Sandy post., February 21, 1940, Image 2

WEDNESDAY. FEB 21. 1940
SANDY POST
OUR WEEKLY SERIAL STORY INSTALLMENT
PROLOGUE
TO
LOVE
M A R TH A
CHATTER i n
O 5TEN SO
y foe w
"I am going s i c rfre
couple -jf weeks. ” he c o c a n u e d
As he spoke- * ear drove up be­
fore the door and came abruptly to
a stop. Bruce got up and walked
toward the window.
T h a t must be Florian now,” Au­
tumn said
" It is," Bruce told her. ‘T i l be
on m y w ay."
He came toward her and held out
his hand She slipped her hand into
his and thought in swift panic that
she was losing him now, forever.
"D id you mean what you said—
dial the past is past?” she asked
him tu rr.e d ly , as Florian's footfall
sounded at the door.
Before he could reply. Florian had
hailed them from the doorway.
Bruce drew back a step and Autumn
turned to meet Florian, who was
com ug toward them, his usual easy
self, his hand extended
"Hello, folks!” he greeted them.
"G reat to see you again. Autumn!
you‘ to° ’ B rjc e ! H ow's the big
Florian was puzzled
He knew
from her manner that there was no
use In urging her to come with him.
She had made up her mind.
“That’s rough on m e,” he said,
“but you’ ve become a woman of af­
fairs, and there isn't much I can do
about it. I suppose."
"There’s nothing anyone can do—
about m e,” she said, "except m y­
self."
Florian was silent for a moment
Then he helped himself to another
drink and lifted it in his hand, re­
garding it thoughtfully. At last he
looked at her over the rim of the
glass.
"You know. Autumn,” he said
slowly, " I h iv e a bunch you will
not go to England at alL"
" I don't know, Florian,” she ad­
m itted
"You don’t want to go," he told
her.
"You know I don’t.”
" I thought as much," he said, lift­
ing his glass. "W ell—here’ s luck!"
Autumn lifted her glass and drank
sheep m an ’ Gosh, I haven't seen
I m jtavm g early a the m om m g
F - kt - sz
t i± r t a
whea
I you for an age!"
You'D
prioa&.y
he
gune
beinre
1.
be u »
her. Autumn reflected.
“ The last tim e we met—” Bruce
Bui tbe »-tinder sea: txr-uri saarpiy get hack."
began, but Florian interrupted him.
Her voice, a-hec the spoke a g a s
• d ' m tbe beckground of her trough!
"Say. the last time you spoke to
■ M *h a t Briere might ttunx g he seemed to I m p Lke some mjurec
—
"Oh." she sa.h “ n was nice me—you ta d murder in your heart."
came face to face »-:!fc her a o e.
of you to
‘
“ I adm it it." Bruce said with a
Au'-ume selected a half -'.■perei pmk
He opened his e-garette ease anc : sm ile
r » e from a v».ae a t her dressing
offered it to her She was obliged to
“ You’re great on that defending-
table arid drew it tJsroagfc tbe lapel
■take her fingers rigid in order to ■ a-woman's-fair-name stuff, Bruce.
of her jac ket The effect »as cttarto-
control tn t.r tre~.o_-.g as she held You'll get a reputation if you’re not
iy sweet she decided. W t l ooe
the c. gazette wnUe Bruce lit it for careful You looked ready to kill
h a d to cod tem plate the trivial de­
her.
; me that night—kill me with your
t a i l if one kept C ' g at a3—espe­
" I came. Autumn." he said at I two hands, as they say in the
cially »her; tbe important things of
hie seemed beet to one's -jadcnng. last. h u voice rtrangeiy tense. "be­ i thrillers."
“I know I was, ’ Bruce admitted.
Brace Landor m.ght just post.biy cause I did not »-act you to leave
call while she »-as aw ay—oo. no. with the feeling that— that we are | 1 ewe you both an apology for
what I thought that n ig h t”
there must he an end to s-uefa not friends."
A desire to give way to tears al­
thoughts aa that! She lighted her
“Don't spoil i t now.” Florian ad-
lipa at the heard Hannah's voice most overwhelmed her as she locked j monished him. "You know, you
ealLog her from the foot of the at him now and recognized what H really should have lived in the days
stairs That had been F lo n a n 't car
when knights were bold—and all that
then, that she had heard enterteg
rot—when running a man through
the driveway.
was just part of the day's work."
He laughed at Bruce and then
‘T i l be down to a moment. Han­
turned to Autumn 'G iv e us a drink.
nah." she eailed back, and hastily
Auturhn. I'm as dry as an old salt
dabbed a powder puff to the shad­
mine."
ows under her eyes.
