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Thursday, June,30, 1932 McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, SOUTH CAROLINA PAGE NUMBER THREf MAN MADEmTOWN ^ RU BY M. AYR K FINAL INSTALMENT He slipped an arm beneath her head and held something to her lips. He had done this before too,; before—long ago—and he had ai*- only that time it had been tea—tea swered, “I generally do in the long which Jenny had brought upstairs, run.” smile . .. “You’ve got your own way, a heaven-sent opportunity to re- then ...” pay the many little indignities she She had said that to him once had suffered at that lady’s hands. She was half dozing, holding firmly to the bed rail, when Rath- bone came back, it might have This time it was horrid stuff. Per- She waited now to hear him say haps the kettle hadn’t boiled prop- it again. The dream wasn t com- •ei'iy. Nothing annoyed the Crea- ing right, somehow, ture more than to be given tea when the water hadn’t boiled prop- effort, trying to see his face, but £r ]y now she couldn’t ... he was hid- The nice Creature!- Diana hoped ing it from her, against her hands, the sea wasn’t, always rough in as he had done that night in the Brittany like it had been on the urain .... picture postcard she sent. 1 He was unhappy and she hated him to be unhappy; she knew so wonderful how real well how it felt, sometimes sounded in a! She gave a little sigh of weary dream; she found herself listening capitulation. with strained attention to hear it “You always get your own . . . once more, but everything was sil- way,” she whispered. ent, and a sigh of bitter disappoint- The last word was lost as she fell been five minutes or half an hour later; at five o’clock in the morn- , ing it is difficult to keep track of She opened her eyes with a last time. “Diana.” It was voices Anna started awake, smiling in nervous apology, a smile which 1 quickly faded as she saw Rath- 1 bone’s face. “Why—sir!” she stammered. He waved her away impatiently. “It’s all right. You can go. You had better go to bed. I shall stay till the morning.” “If you would like me to stay . . .” Anna ventured timidly. “No. Markham’s up if I want any thing.” Anna crept away, closing the mcnt escaped her. asieep. The other half of her senses was It was nearly five o’clock in the door behind her. waking up now: the half that told morning when Anna, who had CHAPTER XXYT her that she was only dreaming, 1 steadily refused to take any rest, Rathbone went back to his old and Diana knew only too well what slipped again into Diana’s room. ; place beside Diana. Anna crept up to him. “Is she—better?” Rathbone nodded silently. “Is *she—will she—live?” “Please God. urgently: There’s someone downstairs who that meant. It meant that pres ently she would hear Anna draw ing the curtains, their rings always on Diana’s quiet face. .made such a nasty little rattle, and she would have to yawn elaborate ly and pretend she had slept well before she opened her eyes to the world of emptiness. “Diana.” She turned again to where in her tlream Rathbone had sat beside her. He was still there, leaning a little towards her, his dark eye on her face. Diana kept very still. Perhaps she might manage to fall asleep again and go on dreaming if she was very •careful. She wished he would hold her hand,.but you couldn’t do that in dreams. It would be like the dream you had sometimes that you were falling down a great hill. A .'dream in which you knew that any mom ent you might reach the bottom and be killed, only you never did. She began to whimper faintly: “Let me go . . . let me go.” “Diana.” . She knew that she was sinking aWay, but she did not mind. There was no bed under her any more, but just clouds—soft, fleecy clouds that were letting her down with infinite gentleness into oblivion. * But a voice called her. She forced her heavy eyes to open and to look into eyes that were bent [ above her, compelling, almost pray- Hobson—he says he must see you— ing to her, it seemed. ; that he’s been looking for you all “Diana . . . listen . . . listen to night.” me. . . . Oh, my beloved, try to un derstand ... I will never leave you again . . . Can you hear me? ... I Rathbone was still there, stand- There was a curious gray look in ing at the foot of the bed, his eyes his face, and he sat for a long time, his hands clenched between his knees his eyes staring blankly before him. He kept seeing nightmare pic tures of a river, of a woman and of a boy—a boy who had given his life Anna closed her eyes for a mom- in an unavailing attempt to save ent; then she asked: ! her. “Can you leave her for a moment, Hobson had broken down and sir; I’ll stay.” sobbed as he told how they had at He shook his head, but she said last found them: Clasped in each other’s arms they were—as if she’d clung to him wants to see you—a man named and dragged him down. I’d have bone.” That was what the vultures would expect him to write on her tombstone; there seemed some thing of sardonic humour in it as he sat there, his eyes on Diana’s face. btie was his wife—the one love of iis life; even if he had never seen iier again, nobody would ever have 1rawn near to her place in his heart. Half child, half woman, spoilt, wilful—intolerant of life when :t went the way she did not wish—he yet loved her with every impulse of his manhood. And she loved him! for a mom ent he lost himself in the wonder of that thought—and of her sleep ing face. Somewhere in the house a clock chimed six, and he stood up, stretching his arms, feeling wear ied to death, and yet, amidst all the tragedy surrounding him, conscious of a quiet, perfect happiness which nothing could spoil. Diana stirred a little, as if con scious of his movement, fearing that he was leaving her. Rathbone stood still, and she turned her head, looking at him with half-conscious eyes, whisper ing his name. “Donald ...” “Yes, my heart.” Her hand fluttered a little tow ards him, and he took it in his quiet and strongly, as if with it he took her also, body and soul. He saw a little doubt flicker across