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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1923)
lived up, so far as ho could, to the traditions in which ho had been born. She wondered what color his eyes were, and even as she wondered they opened, at first drowsily, then widely as they suddenly turned and met hers. They were dark, she dis covered—very dark, almost black. Indeed, they seemed quite black under stress of their owner’s varied emotions as he stared at her. "I hope I haven’t startled you,” she said gently. As he seemed un able to answer at once, she went on. "I should not have come, of course. I know you don’t want to meet strangers. But—I could not feel that we were stranger's." He was making it hard for her, with his silence and his intent, al most resentful glance. "You see,” she added with a srnlle, "we both came from Weyo. as I told you in my first note—and I remember you when you were a boy.” "You—you do?" he stammered A change took place in his expres sion, a chance which she could no! analyze. Was it merely resigned acceptance? It looked like that. "Of course you are Miss Belden,* he ended, quietly. She was encouraged. At least ha was not asking her to go. • “Yes. i >o you remember me- at all?" For the first time he smiled. It was an ironical smile, and his voice when he spoke matched it. “Of course,lie said again She went on, resolutely. “Your grandfather's garden was one of the fairy places of my imagina tion," she told him, “because none of us children was ever invited to enter it. 1 used to look at the high brick wall that shut us out, and imagine the garden peopled wit li all sorts of things—fairies and gnomes and trolls. And sometimes I was horribly sorry for you be cause you had to live there, and sometimes I envied you." She stopped. For a full moment he did not speak, but stared out over the water, his expression changing again. She felt that he understood. So much had happened since those old days! At last he turned to her with the air of one who has made up his mind, who has actually squared his shoulders to meet the issue of the moment. “You were a schoolgirl then," he ■aid at last, in the casual conver sational tone of* courteous but not especially interested host. "A little girl with golden hair that always seemed blowing in the wind." “Yes, I was fourteen, and rather untidy about ribbons. Of course you can't really remember much about me.” she plumbed hopefully. “O, yes, T do.” The words were reassuring, but his voice lacked warmth. “You and your father per meated Weyo like an atmosphere. When people there wore not talk ing about your father's public gift* they were goesiping about your ponies and your birthday parties and that sort of thing. And 1 •* member seeing you quite Often rid ing or motoring, always with your hair blowing out like a golden mane." She had not liked j»art of tills speech, nor the manner in which it was delivered Hut. nfter all, Iip was a sick soldwr, and. in a way, an old friend. Also, having shut out all others, he had at least re ceived her. and that was progress enough for otie dav. She Would go away and think him ovey before venturing another interview. She rose. •'We have established a common Interest,” she declared lightly, 1 and now I am going. I promised Miss Greeley I wouldn’t stay long. Gut —I'm coming again." He made no effort to detain her, nor did he apologize, grimly or humorously or bitterly, ns many of the poor lsiys did. for his Inability to show her the courtesy of rising. He merely Inclined his head. ' Goodbye," he said And as an obvious afterthought. ' Thank you." She hesitated. Then.* ' May I come again?" she asked, and won defed at herself. She had not in tended to ask that iiuestlon. He waited perceptibly before replying, tnd She felt the blood mount to her ;hc( fcs and was furious with herself and the phenomenon. Why did she mind a rebuff from this man when, after all, the t^hole episode wns purely a part of I lie postwar work she had taken up? It was not per sonal. The phrase was reassuring and she repeated It- "not personal a* all." "Why—why, yes." sh<- heard him sny at last. Then, slowly, as If lie had realized his ungraciousness, he smiled up nt her. ' J’lciso come again.” he said It was her first glimpse of the enchanted prince. She laughed trl urnphantly. "I didn't gite you much chance to escape me," she handsomely ad mitted. "Will you tell me what was lo that garden when I come again? I have always wanted eo dreadfully to know." "I will tell you." he said gtavelv. "It was really