THE BKK: OMAHA. SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 192 J.
"fc C- Rowland
TWKLTTH AND LAST INSTU-LMENT.
Carte Jrrrr r Tm Tp.
THE weather bed undargon on of tho
wift and c loriou change of midsum
mer la that ration, when th etmoa
phr, baring bMn wahd and. purl
04 by th rain, call forth th northwest
wind, which drtu and Jnfu" th atmos
yhr with ft sort of electrical energy.
Looking from Ma window. It eemed to
Matt that owry bT and flowar and blad of
gr ba4 tmdargon a aort of fairy car
which had brought out color o brilliant a
to bo prtzrctie, ami that every natural
object contributing Ita drop to the flood of
beauty waa sweeping the landscape and ace
capo with a radlanoo which thrilled,
la thl glittering vibration the moat rdl-
narjr object too ttpoa tnemaoive mat
i quality of beauty which thrill th hearta
of children with a aort of exuberant delight
aa they ruah out for the drat time In the
I morning to abnorb tho aoentw and color of
j that gladdest day of all, which should be
today. Teaterday I ahot always with ita
memory of regret, and wo really never
roach tomorrow, which la a doubtful, fleeting
thing. Th glorioua day, th wonderful day,
ta today, when it la early and beforo wo bav
tiad Urn to mar It with our error, great
or a mall.
Matt, having In many way prcaerved In
himself the soul of a child, now profited by
'.' that Joyou rush of Juvenile sensation which
1 wbaa the force are on tho upward curve
S ef the parabola and the eager mind is aoclng
" ono after tho other or lovely Images. He
'' waa on of those soldier who haa viewed
th aspect of war lees In It horrors than
by tho contrast of these rightfulnesses to
west and happy things. It la in tho nature
of some Individual to be cast down by a
ereary aspect, and It Is In th nature of
ether to oo by virtue of this dreariness
omethlng gladsome and delightful, just aa
being whirled In a ewlft train through a
vicinity of filth and dirty enow and foul
stream and blasted tree and' vegetation
decayed by th poisonous products of factory
chimney we think less of that than the
sweet homeliness of our destination. Th
train rushes past and leaves the dirty sub
urbs and carries ua to the fresh outer coun
try where wo aro to greet the thing which
lnot we love.
It waa with that feeling that th war had
- left Matt, and it waa now with that feeling
of expectation with which ha greeted the
Xiew day. And, strangely enough, or perhaps
naturally enough, because he was young and
much In love, it was Impossible for his mind
to grasp th Idea of leaving Nancy without
some sort of token to cherish. Being rested,
he saw their adventure less In the light of
a fiasco than In little flashes of sentiment
Which mad It bright. '
' But the best that he could hope for waa a
kind word or two and the touch of tho hand
and a look from her dazzling blue eyes
which might give him a spark of hope for
the future.
Then finally he went down to find the
touring car standing at the door and Murphy
with a glowing face such as should be worn
by a faithful retainer when washed by a
srudden wave of glad events in tho family
Which he serves. Murphy was one of the
eld time Irishmen whose lexicon of duty
contained no such word as bolshevism. Ee
Waa pleased and proud to serve " rale qual
ity," and he did not bother to prefix an " e "
to this latter word. Th family's fortunes
Ware Murphy fortunes, and their mlsfor
tones would never have sent him seeking
mother place. He had driven Uncle Jerry'
trotting horses beforo he drove his cars, and
In his heart preferred tho former.
Uncle Jerry's marriage had not aroused
his jealousy because he believed that May
had saved the life of the master to whom
lie was so devoted, and he was partisan to
Kancy because he much approved her own
killed driving of the latter day slackers
who assisted In the running of the household
machinery.
"Good morning, sor," said h to Matt,
and where to, sor?"
" Railroad station, Murphy,' Matt an
swered. "My littlo job is finished, and I
am off."
" Sure, now Mister Matt, you're not lavin'
a," said Murphy with concern.
" "Fraid so. Murphy," Matt answered.
"What with Mr. Gates and Constable Todd
and Detective Donovan and Luke Simmons,
this place is apt to be too hot to hold me. I
can stand abuse, Murphy, but my sensitive
aoul shrinks from ridicule." He stepped Into
th car.
" Then where Is your luggage, sorT " Mur
phy asked.
"Here,' said Matt, and laid the extin
guisher on the back seat beside him. " Step
en it. Murphy, before anybody comes."