"Sorry I can't stay with you and
She had almost convinced herself
join in one,” Bruce said " I'v e got
that she was gay when she descend
to get into the hills first thing in the
ed the stairway and approached the
morning and I'v e got a lot to do
draw ing room door. On the thresh­
before dark."
old.
she paused abruptly
and
checked the greeting that was ready .
"Sorry," Florian replied " I was
on her bps. The young man wbc
noping we might have you down at
rose to meet her was not Florian.
the ranch for a little party this week­
but Bruce La,odor.
end Autumn is coming down to
She turned from the trail and
neip us celebrate her going away
rode over the hills straight io the
•'Hello, Autumn.' he said quietly
In fact, Lin told me she intends to
direction of the ravine.
as be came toward her. “ I was
telephone you tonight about it."
afraid I might not find you at
" I'd like to go." Bruce assured with him. When she set it aside
borne."
mm. “ but I can't put off the trip an­ once more, she got to her fe e t
She felt the wild, hot flush that
“ You are going to stay for din­
other day.
T ell Lin for me. will
covered her cheeks ‘ Why—Bruce!
you’ I 'l l not he home to take her ner.” she announced abruptly, and
I had no idea it was you. I was
ealL"
in spite of his protests she went to
expecting F lo rian .”
the kitchen to confer with Hannah.
"You're not leaving tonight’ ”
In her confusion she knew, of
"No. but I'll be staying up at the
course, that she had stumbled
The sound of Florian's car on the
cabin in the ravine tonight,” Bruce
wretchedly there.
replied " I have some work to do highway was still audible to Au­
" I'll hot stay more than a minute. 1
up there on some new corrals I'm | tumn as she hurried to her room
Autumn." be said, with a diffidence
and began removing her white linen
putting in."
that brought her a quick marveling
"W elt business is business.” Flor- suit. She changed quickly to her
of incredulity.
lan observed, “ and I'v e had enough black riding clothes and fastened a
"Oh, please'" she breathed "Sit
of it to last me for a month. How bright green scarf about her th ro at
down—until Florian comes, at any ,
her hands trembling with an un­
about that little drink. Autumn?"
Fionas »»old have • shock
rate.”
srbea be saw ber.
‘T i l say good-by. then.” Bruce accountable excitem ent
What oo earth was the saying’ I
said, and gave Autumn his hand
Her flight down the stairs and out
She felt a t if her wits bad left her meant for him to speak so frankly
once more.
of the house brought from old Han­
completely What she bad just said, She could have gone to him in that
Autumn held his hand for a mo­ nah a mere despairing click of the
io effect, w at that be might leave moment and wept in his arms.
ment without speaking, then turned tongue. She had long since given
the moment Florian arrived. But
away as Broca started for the door. up the struggle of trying to cope
" I have had no such feeling
perhaps Bruce would Dot care to Bruce," she said with some diffi­
'G a ll me up when you come out with the vagaries of her young mis­
meet F lo rian —after their last eo culty.
____
of the bills.” Florian suggested
as tress.
counter
The sun had gone and the new
" I couldn't blame you if you h a d "
Bruce waved him a farewell,
She seated herself and Bruce took he sa id "1 think I told you—one
"R ig h t!" Bruce replied and was moon had cut a barely perceptible
a chair near her. Somehow she night—that we could not be friends."
silver curve in the pale sky as Au­
gone.
could not bring herself to glance
Florian turned to Autumn as the tumn mounted her horse and turned
She
smiled
at
him
but
did
not
directly at turn in her sharp aware­
She was glad,
door closed "Come along, darling him westward.
ness of the distraught look oo his speak, smiled frozenly. in a silence —one drink and w e'll hit the t r a il" shamelessly, that her gaze fell full
face. Every instinct of her beuig. that was unbearable.
Autumn brought the ingredients upon it, and neither over her right
" I wanted you to know, before
alive to but nearness ooce more. In­
and
permitted Florian to m ix them. shoulder nor over her le ft
formed her that Bruce Landor bad you left, that we «hall always he
Beneath the serene dome of eve­
He
kept
up an incessant chatter con­
been suffering even as she herself friends—because we must be. I had
dinner with Hector the other night." cerning bis trip to Vancouver and ning the mountains had drawn into
had suffered.
the scores of small interests that their blue secrecy. The drowsy m u r­
"H e told me to ." Autumn said
"1 had hoped you might come.'
had occupied him since their last m ur of the range drifted toward her
she found herself saying, the words
" I heard the whole story—our
meeting. Autumn did her best to and overwhelmed her senses with its
stumbling out recklessly.
whole story." Bruce went on. with
listen but found it impossible to keep prophecy of fulfillm ent
evident emotion. " I wish you had
He darted a quick look at her
tier mind on what he was saying
Bruce had told Florian that he
"H ad you. re ad y’ I —1 » » m l sure told it to me before."
