OUR COMIC SECTION
Alabaster Lamps
By MARGARET TURNBULL
o
Our Pet Peeve
CrjrHM, . )r Mrtr TurabvU,
WNU SWTlCS
i CHAPTER XI Continued
19
' Story had made brief visits to St
Mark's with her mother, but now she
harried op the steep stone stairs
toward the galleries and the cnpello
dt oro. A service was in progress be
fore one of the altars,
i Mary paused moment to fee the
renla.1 old custodian, whose greeting
Ifai as toothless as tt was friendly.
As she stood peering down into the
dim church, she was conscious of
some one near her, watching her. She
looked up Into Ned Carter's eyes.
She could scarcely bellere It, and
yet something she read in his eyes
made her stretch out her hand. Ned
grasped it, and that steadied her.
She thought she heard him murmur
"Mary." She was not sure. She
turned, confusedly, her hand still un
accountably in his, and they went
through the doorway that led to the
golden horses. It was so narrow here
that quite naturally she recovered her
hand. As they stepped out Into the
sunshine, and the cool sea breeze,
Mary felt herself able to face Ned.
To her conscious amatement, she
found this no easy thing to do. There
was shining something In his eyes,
to which she seemed loathe to give
name, or to fully recognize. There
was so much confusion in her mind,
thoughts half formed flitting across It
like birds of the night, that she finally
left It to Ned to break the silence.
All be seemed sble to say was "Mary I"
"Are you here," Mary began des
perately, "with my "
Ned gave swift look about to as
sure himself that they were alone.
"Oh, what does it matter who I
am with? Fm here because you are
here, and I couldn't stay in Clover
Hollow without you. Ire followed
yon. Mary, to tell you
"Hush I" said Mary warnlngly, and
put her finger gently against his lips,
for out of the little doorway had ap
peared the wondering heads of a Ger
man youth of about twenty, and his
bride.
Mary moved away, seated herself on
the stone parapet beneath the horses
nd looked out over the piazza. Ned
Stood beside her, looking down.
"My father " she began.
Tea, I came here with C M. Putins,
i
and I know where he Is, but I'm not
to meet him for half an hour yet
Surely you can listen to me for that
length of time. If yon don't," he
threatened, "I won't tell you where to
find him. If you're kind to Hie, I'll
lead yon to him."
"Mr. Carter, aren't yon a little sud
den In your methods?"
rm anything yoo like except "Mr.
Carter.' And if I seem sudden, look
st the provocation. At a certain shop
your father is waiting, and once he
gets within hailing distance III be
pushed, shoved, Ignored or kicked
Into the background. So. Mary No
yon don't, my dear. There's absolutely
no nse In our roaming around looking
st things In shop windows. Down
this alley-way there's a Bight of stone
steps leading to the canal. If you
come that way, we could wait in the
shade for a gondola."
"To take me to father?"
"Eventually, yes." admitted Ned,
but primarily to listen to me."
"About father? Oh, I should love
to hear about him !"
n "Would yoo? Well, I've lots to tell.
A wonderful traveling companion,
tut first yon must hear about me."
They bad reached one step and while
Fed signaled a passing gondola, Mary
thought of him and wondered at her
self. Why should she go with him?
Mother would never approve of this I
Nevertheless, she waited for bis gon
dola and listened to him with s smile.
It was like walking Into a trap, but
Was she so unwilling to be caught?
She had one wild Impulse toward
Bight ts Ned concentrated his atten
tion upon getting the gondola ready
for his lady. It would be so easy to
slip sway now. As she made the first
Step his hand was on her arm. very
gently but eompelllngly, and she had
Stepped into the gondola.
They sat aide by side for a few
moments In silence as the gondola
made its way Into the Grand canal.
Then Ned turned to her and spoke
about Venice, Its sudden and unex
pected charm for him when he had
Crst seen the city. He loved it This
Iszy method of locomotion wss per
fect Did she not think so? Mary
could rhapsodize with hltn over Venice
to his heart's content, and begnn to
think she bad been fearful without
cause.
They bad turned from the Grand
canal Into a narrower, half-deserted
looking waterway, quite evidently
leading to the private entrance of
several old palaces. Over the wall of
one streamed green branches and
creepers, the remains of an old gar
den, once hidden from the public eye.
The canal was beautiful, and dark
with shade. Here and there long
Splashes of sunlight stole between
thick walls snd made bars scross the
Water.