But as had happened once or twice before,
be was a little late In obeying his impulse,
(or at that moment Kancy, looking rather
Ilk one of the large white roses in full
bloom, under the break of the stoop, came
ailing around the comer of. the house,
golden hair shimmering, white arms flashing,
Whit stockinged ankles twinkling, and called
to Murphy to wait. She shot at Matt a
look which waa half defiant and half some
thing else.
-Well, where are you going now?" she
Remanded.
Down the road a piece," said Matt.
TH go, too," said Nancy.
"Where have I heard that song before?"
aid Matt, " and where are May and Uncle
Jerry?"
"Gon over to the Gates'," said Nancy.
Uncle Jerry mean to champion Sam, and
May has gon along to render first aid to
th injured. I'm going to back up Sylvia,
you're going, too?"
" No, I'm not," Matt answered, aa she
tapped in beside him and settled herself non
chalantly in the cushions. "But 111 lend
yon th extinguisher if you like. Only I've
trained out the ammonia and reloaded her
ror fir with an extra charge I had. One of
the many features in which this admirable
invention excels others of the sort is that
you carry the makings in powder form, and .
ail you have to do is to add water. No bulky
tins of fluid contents. Well, I guesa we're
all here, now. Unhook her, Murphy."
They started off, and as they rolled out on
to the turnpike Nancy said: " So you
thought you'd sneak off without a word of
good-by to anybody?"
" I said It last night," Matt answered grim-
ly. " You I didn't want to mak you cry
gain."
"im stronger this morning," Nancy an
swered. "So am I." aald Matt. "That' bow I
found th courax to beat It, thla way."
"You may call it that." said Nancy, "but
It Ionics a bit yellow to m."
" Welt, I'll tell you a aecret," said Malt !
never could boast of much real courage, Im
pul take th place of It, And let m ttll
you that ha won many a Distinguished
Service Croaa. Hav you heard how Mr.
Gate withstood th shock T
" managed to stagger through," aaid
Nancy, "but Bam bad a clea ahav. II
ram nr being an exception to th rul
that joy never kills. It cam near being th
drath of Sam. You he wa fool enough
to tell Mr. Gate th truth, lnatead of th
masterly (lrUori which you Invented." flh
ahot a slanting look at Mitt. "Now you
wouldn't hav don that, would you?"
"O. yea," auld Matt "Id have told him
Hi truth over th telephone. How about
Freddy CrUicom?"
" He' gone off mad, Youll probably meet
htm on your train. I called him up and told
him that I wished to enter a claim for my
hare of th reward."
" What did he say?"
"I couldn't hear It all. Central cut him
off. But I should say that we'd have to col
lect It through the courts."
"Well, that proves him a piker. Sylvia
will be much happier with Sam. ' Everybody
likes Sam even If he Is a mit rough when
riled.'"
" Uncle Jerry looked perfectly well thla
morning," said Nancy. " The prospect of a
light seemed to have a wonderful tonic effect
I'm afraid that you inherit your quarrelsome
nature from your mother's side."
" Your own sweet disposition I not with
nut Its dash of tabasco," said Matt "Now
May Is kind and gentle. I got an even better
slant of her character last night She por
trayed two of the most endearing qualities
In a wife. First she gave me a kiss, then a
long drink. I needed both."
" You had already helped yourself to the
first with no particular consideration for the
feeling of others, said Nancy. -
" I sent you an apology for that by May,"
Matt answered, "and I now repeat it
"I put it down to impulse," Nancy aaid.
"and nerves and fatigue. I was protty well
done up myself. But now that you're leav
ing for good and we probably shall not meet
again, it does not matter much." There was
a peculiar timbre to her voice as she added,
" we've said a good many disagreeable things
to each other since the beginning of this'
ridiculous affair, and of course we weren't
at all ourselves last night so what if we
just consider all that we've said to each other
and others stricken out of the records?"
Matt shook his head. "No," said he. "I
don't think I'll agree to that I was right
enough last night after I got into the house
and sat down and had a smoke and a chance
to think things over."
" And a drink," said Nancy.
"I had only tasted the drink to refresh
my memory rather than my thirst when I
told May what I did. She suggested it would
be rather sporty of mo to tell It to you
myself and see what happened. ,
Nancy turned slowly and looked at him
with curious lntentncss in her eyes.