talher a jolly old place The odd port of It is that when I w is u kid f thought, too. that li n .im full of goblins It had a lot of dark, mysterious spots. I used to slay goblins in those cor ners—lots of ’em! And”—he looked at her—”1 used to rescue you from all sorts of perils. You, of course, were the obvious princess,” he cnS ed, more lightly. That, surely, was “personal.” enough. To her amaze ment, It made her heart contract. He was still the enchanted prince, and he had come to this—to suffer ing and poverty and neglect. For a speechless moment she stood look Ing down at him. Then she put out her hand into his, “We shall have wonderful things to talk about,” was all she could say as she left him. But when she made her second visit, three days later, It was not immediately of haunted gardens that she talked. Since their first meet ing she had been thinking of Far rand to an amazing degree. Her thoughts were like birds which, at ter brief flights, returned to him ns to their home. She told herself that this was because he was from Weyo—avoiding any analysis of why that simple fact had suddenly taken on a peculiar significance and im portance. She must plan for him. /She must make that homo town take an interest in its distinguished son. She must find out why in was in such financial straits. Slit must enlist dad's aid. Ail this bt ing so, of course she must think of Farrand. Whe ended by thinking ot in tie else. He had a fashion of sudden ly visualising himself to her—of coming into her line ot vision. Some -times his dark face was hard and gloomy. Somethin s his boyish smile with its unexpected sweetness, flashed out at her. He came when he chose— not when she was quietly alone ami ready to receive him, but when she was entertaining at din ner, when she was at the theater, when she was ehattlng around some tea table, when she was listening to music—most of all. when she wag listening to music. He cun", ar.d with him came the companion pic ture of the years—the young prince of the enchanted garden, a mysteri ous, boyish figure shrouded in shad ow HIS words, too, returned to her again and again, "You,” he had said, were the obvious princess '* Yet she had been so young, had cough* a distant glimpse of him so rarely Where and when had he seen her* It wa.^^f her plans that she talk ed when again she found him in his favorite haunt in t lie hospital grounds And she was so absorbed in these, so sure of their appeal t< him, now that an entente had been established, that at first she failgd to perceive his lack of response The ice had been broken. Surely she could plunge In. * Two of the Weyo boy < were at college here," she told far rand, »t the end of her almost uninterrupted monologue. ' Of course, you remem ber them—Bob Gordon and Ted Kiske. They are coming to New York as soon as college closes. T want to bring them to see you. You won't mind their tieing younger than you, for Ted is the most amus ing boy I know .and Hob sings like an angel. You will enjoy them immensely, and they will bo so glad to come and so proud to know you She had said all she meant to say. but she would have gone ’ on^ femi nine fashion filling his silent « with sound rather than lose the ground she felt that she had gained. Now. however, she was checked by the look In hi* eyes ss he abruptly leaned toward her. Miss Belden. ' bo said crisply, "will you do mo a favor?" "Of course, I v. Ill—any number * f them.” She was conscious that she had made some mistake. The voice In which he spoke had wit boon that In which one sues fur favor c And her plans had boon so well thought out’ It had Boomed so wise casually to give him his proper place among his old neighbors, to" assume casually that he would a^ Copt It, "Tin n I hog thnt you will say noth ing al-out mo to our W'eyo friends, or to your father, or. Jn fact, !o any one. I am glad to know you— "I didn't give you much choice alrnut that," she Interjected ner vously. lie went on as If she had not spoken. "But In moot a lot of well moan ing people Just now, wherever th. y come from or whoever they are, would do too more harm than good I know this. T made it plain to tlm doctors and to Miss (iretloy. And I shall bo ruunh obliged If you Jo not even mention my name to the friends you have spoken of Is that understood?" Hhe felt like a schoolgirl severely disciplined by a master. The flig of her pride went down before the now experience. “Why, of course," she stammered "That Is, I won't speak to any one 1 haven't already mentioned you to, f talkrd to dad about you