties He ot where his talents would have their due, their reward But subtly guiding him into the way that would be best for hi up to last night's moonrise--was as abysmally separated from its selfish hypocrisy as love froed thein her--no, THEIR roohted up, her eyes sparkled She ran to the mirror for a final primp before he should see her She was e she saw reflected there ”I never looked better in lad I kept back this particular dress He's sure to like it, and it certainly is becoood lines it has about the hips” She startled at a knock upon the door She rushed away from the mirror He had small physical vanity himself--she had never known any one with so little He had shown that he thought she had no vanity of that kind, either, and he would doubtless misunderstand her solicitude about her personal appearance Anyhow, of all lass

”Yes?” she called

”Margaret,” came in his voice And, oh, the difference in it!--the note of tenderness--no, it was not iination, it was really there! Her eyes filled and her boso me at breakfast?”

”Come in,” cried she

When the door did not open she went and opened it There stood HE! If he had greeted her with a triumphant, proprietorial expression she would have been--well, it would have given her a lowered opinion of his sensibility But his look was just right--dazzled, shy, happy Nor did he make one of his impetuous rushes He alht his shoulder--gladly, eagerly, with a sudden, real shyness ”Margaret,” he said ”Mine--aren't you?”

Here was the Joshua she was to know thenceforth, she felt This Joshua would enable her to understand, or, rather, to disregard, so far as she personally was concerned, the Josh, tempestuous, abrupt, often absurd, whouides were, the familiar Josh returned--boyish, boisterous, rather foolish in trying to be frivolous and light Still--what did it ain--

When they set out after breakfast her Joshua still did not return, as she had confidently expected The obstreperous one remained, the one that was the shrewdly-developed cover for his everlasting sche of myself,” he burst out, ”with my silly notions” He drew a paper from his pocket and handed it to her

”And this infernal thing of Grant's has been encouraging azette and couide to dress and conduct in the society of a refined gentlewoh, an impulse hard indeed to restrain when she came to the last line of the docu with heavy underscorings: ”Above all, never forget that you are a hty stiff dose for anybody, and could easily become an overdose for a refined, sensitive lady” But prudent foresight made her keep her countenance ”This is all very sensible,” said she

”Sensible enough,” assented he ”I've learned a lot from it Did you read that last sentence?”

She turned her face away ”Yes,” she said