" Well, why didn't you," she asked, " in
stead of turning tali and trying to bolt off
this way?"
"Because I felt sore and ashamed about
the way I've made a fool ot myself since I
landed in my sinking launch at the old
Putney place. The only thing about the
whole business that I'm not sorry for is
having squirted that squirt of a secretary."
"You brought Sam and Sylvia together,"
said Kancy.
" Yes," said Matt, " but I can't claim much
credit for that About as much aa a hunter
might if he tripped on a vine and fell down
and his rifle went off and the bullet went
through tho head of a tiger he didn't know
was anywhere about As a matter of fact
that joyous event was the result of my
doing my level best to tear Sylvia away from
him."
At this bitter moment tho smoothly run
ning car arrived at the Gates place. "If
you don't mind," said Matt " I'll let you out
at the gate and continue on my way."
" I very much mind," said Nancy. " You
can let me out at the door." "
"I'd rather not go in," said Matt
"I fall to see that you have any prior
option on this car," said Nancy.
"Uncle Jerry pu it at my disposal," said
Matt " Please don't interfere with his desire
to speed the parting guest But if you insist
on being set down at the door I'll get out
here and wait Stop, Murphy."
" Keep on, Murphy," said Nancy. " Don't
stop!"
Matt leaned forward. " Murphy, I tell you
to stop."
Nancy leaned forward and gripped Mur
phy by the Bhoulder. " Keep right on," said
she.
"Stop!" . '
" Keep on!"
Under these commands and countermands
the car began to perform a series of buck
jumps which caused the bodies of Matt and
Nancy to Jerk violently back and forth. The
bewildered Murphy, in trying to obey both,
effected a sort of compromise. But probably
finding it impossible to please both, and the
vote being a tie, ha may have been in
fluenced to some extent by his own judgment
in the matter, for, while not flatly disobey- '
ing Matt as the disturbing stoppings and
startings testified, yet he kept on going,
jerked through the gates, and then, at
Nancy's final imperative "Keep on, I tell
you!" yielded to superior moral coercion and
held more steadily for the porte-cochere,
there to fetch up with a final jolt which
could not have been good for tires or ma
chinery. " There now, Misther Matt" said he, " and
phat was I to do? Tis Miss Nancy runnln'
the place Just now, under authority of the
master and Mrs. .Taylor, and were I to dis
obey her she would fire me."
" I surely would," said Kancy warmly.
" All right," said Matt with a nervous look
at the front door, " then please get out aod
let me beat it"
"But cant you help me out?" snapped ,
Nancy.
Matt sprang down, then turned to assist
her, but Nancy took her time about It and
as she lingered the big frame of Uncle Jerry
loomed up in the front door.
"Come in, nephew," he called harshly.
" I've been talking to Hiram Gates about this
new f angled extinguisher of yours, and he'
decided to take an interest in it He wants
to see it."
"Well some other day. uncle," Matt be
gVin weakly, but Uncle Jerry cut him short
Insanity dotn't,
Uikay," said h. "but
nrv do,
"I gu that will be
about all new," aaid I n
,AV4 . h.iiP th.. thing hen, .no
fcf?W '5TSr -fH'tM $XrlH lb bouM nd .lay th.r.
J I ft 1 1,hV,IWjW-..V?.;J :. ., X'l-Kl I flnuh my iperimen(
r ' S
' Godamightyl" crimd Mr, Gates, and larehtd back.
" Come in!" he barked. " You're a hell of
a salesman. He wants to see it now and ask
you some questions about putting It on the
market"
Nancy shot Matt a look of malice, and for
some reason ba felt suddenly convinced that
he wa th victim of a fell conspiracy and
that there was nothing to do but fail for It
He reached for the extinguisher, then turned
and went up the steps with knee that felt a
little wabbly.
" Thla way," said Uncle Jerry, and shoved
him ahead into the study, where a couple ot
days before Matt had talked so confidently
to Mr. Gates and the policemen. The room
was at this moment vacant that is, except
for Matt who did not feel that his presence
affected the vacancy perceptibly.
"Sit down," growled Uncle Jerry, and
Matt obeyed, seating himself on the extreme
.edge of a chair, with the extinguisher be
tween his knees.