1 knew you'd love It I've always
planned to bring the girt I some day
I meant to bring Mary, I've kept it
ibr too. Isn't It lovely r
I I sfM Mary could reply, bar band
was crushed In his, his shoulder was
against her own and his lips close to
her ear were murmuring, so that she
alone could hear all that he longed
to tell her. It was extremely Jerky
and Incoherent In fact, there was
very little sense In It It was rather
like what every man does with his
preconceived Idea of how he Is going
to conduct his love sOne. Ned, being
very much Jn love, made a bat botch
of1 It In fact, the astonished Mury
could not distinguish anything except
that she was disturbing the even
tenor of his life considerably, that
she was adorable, and though every
thing was Implied that should have
been Implied there was not s single
word about marriage or engagement
Most of it was "Oh, Mary !"
They were approaching the old
bridge. The bridge, low and dark,
seemed to Mary the proer place to
arrest the stream of Ned's eloquence.
She determined to release her hund.
It did not seem easy. She tried it
however, and turned her face to that
she might look at him and make him
understand. As she turned, the lips
so close to her ear brushed her cheek,
met her mouth and clung thera.
It was the first time for Mary.
Other men had tried to kiss her
mouth. Just aa other men had asked
her to marry them, but none bad suc
ceeded. When the gondola shot from under
the bridge Into the sunlight the gon
dolier, who of course must have sus
pected. If he hsd not seen, burst out
Into one of his cries of warning that
precede a turning. Ned Involuntarily
straightened up, came out of his
dream and looked guiltily at Mury.
Mary was furious. Her cheeks
flamed. She felt her whole body was
one burning blush. She hated hi in.
It was as though he had kissed her
In the open street But she hated
herself more, for even white she
blushed to remember his lips, she had
a horrible suspicion that she would
like to be kissed sgaln.
CHAPTER XII
How can a man apologize for kiss
ing s lady? Its not done. One ei
ther goes on, or leaves off, and If cir
cumstances or places compel one to
leave off abruptly, then surely the
lady should understsnd.
Ned, who had kissed several on the
way to Mary, was completely at a loss.
None of them had taken It Just like
this; grown red, then silent and re
fused to meet his eyes. He would not
have cared if they had, but he did
care now. He made one or two at
tempts at speech, but the shoulder
shrank from his, the hand refused to
be held, and the face remained
sverted.
The high gods, who love s lover,
taw his plight and gave Ned the only
words thst could help him.
"I'm not sorry. But I am sorry you
take it like this."
A voice from for away said: "It
wss like like a servant girt out with
a"
"Grocer's boy," finished Ned. "I
suppose thafa why you feel Insulted."
The colored marble be had been sit
ting beside for the last few moments,
returned to life. "Ned Carter I You
know It wssn't that Naturally I re
sented yon" but the voice stopped
abruptly and the blue eyes bad a haze
of tears.
Ned gathered np the limp hand
again, very gently, and kept tils eyes
fixed on the water of the sluggish
canal. "What am I to do? How are
you to know that I am mnd about
you, unless I tell yon? And how can
you know whether you like kissing
me, unless I try It?"
"You're outrageous; I know noth
ing about you, and to oh In a gon
dolaIn broad daylight P
Ned's laugh echoed across the ca
nal. "Oh, Mary, I adore you. How
long will It take yon to learn that by
heart? I'll aay It all over again, to
night and In the darkest corner of
Venice,"
"You will not get s chance. You
will pleHse lend now, and tuke me
to my father."
"If I do, will you think about me?"
"Oh, yes, I'll think about you," and
with that Ned had to be content
"Mury, your futher's very fond of
me."
IXXIIIIIXIIIIXXIXXXIIIIIX
Provided Method of Escape From Indian
Runt In 1003, the oldest brick house
In Virginia stands on Die south bunk
of James river, about midway between
Surrey Court House and Scotland
Wharf. It Is called Smith's Fort but
as a matter of historical accuracy the
building erected by Capt John Smith
In 1008 and named by him New Fort
stood about a quarter of a mile to th
west of this house snd now few trace
of the old Indian defense are to be
seen. Th Colonial record show that
the house wa built by Thomas War
ren In 1003 on land bought by hi in
from Thomas Itolfe, son of John Rolf
snd Pocahontas, daughter of th fa
mous Indian king Powhatan. There Is
S trsdltloa connected with one of the
closets Lb this aged bouse. From one
"That's the oue thing I know Iq
your favor."