the flay 1 was here—" "To what others did you speak? To those buys’" lie fall ly fired the question at tier "No, but only because I haven't seen them," she honestly sdmlttet Arid t w i etc to lle'en Moore .who lived in Weyo when w.c did. She Is married now and her home is in Philadelphia, but I knew she would ho Interested. However,” she add ed in a different tone, her poise suddenly restored by llie realization of how friendly had lieen her in tentions in all this meddling, “you may be sure that neither Helen nor dad will trouble you. Anil I realize now that the way I myself leaped over your barriers was—was un pardonable. I piust apologize for that.” She wan sick at heart. What a blundering idiot she had been to treat this man as she had treated the others—as if he were like the others. She hail forced herself upon hitn, she had patronized him, and she was Just enough to admit that she deserved exactly what she had got for doing it. “Please don’t apologize." His voice had changed. From the first she had observed what an agreeable and well-bred speaking voice it was. Vow it held an unsuspected quality of lieauty and charm. “You are the exception,” he went on. “There’s always an exception, you know, to the strictest rules I shall be fright fully cut up if you drop me." "KeallyV" She was Incredulous, but anxious to be convinced. She looked at him with eyes whose clear brown depths showed conflicting doubt an I hope. ’’On my hour.' Ho was smiling at her, not semi mentally;' hut with frank good humor—-his most charming, boyish «hiile. It illumined the situation like a sun breaking through clouds She drew a breath of relief. ■* “Then we’re going to be friends? he asked and again she wondered it herself. What inner force w'as driving her oli, making her actually humble to this man? She told her iclf that it was. pity—of course i: was pity! “Indeed, wc are.” he assured hei “But we’re going to be mighty elusive. We’re going to meet in th. old garden that interested you so much and depend on its high walls to keep out everybody else. Sliall you mind that—fop a little while And Is it a bargain’ He was still smiling hut his eyes were serious again. She answered under the urge of that new. driving inner force. “Of course, it’s a bargain. If you wish it so. What right have I* to dr+g others Into your life? I sup 1.o»e we often forget that. In our issoclatlon with convalescent sol diers." she added, with an almost Ilerre effort to pull hei self togetelu and change the natuce of theii lalk. “We must often bore the r,,r,t fellows to death by bringing In pen pie they don't know or don't care to know.” "He -followed her lead “It all deitends, with mistt of the fellows, on whether those who come to see them are really Interested In [hem The men can always tell And —well—they don’t like to be patron ized or made the objects of some butterfly’s three day charity Im pulse.” Despite herself, sle again swum: the conversation back to him There was something she had to know “In your case.” she said slowly?* “I can understand. You have til ways’shut everybody out—ynji tyul your grandfather. You must have bi-en horribly lonely—but you seemed to prefer it. even when you were a buy. And evidently you have kept up your barriers all your life.” Her voire stopped thete. but he caught the unasked question. “Have you?” “1 was lonely, all right." He made the admission then abrupt ly shied awav from further rovela tion« The little girl with the blow ing hair was knocking too urgently on the door of the past. “What part of our gulden whl you play in-” he asked *'0# are you going to give me some of it She had herself ir hand now This pity fur him that made her heart swell and her throat ache should and would ha diverted Into practical channels "Of course And I think'the part you would like host Is the sunken garden. That's off in the south west corner, and you gft into It by going down a llttlo flight of r« 1 brick setps When you are there you seem quite away from all the rest of the world. But you will In vlte me Info It sometime* won’t you r "Let's go in nus. she saul At her request he described tar garden In detail It was an en chanting place—quite as mysterious and romantic as shat had pictured It. The old man, It seemed, hrffl lived his life there—pottering around It all day long, eating his mer.it In the open, reading and studying, even sleeping there. In a screened, flat hammock, on sum mer nights. Listening. Florence •ccmed to see his thin shadow even now flitting In and out among the t re«»* They were aide