" Wait a minute," commanded Uncle Jerry,
and went out leaving Matt to his reflections. '
Several minutes passed. Matt waited
nervously, still sitting on the edge of the
chair and slightly toeing in. His hypersensi
tive ears seemed to catch the sounds of dis
tant laughter. Tho big clock chimed, and
Matt thought with despair of the train
which he had purposed to catch. Then a
heavy step sounded on the parquet of the
hall without The doors were flung open
and Mr. Gates bulked on the threshold. But
it waa a different Mr. Gates from the gentle
man whom Matt had Interviewed. With fig
ure erect and a glow on his ruddy, face,
which was that of an English country squire,
and a flash in his eyes, still slightly congest
ed, he plunged at Matt with both hands out
stretched. "My dear boy!" he' cried in a deep and
resonant voice, " I knew you were right
You've got a head on your shoulders worth
all these fool detectives and reporters. Tou
were the only one to give me hope, and, by
gad, you Justified your theories by bringing
back my daughter," and he gripped both of
Matt's nervous hands, the extinguisher fall
ing to the floor as Matt rose, with no effort
to deny the warmth ot praise which his
reason told him to be as untrue as it was
unmerited.
As he was being pump handled by the
joyful parent Uncle 5Jerry appeared in the
doorway wearing the sardonic grin which
was about as near as Matt had ever seen
his uncle come to a smile.
"Why don't you kiss him On both cheeks,
Hy?" he asked, and then to Matt: "Let's
see that darned extinguisher."
Matt stooped and picked it up. Uncle
Jerry took it from his hands and surveyed
with pleasure its polished brass and nickel
exterior. Anything mechanical and bright
and shiny never failed to make its strong
nppeal to Uncle Jerry, Just as it might to a
savage or a child.
" Is it charged," he asked, " with tho real
put-out-the-flame stuff? " He read the trade
mark on the side: " Flame Out"
"Yes, uncle," Matt answered. "Just now
it is all loaded for Its principal function,
which is to extinguish fire. But It has oc
curred to me that we might also devise a spe
cial burglar charge. It would be far better
than any pistol. In the first place, you
could scarcely miss him, on the principle
that it is easier to get on your mark with a
hose than with a gun. Also, it would tak
him alive. And if by any chance you hap
pened to get one of the family by mistake, or
a guest walking in his sleep in some part of
the house where he had no business, the
result would not be fatal. There might even
be a mitigated dose to be employed on beg
gars, peddlers, summons servers, and duns."
Uncle Jerry chuckled. "Do you think It
would really nip a bad fire in the bud? he
asked.
"I know that it would, uncle," Matt an
swered warmly, "and without the slightest
damage to rugs, carpets, curtains, or clothes.
I've seen It demonstrated time and again.
A mischievous look came into the deepset
eyes of the convalescent "Well, then," said .
he, " let' see it demonstrated now. A prac
tical demonstration eh, Hy? "
"Why er, Yes Oi cou.se." raid Mr.
Gates, looking a little startled and uneasy,
for he knew the eccentric nature of his boy
hood's friend.
But neither he nor Matt was quit pre
pared tor what followed. With a quickness
of hand scarcely to be expected ot one
snatched so recontly from the Jaws of death
through the arm of a bride. Uncle Jerry
struck a match and, before th other two
could determine the rash act he was up to,
held the flame against the lace curtain of
the long window. It flared up with a sudden
rush of shooting flame.
"Godamightyl" cried Mr. Gates, and
lurched back.
But Matt that creature of impulse, did not
lose his head. With a motion of bis thumb
he released the safety catch, took three paces
to the rear, and with a deft manipulation of .
some graceful exponent of the cue sent a jet '
the length of the blazing curtain. And this
one jet sufficed. Aa If by magic, or like the
flash of the photographer's magnesium pow
der when taking a banquet scene, the bril
liant glare went out to leave only some
charred fringes of curtain and portiere and
a smudge ot darkened woodwork.
Uncle Jerry let out a whoop of Joy. " Gosh
all hemlock!" he cried, with a slap of his
hands, while the badly startled Mr. Gates, io
whom the house belonged, breathed softly,1
" Geehoshaphat! " t
These exclamations were echoed by others
from the doorway, and Matt looked around
to see standing there, with eyes a great deal
like those of the banqueters aforementioned
when the photo of the festal scene Is printed,
May, Nancy, Sylvia, and Sam. The latter,
of a subdued and chastened yet happy de
meanor, rather suggested the habitually
faitljful dog which, in a moment of tempta
tion, having yielded to the impulse to kill a
sheep, has been caught in the act, corrected,
and forgiven.