"If you ask Claude Dabbs, he wtll
tell you all about me."
"I shall not ask my father."
This being exceedingly satisfactory
to Ned, he went on a few steps In si
lence, glancing down at the aderahle
hat this loveliest of ladles wore. It
was faced with blue that matched hei
eyes. He wished she would look up
"How ore you to know If you dt
not ask?"
She looked up, and down agali.
quickly, "Oh, I shall know."
"If you leave It to your heart," hi
murmured close to her ear, "I shall
be satisfied."
"If my father were not standing
there watching us," said Mary in ths
same conversational tone, "I would
ship you, good and hard"
' She left him and went forward ea
gerly to greet Claude. He came us
eagerly to meet his girl, and Ned
found himself very much out of th
picture. The girl, who had been hard
to him, was very sweet snd daugh
terly to Claude. It was Claude who
kindly held Ned within the charmed
circle, and Mary who made him feel
out of touch.
All the rest of that lovely after
noon Mary wandered about with the
two men who loved her. It was
agreed between Mary and Claude
Pubbs that If 1'olly kept to her room
that night Mary should contrive to
dine with him. She could, without
actually telling a fib, she assured
Claude, allow her mother to suppose
that she was dining with the Farley,
and Mrs. Farley was a dear snd
would understand If Mury told her st
the lust minute that she was dining
with friends. She would telephone
from her hotel and Claude coulf
come and tuke her to bis, and bring
her back.
With this they hsd to be content
They parted from Mary before they
reached the entrance to her hotel.
Tolly's headache was better, but
she decided not to get op. When Mary
came Into her room, ready to go to
dinner, 1'olly was sitting op In bed,
a tray before her.
"Sly word, Mary, yon look sweet
Turn sround and let me see If I'll like
you as well when you leave the room
aa I do when you come In.
"The Farleys ought to appreciate
you, Mary. Is young Farley to be
there tonight? If his mother knew
we were poor It might make s differ
ence, you know."
"I hope It does," Msry answered
lightly, apparently engrossed with
her Image In the glass. "I could do
with less of young Fsrley."
Then what is It, her mother thought
that makes her look Just that way?
It must be a man!
"Anyone Interesting among the new
arrivals?"
"I don't know," Mary answered
honestly. "I'll look thera over when
I go down, and report"
She kissed her mother and hurried
away.
1'olly rested back against her pil
lows and sighed. How long cou'.d she
keep Mary? Not very long. If the
men of thla generation were at all
like those of the last Well, at any
rate Claude should not hsve her.
Mary must have her chance and not
be dragged bock to a village grocery
store the same one from which her
mother had fled so many year ago,
Mary explained to Mrs. Farley, hav
ing first telephoned Claude, that she
waa dining with an old friend.
Mrs. Farley, who had no daughter
and adored Mary, watched with Inter
est Mary' meeting with s biff, dark,
middle-aged man who looked rather
distinguished.
Mary thought her father looked
stunning. It was frightfully romnn:
tic, she told hi in, eloping with one'
father In s gondola.
"You wouldn't even look at m If
Mother weie here In all her glory.
Mother Is--oh, Father, Mother Is s
perfect peach I"
"There wa a poet long ago, who
put what I feel about Polly In s nut
shell," Claude answered. "It was
something about: 'If she Isn't my
peach, I don't care how peachy she
Is,'"
"Father I Stop! Don't murder, It
she be not fair for me, What car I
how fair ah be.'"
(TO aa CONTINUED.)
In so upper room s trap door and a
stationary ladder led down to a brick
walled closet In the basement from
which It Is said an underground paes
age led to the original Smith's fort en
the banks of a creek nearly s quarter
of s mil sway. It la supposed thsl
the underground passsge, long sloe
fallen In, enabled many aa occupant of
the bouse to eacape when th Indians
hsd launched an attack. BalUiaor
Sua.
MiddU of Road'$ Crowded
Not only does every question tun
two sides, but some politicians maa
age t get Wl both. Ds Mollis JUa
later.
H T ( iREALLV II (NICE AND WAKN I Vf
(ht tNJOV THIS . W?JNM?1 r?A A v (NWMCP.FUL
VEAft yM cWML--
FINNEY OF THE
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