by »ude on a stone bench In the sunken garden, discus* Ing a ftrortte fairy tale, when her pm* fell on her wrist watch .She •hook her head reproachfully * I vs at At ed m ho »r ’ she claimed. “Shocking! Mias Greeley won't let me come any more If 1 do this sort of thing. And my boys will think I have deserted them." She made the last statement with clear deliberation. He was to un derstand that she had forever dH sociated him from the mere rank and file of “the boys." They two were old friends. She rose from ttie camp chair and stopped at his side for a moment. Among the black hair on his temple was a nar row line of white. The impulse to touch it was almost overwhelming She set her teeth. “Is there anything I can send •jack to you'*" she asked. “Or any message I ran take Into the hospi tal as I go by?" “No. thank you.” he said, almost absently. Hie expression, too. was almost absent. If pique had not been too trivial an emotion for that big moment, she would have in dulged in it. He wjus so obviously resigned to her going! Her heart went down, down. Had she found him too late? I am just coming back slowly from the old garden and the kid I was," he said at last; and be added woh a sigh that ended in a Mini h ; "it's a long Journey.” Recalling tliese words, and ail h - words, during the drive home, Flor fnce realized how whole hearfedlj ho at least had played their little game. Throughout that hour he had kept her in the past. They had talked much about the garden—so much t hat she had a finished pi< lure of it in h*-r mind's eye. They • ad talked of childhood games and joys and make is lieves. of favorite fair's. But, she realized it now more fully than then, throughout that hr,ur she had Iwcn his prisoner la. ■ hind those walls. Not once had he permitted her to get outside of them even for a nftiment. Poss.biy he never would. It was almost as if lie ha/1 immured himself beyond reach of thr'-hands and voices of today. And yet those boyish mo inents ha«l been so warm so hu man. bo wonderful. She wondered If. at any time dot mg the interview, he had been In pain. Certainly he had shown no sign of pain. lie had not aske.l her to come again, but. of course she would go again, and soon. How soon, she found herself thtitklny could she go—with dignity? All rule*, of course, went down where the bo: s were concerned. One overran them with entire Impunity mounted on the swift steed of onc e good intentiuns. But it was dif ferent with Faixand! One could not overrun him even when one desired to. a I—one did desire to. Whon she visited him the third time, after a dragging interval of four days, she carried out to his • hair in the grounds a great mass of flowers and dropped them Intc hi* lap. It had seemed rather ar absurd thing to do—hut whst could on* offer a s.ck soldier who cer tainly did not eat? She saw at one. that the flower* pleased him He fumbled among tb«sn with his thin hands and raised a cluster of them to his face. ' These old-fashioned wldte roses might have grown In the garden. Don't you remember the two rows of white rose bush'-a I told you about, that lined the east watk?" he usked eagerly. "I don't suppose one could find roses like those nowa days. alth the delicious old tlrr.t perfume. In fart. I don't rem-mber that any t ,/e f have had since b.ul any perfume at all. The words, so casually spoken made her turn sway and. for a long moment, look out over the waters with unseeing eyes. Far rand hid the I ok of a. man whose flowers had all lacked perfume He pinned'a rose in his tun.' kept a bunch of white roses in his hands, and looked regretfully a' the mass left in his lap. "It's a pity to let those die. ' lie said tentatively. ' They ought to have some wafer.' She turned hack to h-tn and “hook her head. *‘N'o. they have come to die for vou 1 brought a lot more. Th. ar. In a big ideher of w iter at th. head of your bed. These are for a fairy ra g—to put in a circle artAmd your chair and make a wiah over Me smiled It waa the smile ahe had te^run to watch for hungrily, the boyish, charming smile under whU h hi" darl; face seemed to fla.-h into light. Who is going to make the fii ' wash?" he nsk.sl. You are—first. Then i sh.< make one. too" "All right,* he eaid. ' Hut I'll have my work rut out for me. thinking up a wish.'* . His face had clouded again She looked at him, heavy hearted and solemn eyed "It would he nice If we could both make the game wish she ventured "What would that beT*' He ask. .1 the .piestlon almoat Indifferently watching her es she now rose and began to drop the flower* around him. but seemingly feeling no great Internet In the pretty game "That you may Boon be as well snd strong »a you ever ware, and she h salts fed then reao' .’eh brought out the' rest—“that jour ambitions rnay be re aw ;!. “no J!