Curiosity had drawn them to the open
double doors of the study to see what was
going on, and they had seen.
"Well, of all the mad, crazy, dangerous'
stunts," commenced Nancy, who was und?r
the impression that it was Matt who had S')
radically demonstrated his Invention, when
Uncle Jerry cut her short
" Shut up, you sassy baggage," he rasped.
"I did that." And Nancy shut up, while
Matt's eyes went to her with a malicious look
which seemed to hold the query: "Who's
looney now?"
Uncle Jerry was rubbing his hands and
beaming at Mr. Gates with all the enthu
siasm of a boy who has Just successfully set
off a brilliant firework.
"There, you see, Hy!" he cried triumph
antly. "Didn't I tell you Matt wasn't the
fool we all thought him? Now are you sat
isfied? "
" Satisfied ain't quite the word, Jerry,"
croaked Mr. Gates, whose mouth was slightly
dry. " I'm not quite strong enough for that
sort ot crazy stuff Just now."
"Well, you saw how the thing works.
Are you ready to backbit?"
" To the limit," said Mr. Gate fervently.
"But I'd have done that anyhow if the
damned thing had been loaded with gaso
line. You needn't have scared me to death."
"Well, I wanted to convince," said Uncle
Jerry.
"O, all right," sighed Mr. Gates; "don't
mind me. Just take it down to the hayloft
or th gaa tank or any other darned place."
A bright idea seemed to flash across hi
sorely tried mind. " Take it down to Sam's
shipyard and light the shavings in the plan
ing house."
" Go as far as you like. Matt" said Sam
cheerfully. " Tou have my order now for a
full equipment."
Uncle Jerry was handling the instrument
delightedly.
Mr. Gates looked at him with fresh anx
iety, then turned imploringly to May.
" Take him home, dear lady," said he, " and
send for a husky keeper."
Nancy looked at Matt then edged a little
closer.
"Insanity must run in the family," she
whispered, but unfortunately for her, a
hush had fallen at this moment and Uncle
Jerry's quick ears had caught her words.
rM pait of It." and
without bothering to
lak any formal farewvll
h went out with May
Matt, thus left at th
mercy of Nancy and th
other, listened In om
thlng of da 40 Mr.
Gate' appreciation of hi
service and rathrr
grudging declaration
that after all, he gueaaed
Kam would mak bl
daughter a better hus
band than Urtacom, who,
when all la said, weighed
considerably short of
ton. Then Nancy sug
gested that they had bet
ter be going back. They
went out to dlscovar that
Murphy, for some my
tertoua reason, bad taken
hi departure,
"Now, where thai
Irishman got off to?"
Matt demanded.
Pyhla offered to send
them horn In th Gate car, but Nancy de
clined. "No," said she, "after all this excitement
I'd like to quiet my nerves by a good walk.
It's only about a rail across th neck." She
looked at Matt and it teemed to htm that
for th first time sine their meeting there
wa a softening In her blue eye and a sort
of invitation. "Tou can ride horn If you
like," aaid she, "but I'm going to walk."
" m go, too." aaid Matt
So they act out on a path which led
through th Gate orchard, then entered a
wood which waa rather In the nature of a
park with eolemn itately oak co widely
spaced that the award grew under them fresh
and green, and they passed through area of
brilliant light and softly tinted shadow.
About halfway they came to a spring which
had been cared for and stoned, and was
edged about with mossy bank, while cress
had been planted in it overflow.
" I'm Ured and thirsty," said Nancy, " let s
get a drink and sit down and rest for
minute. Where' the gourd?"
The gourd had disappeared, whether car
ried off by boys or picknlckers who bad neg
lected to return it, or destroyed by some
enemy to society such a unfortunately exist.
The surface of the crystal basin waa too far
below its coping to admit of leaning down
to drink, at least with any comfort or satis
faction, and there were no proper leave with
which to shape a cup, and Matt's hat was a
cloth one. Curious to ee if Nancy would
accept such a goblet. Matt rinsed his hands
In the overflow, then capped them with
woodsman' skill and raised them filled with
water.
" I don't see how you do that" said Nancy,
"my fingers always leak It out," and to
Matt's infinite surprise, she bent her ruddy
golden head and drank. "Dear, but that's
good! Some more, please."