When at last Florian filled the would not be at home. He would
you would care one way or the otb-
Autumn lifted her hands toward glasses and banded one to Autumn,
be in his cabin. She turned from
him slightly in a gesture of appeal.
•r."
she sipped it once and then set it the trail and rode over the hills
I wanted to tell you. Bruce, but aSKJe.
"O h!" She was not sure whether
straight in the direction of the ra ­
or not she had spoken. Her Ungers you must know why I could n o t
"Come
on. darling."
Florian vine. As she came to the white
twined tightly together ui her lap
"1 understand that perfectly. Au­ urged.
We ll have to be making birches and looked ahead, she saw
" I dropped over to aay good-by. tumn. I should have felt the same tracks."
the cabin among the trees, almost
Autumn." Bruce went oo. "Tom about It myself—and would proba­
She looked at hurt “I can't go i hidden in the dusk. There was no
W illm ar says you are planning to bly have acted aa you did.”
with you. F lo rian ." she told him.
light in the window, and her heart
leave tor England within a few
•W h a t!”
She forced herself to look square­
fell at the thought that he might
days "
" I'm sorry,” she replied, “but not be here, after all. I f he had
ly into his eyea. " It has all been
" I haven't set the tim e y e t," Au- I terrible— for both of us."
something has come up—since you already gone—
tunui replied. " I t wan t be lor an '
"Forget i t then." Bruce said firm ­ telephoned. I'v e got to stay here
She rode up the narrow tra il and
tonight.”
ether ten days, anyway.”
ly. "W hat's past—is past!"
dismounted among the birches, leav-
ing her horse to graze as she ap­
proached the door. She did not
knock, hut pushed the screen door
quietly open and stepped within.
Bruce was on his knees in the
middle of the floor, packing a heavy
box with supplies.
He looked up
quickly, then got to his feet and
faced her in the shimmering gloom
of the place. She retreated a step
and leaned her back against the
fram e of the doorway.
F o r a moment neither spoke. Then
he stepped toward her.
"A u tu m n !” he said, his voice
quick with excitement.
“ You did not answer m y question
—this afternoon,” she said.
"W hat question?" he replied.
Autumn strove to speak but her
voice failed her. Bruce came and
stood looking down at her.
“ What question?” he repeated.
“Did you mean it— when you said
—the past is past?”
“I meant—just th a t!” he told her.
"F orever?”
"F o rev er—and e v e r!"
She looked at him for a moment
before she spoke again.
"And you told me once— that I
should never come here again,” she
said, smiling up at him. "D id you
mean that, too?”
The slender furrew deepened In
either cheek as he leaned toward
’ her.
" I m eant that, too,” he said. " I
meant it—then."
She caught her hat suddenly from
her head and flung it across the
room.
" I ’m here!" she said.
T hat's
; why I'v e come."
(T H E E N D )
Land May Have Linked
Asia to North America
A Chinese scholar and his Am er­
ican colleague, poking about a pre­
historic lake bed in Shantung prov­
ince, discovered evidence indicat­
ing that some 15,000.000 or more
years ago the continents of Asia and
North Am erica were linked by dry
land.
The results of their search were
described by the American, Dr.
Ralph W. Chaney of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, before the
Geological Society of Am erica and
its affiliated organizations, says the
New York Times.
He and his Chinese associate,
Hsen-Hsu Hu, found fossilized bones
of p rim itive deer, rhinoceros and
members of the cat fam ily, as well
as plant impressions.
Their discovery, he said, supports
their theory that p rim itive North
Am erican animals and plants came
here from Asia ages before the
m ighty geological upheavals on the
west coast of North Am erica which
upraised the Cascade and Alaskan
mountain ranges while depressing
the land ridge between the two con­
tinents and forming Bering strait.
Plants sim ilar to those discovered
in Asia apparently flourished in
Wyoming and other western states
millions of years ago, and descend­
ants of the animals unearthed are
found today in tropical and semi-
tropical Asia, although they disap­
peared from North Am erica prob­
ably before prehistoric man crossed
the ice of the straits from Asia, Dr.
Cheney's paper said.
The Shantung of that period, ac­
cording to the types of flora dis­
closed by the fossils, had a climate
fa r more humid and somewhat
w arm er than it has today. Dr.
Chaney added. I t approximated
modem conditions in the Yangtze
valley and at m iddle elevations in
Japan, where present-day equiva­
lents of many of the fossil plants
have been traced.
D r. Horace G. Richards, expert
on the geology of the Mexican gulf
coast, disclosed in a paper that the
finding of m arine glacial-age fossils
at a depth of 2,400 feet in the Mis­
sissippi delta region offers some
evidence as to the amount of silt
that rive r has carried down through
the ages. Thus since the last ice
age. which geologists place at from
18.000 to 20.000 years ago. it would
appear that more than 2.400 feet of
silt have been deposited by the riv ­
er near its mouth.