“ lfe turned and gav her a ru4* den. sharp look. “Just why do you ■ iv that?” Tlie tone distressed ji< r but sii# held her ground. “Itr. Drown tells me j-ou ara really amazingly clever—that you could do anything yoir attempted if only you would work up enough ambition to make an effoit But he said another thing that disturbed , me very much.” she rushed on. be fore be could Interrupt ' lie added that you had been getting on beau tifully up till a fortnight ago, but that since then you have- slipped back until you are as indifferent and almost as impossible to influ ence as you were when you came. Every one has noticed the change, hut he says he can't account for It. That made me feel—unhappy. For, rlon't you see, I came in just about that lime, to help you—and per haps you were right. Perhaps you needed to be left alone. Possibly I have done you more harm than good. That's why 1 am making the ring nnd my w.sh. When I have done it. I am going to leave you in peace.” AH the time she talk' d she naci been making her floral ring, glad >f the opportunity to do something that made it possible to keep her fare turned away from him. But now’ the circle wan brushed. Sk* came and sat beside him < n th* little campstool that was already os much a part of his pet re-sort as the wheel chair on which he sat. ’ Do you think it would is- peace-?'* he asked, quietly. "i don’t know.” she said, trying to speak steadily. I don't know anything about you. You have never told me anything. \ *j know, except al»out the garden. “So you have decided o drop me?" IT** asked the question slowly, his dark eyes unswervingly on her face. Sh* leaned forw ml picked up one of the flow’ers in Ins lap. arid slowly pulled ft to pieces. "Please don't put it that way.' she said at last, in a voice so low he had to lean clos< r to hear it Surely I have show i you how much I wanted to help, and—I ha v* let you see how tnueli^ 1 have en joyed tiie effort. But I %dfd thrust myself in—there is no denying that I think." she hesiated. but went or bravely. ' I had subrunRcioufth convinced myself that ;"ij w« t still rite enchanted prince I used u ho k you were w h» n I v is a s< ho* gij1 I wanted to civo jou from the '•i.rr*'s of pair, and !■ .elines But apparently I have merely made things worse for you n. -someth ” has I believe Dr. Brown holds me responsible, or he wouldn't have spoken as he did. So -you under stand-” She threw away a hand ful of petal with a g«^t ire of final ity. and raised her e\<■* t«* meet b —"I really have no choice ” For a long time silence lay b tween them like a auMmr ■ • wb. t neither could remove. I w :sh, he said at i.ci I 1.> find the words to tell you »hc I re got to say. Rut—I can't'" Tie final admission was almost a grooi The sound brought her upright i her chair, her hr wn eyes seek, his. which did not mot then' "Surely,” she then said. ™ know there la nothing that i can't say to me." His eyes met hers sr.d held ! • r You mean that?" .Of course I mean It She waited* watching b,* f • ite drew a deep, shaken breath "The second time you came here he began, obviously forcing out tl • word's "you slioke to me abort Tixi Kiske. Do you happen to r« memher Don. the chauff«ur hi* f !hir had so many years"” she felt chilled What had I’i-I.e chauff-ur to u- w ,ih w he and she were discussing? Dan?" she repeated, confused ly 'Why. why—yes He drove me tin l ands of miles, I suppose i was always going off on trips wjti Tul t mother and s "tors Why da you ask?" "Do you remember any of i , i hiklren?" Florence moved restively on th*i camp stool. She almost believed this waa mere purposeless digre siop till once more she squarely met his eyes. Their expression brought her answer, in a lather breathb \ olee. t "I know he had * vcral boy* Don't you remember ary ore i f them?" She might have b.eu on th< w ne«s atand, at the mercy of a prosecuting attorney. The Sternness of the question—atnl somethin^ th lay beneath It. un)l stretched ii'' i ane«l— stimulated lo r mernorv There waa o "—throe w « "Tea." The woi d cam* s' her I a bullet "There waa one t(rho was always soling—I moan always playing * l*nrt among the other boys." "Yea.'' he said, curtly. Tell me all that you remember al>out him Sometimes he was a king." she w-sirt on, unsteadily; "sometimes * (CsniinsrS *s Csg*