Matt for some reason was swept by a sud
den warm wave. This Is, apt to happen to a
young man very much in love when the
object of his adoration, from scorning all
service, unexpectedly accepts one of a cer
tain intimacy. For there Is unquestionably
something very intimate in the act of taking
food or drink directly from the hand of an
other. " To eat right out of my hand," is
no Idle expression of close and friendly rela
tionship, old as the ages, and to drink from
them means even more. No woman could
possibly thus drink from the hands of a man
for whom she felt the faintest shade of an
tipathy. More than that it is doubtful if a
dainty or fastidious woman could thus serve
herself from tho hands of one with whom
she did not feel herself united by some bond
of sympathy. It is in a way more personal
than a kiss because that caress might be
perfunctory or, to get back to our theme,
impulsive.
Some powerful emotion, elusive and sweet,
swept over Matt as Nancy in drinking from
his cupped hands bent her golden head di
rectly under his face and so close to it that
her hair brushed his cheek. It seemed to
him that some intoxicating perfume which
had nothing to do with the odor of even the
most delicate cosmetic came from it This
aroma was rather like that of some fairy
flower which, as happens in a fairy tale,
might become endowed, not only with a soul,
but incarnate in a physical body. If he had
not been too much in a maze to analyze this
Impression, he might have thought of it as
a "Nancy perfume." All lovers will under
stand immediately what is meant by this.
So would ail dogs, and describe it much
better if they had the faculty for descrip
tion. For a dog will tell you that Just as no
face in any way resembles the face they
love, and no voice has the timbre of the
voice they love, so can no scent however
subtle, have the scent of the one they love.
None of this psychology had time to ordi
nate in the mind of Matt because at that
moment he was feeling rather than think
ing. In fact, he felt as though he never
wanted to think again, at least cold-bloodedly.
He was overwhelmed with delight that
Nancy should not only be willing to drink
from his hands but even relish doing so,
and ask for more.
She looked up from her draught and smiled
at him, and Matt was conscious of an ex
traordinary impression of change in her, as
though he bad given her some mystic po
tion by which all previous relations between
them had been abruptly altered.
For gone was the antagonism. Gone was
the offensive defensive proportion in which
they had previously stood, so that instead
of feeling on his guard with her or even the
necessity of guarding her against himself,
there seemed to have been mysteriously
established a comradely sentiment and one
from which they might view all things with
a mutual instead of a Jealous vision.
But it was more than thla The strong.
Insistent egos of the pair had passed through
a phase which left them and their separate
interests, first mutual, then with a sense of
duality. Friends may be mutual, but only
lovers achieve that divine emotion of duality.
There was a forest bird trilling lis soft
nesting notes in the tree tops overhead as
Matt n4 Nancy sank down n that mi
bank to ret, not too oloo together and not
too ftr apart, and th ntuald of lhaa liquid
pole found II eiho In Malt' heart. II
turned and looked at Nancy with th first
tal apprrUiion of her lhat h had o far
riprrlenerd. Thl bwaua It waa !
for br nvly piquant fc and th phlnl
pert of her daiighiful personality than
something far deeper which gav to all of
thl th Nam-y nul, juat moment b
for when drinking from hi hand h bad
first bfom ar of lh Nanry perfume.
Homeihlng of th am rl must htv
entered Nancy' cnnai'lousnra. becau now
aa aha looked at Malt with tyt Ilk violet
drenched In dew thrlr expreaMon wa that of
a lark of recognition, or t lvt the lack of
what ah had n fit to rrrognU in Mm
befor. At that moment th glance which
lli-y eirhanged wa queatloning. It was
precisely a though rarh had ald: "Put
dear m. I never guessed that you wr you."
Follow! that brlrf instant of embarrass
ment, a pu In whlrh each mad valiant
ffort to adjust th mind to this fresh and
wonderful aspect of rarh other. Ther mint
have been some potent elixir In that clear
spring.
Nancy wa the drat to vote thla new rela
tion In corns la form.
"But, Matt," slio said. "I nvr thought
that you could be so nice."
"I'm not ery," aaid Matt, "but I found
out laat night that you were. I told May to.
Did h tell ou?"
"No." Naney nwrcd. "Neither May
nor I beliov much In repeating what peopl
ay."
