HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
The Temptation and the Crisis
14
BY MARY. CAROLYN DAVIES.
iO YOU'RE leaving tonight.
Waring?" called out one of
men. as Don sauntered over
to the group.
"The boat sails at midnight," he
enswered quietly.
"How long shall you be abroad?"
continued Keith Hartley carelessly.
The women in the group turned to
hear Waring's reply. The orchestra
began the waltz, a slow dream move
ment.
"I probably shan't come back,'
explained Waring courteously. "My
relatives are In England, you know.
This is our dance, I think." He
turned to Keith's wife. She rose.
They moved out together past the
circle and glided out on the floor to
the insistent tones of the wait.
The blaze of lights, the lure of the
mocking waltz, and the nearness to
him, were too much for Clarice's
self-control.
"Take me back to the others, Don,"
she said, speaking verly slowly to
keep her voice under control. I
can't stand it."
His face was white, but he man
aged to keep his tones even. "If you
really want me to, Clarice, be said
"But I must see you, I must!", he
cried out suddenly. The vehemence
In his tone startled her. "I have
to leave in half an hour. The boat
sails at midnight. Clarice, do you
realize it?" His voice was pleading,
Insistent, vibrant with pain. Then
he added, more quietly, "I must see
you alone for a moment.
"Shall we sit out this dance, then?'
she asked lightly, smiling gaily as
they passed someone they knew.
"Take me to the conservatory, Don,"
she flntshad.-in a low tone, "we can
talk there."
The ' half-soothing, half-mocking
rhythm of the waltz followed them as
they slipped away. She sunk In a
little white heap on a bench behind
the palms and flowers, and Don
seated himself beside her.
They could see the flash of the
white dresses in the room beyond,
and the bits of laughter and gaiety
that floated in to them seemed very
far away.
There was a moment's silence. Now
that this had come, Clarice tried
madly to put It off. In desperation
she strove to think of some trivial
thing to speak of, anything, any
thing to gain time. But only the one
thought kept feverishly beating into
her mind, and, try as she would to
keep It from her lips, she found her
self saying: "So you re leaving,
Don?" She tried to make her tone
careless, noncommittal, but she knew
that he understood what lay beneath
the little tremble in it.
Don stared fixedly away from her
His voice was tense.
"Ton know why I'm going,
Clarice, he said.
Clarice looked at his averted face,
and blushed painfully. "It's not be
cause of me?" she ventured lamely
"Oh, no, It's not because of you,"
he flung out bitterly, and the Irony
In his voice seemed to make him sud-
riflnlv nlrler
She listened helplessly, with a hurt
look In her eyes.
Suddenly he smiled over at her,
with all his old boyish mischief, that
had been one of the things about
him that attracted her most. He
held up his left hand, and with the
other hand elaborately laid the fin
gers, one by one, over each other.
He held it up to her, "fingers
crossed. No, he repeated teas
tngly, "it Isn't at all on .your ae
count."
In spite of the trouble in her face,
Clarice smiled back at him, abaa
dotiedly.
But all the fun died out of his
face, presently, and only the pain re
mained.
"Clarice," he Baid . gently, "we
can't let things be this way. I can't
live my life without you, and " he
added reverently, "you love me, too."
It was partly a question, partly a
triumphant assertion, but mostly an
appeal. "You know it, Clarice," he
went on more gently. "You've known
It ever since that night."
"Yes," breathed the girl, so low
that he bent his head o her, "I've
known ever since that night."
His eagerness slopped her. "Then,
why not " he began. "O, Clarice,
come with me. We'll never be happy
otherwise." He scowled heavily at
the floor, but did not seem to find
any answer to the problem.
Presently he went on. "I made up
my mind, when I saw how I had got
to care, that I would go away for
good. And no one would be hurt
but I." She drew a sharp little
breath, and he went on. "But when
I found out that you cared, too "
"HU voice broke. There'ivas a
called a voice,
breathless silence. The girl was
breathing quickly, her face half
turned away from him.
"Clarice, come to me," he urged
once more, and reached out his arms
to her. t
With a little sob she turned toward
him. "I mustn't. I will not!" she
cried, but let him draw her closer.
The music had stopped. The dan
cers were coming toward them. But
almost before they realized that the
dance was over, the next was beginning.
"Second extra!
and Waring rose.
"I must go," he said. "Wherd
shall I take you till this dance Is
over? After the second extra I will
meet you at the door. I will have a
cab ready, and we will be gone and
reach the steamer before anyone sus
pects." "I will go to the dressing-room and
get my wraps on," she said dully.
"After the second extra I will
come," he said, and was gone.
She stumbled into the dressing-
room, but stopped short as she heard
a sound of sobbing. On the couch In
the corner lay the maid, crying piti
fully. "Why, what is It?" asked Clarice.
Even In her own trouble she could
not pass by a creature like this:
The girl raised a startled face. "I
thought every one was gone," she
breathed. "It isn't anything, Miss,
and sobs choked her voice again.
"Tell me, perhaps I can help.
She smoothed out the crumpled note
the girl held out to her, and read It.
It was an appeal for the girl to go
West with someone who signed him
self "Jack," and "get rid of it all."
Clarice went white.
"And me with two children," said
the maid. "My husband drinks. It's
not the first time he's wanted me to
do It and I'm too tired to fight any
more."
. "Think what it means!" cried
Clarice sternly. '"Honor and "
"Don't you think I've thought
about It all?" Her voice was fierce
and challenging. "But he he "
"I know," breathed the other girl.
"I leave It to you," said the maid
abruptly. "Would you stick it out
if you were me? Would you stick it
out?"
Clarice drew a long breath, her
head went up, and her hand caught
the other girl's firmly.
"I'd stick It out," she said.
t. The last crash of the music trem
bled and was still.
Clarice opened the door and
stepped out Into the room. As Waring
sprang to meet her, she looked at
her programme.
"The next dance is my husband's
she said calmly. "He will be looking
for me. Since you are leaving now
we had bettor say 'goodbye.' " She
nut her hand cordially in his, and
looked him bravely in the eyes
"Goodbye," he said, with his face
white and worn
The music crashed out welcom-
Ingly. Hartley was waiting for his
wife.
"Goodbye," said Don again. "Don't
let me spoil your dance," and wlto
his hand on the door he watched her
glide off with Hartley.
i
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Several points of superiority In the
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it is staid to have the fewest parts,
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if ta hall-hear ne. s mnle in con
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tn M.Q nrnvinna nf Ontario. Canada.
thpre are 30 co-oneratlve associations
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Address
T 1
At the vers rjecinnlna- of tha boiaIIm Marina
business in America. I mada mv rtrnt. nirlna
witn mv own hands. Than, aa mvmr aiiiM t hn I -
1 figured the kerosene or essoline can t.ha 1
cost and esse of doing the work determines .VaC
engine Quality more than the coat of the Iron pile.
It wasn't so herd to make mv engine of the
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ls8 Oakland Avenue.
Kanai City
Mo.
U"'WV
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taat
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