"Well," said Matt, "then I believ Ml
follow hr advice, after all, and tell you my
elf. I think you are th sweetest, bravest,
truest-hearted girl In all th world, I love
you to death, and I want you to marry me,
nd quirk. Will you, dear?"
He reached for the small hand which at
about that time th day before had landed
with such a solid swing upon his ear. But
astonishing changes of sentiment can hap.
pen within a day, and this vigorous extrem
ity, no longer militant, now nestled flutter
ingly In Matt's clasp. Nancy looked into hia
eyes with 'that Intense questioning which
require a more convincing answer than any
framed by th lips alone. She wa trying to
read the deeper truths which were inscribed
behind Matt' eyes.
"How am I to know that this is not
another rush of Impulse, Matt?" she asked. ,
"Well, if It Is, sweetheart" aaid Matt
" then it'a one that ha weathered a number
of hours ot the hardest thinking I've ver
done in my life, though I'm afraid that isn't
saying much."
" Still," Nancy murmured. " no mer Im
pulse lasts that long, does It?"
"Mine don't." aaid Matt "Their llf
cycles have never been more than a few
moments after that the forces set in motion
may take any time to blow themselves out"
"Then it really isn't impuls at all?"
Nancy asked.
Matt shook his head. "If so, it's an im
pulse that Is going to keep on and on, lik
the impulse that makes the tides go up and
down."
A little smile formed on Nancy's Hps, but
It was the smile unlike any which Matt had
ever seen before. There was no scornful
twist at the end of it and it held a tender,
ness such as he could not have guessed thos
red, rebellious Hps knew how to wear.
" I'll have to consider that a little," Nancy
said.
"You're sure that you're not thinking
about that subsidy your uncle offered for
getting rid of me?"
" Sure," Matt answered with conviction.
" Honestly, Nancy, I'd forgotten all about it.
That shows what an improvident beggar I
am. I'd even lost sight of the fact that I'v
really nothing to offer you but an unpaid
income tax."
" There's the extinguisher," said Nancy.
"O. hang it all." said Matt "the extin
gulsher's a perfectly good asset for the re
mote future, but I don't see how I can
possibly wait for you that long. All th
same, I suppose that's the best I can bop
for. For all my nerve, it's not quite up t
asking you to marry me on th prospect of
the extinguisher."
He loosed his clasp of her hand, but this,
like a kitten clinging to one's ooat, declined
to bo dislodged. The small strong finger
twined round those of Matt.
"The extinguisher is a good side line,
Matt," said she, "but we're going to do
something better than that You've done it
already several times, and you can do It
again."
"But Nancy," Matt protested, though
feebly, " that's not enough for you to go on.
I shouldn't have spoken. I didn't mean to
speak that Is, right away."
"Impulse has Its advantages, Matt" said
Nancy softly. " Besides, Uncle Jerry is not
the sort to go back on his bargain."
Matt looked uncertain and much distressed.
" All those material considerations went
out of my head after being shipmates with
you for a little while," said he. "If you
were mine, Nancy, nobody could possibly
give me anything else."
" Well," said Nancy, " that needn't inter
fere with their giving them to me."
Matt brightened. " That's so," he an
swered. "After all, they do owe you a lot
If you hadn't gone out in the launch and
dragged me with you, there's no telling what
might bave happened. And if only we could
once get fairly started, there's nothing In
this world could stop us."
Nancy drew a little closer, then looked
up into his face with a radiant smile and
swimming eyes.
"Of course, there's not dear boy," said
she, "so let's start"
Her face was close to his, red lips half
parted, and the breath coming in little gasps
between them. It was too much for Matt
In fact, he would not have been Matt If be
had not obeyed that impulse. There hap
pened then one of those thing to make a
whole lifetime of dreadful misery well worth
the living.
There is this advantage to a retrousse nos
whatever the traits said to accompany it
It leaves the lips available at such critical
moments as these, and in the kissing of
such a girl as Nancy, who does not tak th
business lightly, when once engaged upon it
becomes a whole souled and perfectly absorb
ing occupation. The little bird sang louder,
then fluttered lower to look.
When presently the bargain was all ar
ranged, sealed, signed, and witnessed by the
little bird. Matt drew in his breath deeply,
tor he had need of air.
"After that sweetheart" said he, "I'm
all equipped and accoutered to go over th
top of things."
"Ill go. too," said Nancy.
The End.
Cevrishl: IV.'.'.