her eyes and vanish. “It—isn’t a dream?” she asked. “No, Diana.” “And you’ll never send me away again?” “Never again.” She gave a sigh of contentment. “I don’t . . . know . . . what’s go ing to happen to us,” she said drowsily, half asleep once more. “But ... I know ... it will be all right, always ... if we’re together. Rathbone bent and just touched her lips with his own. “Yes, my heart—it will be all right—always—if we’re together.” THE END Rathbone bent and just touched her lips with his own. given my life, sir, rather than any- i . ’“Hobson.” Rathbone seemed to wake with a little start. “Oh, yes thing should have happened to her ft • • • • * Diana stirred a little in her sleep, and Rathbone turned his head slowly and looked at her. Better “He won’t, sir—he says he must Rosalie’s life than this child’s, if see you—if it’s only for a moment.” one of them had to go. Anna hesitated. Rathbone looked If it had been Diana . . . the last so worn out, but after a moment six weeks rose before him, a night- she said reluctantly, “I’m afraid it’s mare panorama. something very urgent, sir.” “Very well. I’ll come ...’’< He bent over Diana, his fingers on her wrist for a moment; then he turned and walked out of the room. He had tried to do the best thing for her, and he had done the worst. He had meant to be kind and he had only ^Ticceeded in being brutally cruel. In an aching imagination he saw —tell, him to give you a message. will never leave you again . . . Diana!” It was Donald’s voice, though she had never before heard it with that note of agony; something must be the matter: he was in trouble—unhappy, and that was not like him; he was always so ready to bear other people’s troubles and forget his own. / But she could not help him now —she was too tired to try any more Anna took his place at the foot | her again sitting at that long din- to make him smile. If he would 0 f physically she was! ing table in her white frock—so far just let her alone—she was quite j lalf as i e ep, but her brain had nev- away from him and so brave. He happy . . • er been more active and awake. She had not guessed that it had been “Never leave you again . . . never was thinking how queer it was that as great a torment to her as it had leave you again ...” some women got all the love, while been to him. She turned her face fretfully others, more worthy and hard Supposing he had still been from him; she didn’t believe him, working, were passed by. it was just another . . . ruse ... to jj ne w how near Diana had keep her from going to sleep: the been to death; she knew that there sleep she had longed for so wearily bad been one moment at least dur- and tried so hard to capture he y n g the long, terrible night, when : let her go away from him ... He might leave her alone now she had even Rathbone himself had given! would have to find some way . . . up hope ... or hadn’t he? She , Then suddenly he remembered— could not be quite sure, but she J the river—and Hobson’s broken It was as if he were fighting her that if ever a man had story, for every step of the ground over fought for a woman’s life he had I He was free, but at what a cost, which she was slowly slipping away, f 0U ght for Diana’s. The life of the woman whom he and at first she knew contentedly jt was as if by sheer will power had cared for and sheltered for so that he was losing, that in spite of he had kept her from slipping many years, and the life of a boy her weakness and his strength he away . . . who as yet had known nothing of would not be able to hold her back. Qf course, he was in love with life. Perhaps in that Jonas was Funny, that seemed—for a great her. Anna found an odd satisfac- fortunate: he was a dreamer, and big man to be conquered by a little fi on j n a discovery of which she was dreamers suffer. away? He knew that the chances were that Diana would have died. This night had settled all question of the future: not again would he so nearly won through at last “Diana Rathbone knew that now the story of his marriage would have girl. She began to be faintly in- j certain that everybody else was as terested, to wonder why it should yet ignorant, be. Life was full of things im- Mrs. Gladwyn had refused to 1 to be made known; something fresh possible to explain. She only knew come into the room at all; she had i 0 ,. claws of gossiping vultures that she was utterly weary and taken cowardly refuge in a fit of tear to pieces. Not that he cared that she wanted to sleep. hysteria when she was told that by f or himself, but it hurt him inex- She said so presently, half crying, mistake Diana had taken an over- possibly for Diana’s sake, and in a feebly, but he was relentless, he dose of morphine and might die. lesser degree for Rosalie’s. She had would not let her go. jt had given Anna some satis- meant nothing in his life and, yet For a moment she fought him faction, also, to be free to smack he knew he would never forget her, with the last remnants of her her face with a wet towel and tell the pitiful, unreal thing that had strength; then suddenly she gave!her to behave; Anna had never lik- lived for so long in his shadow. j n with a little sigh and a half ed Mrs. Gladwyn, and this seemed “Rosalie, wife of Donald Rath- MYflOMe YOURS BERTHA fDSON LAY CANNED CHERRY SALAD 2 cupfuls of cherries, (large ones) Marshmallows. Olives. Lettuce. French dressing. Pit the cherries, fill the cavities with pieces of marshmallow, cut to fit, with a pair of kitchen shears Place the stuffed, cherries on a bed of shredded lettuce, or arrange for individual service on lettuce leaves, decorate with rings of olives, and cover with French dressing. Before washing sweaters, meas ure the width and the length. 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THE PEOPLES BANK McCORMICK, S. C. m- m. % i MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENT FARMERS AND TAXPAYERS LEAGUE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Keep a jar of silver polish near the sink where dishes are washed, and when eggs have been served for breakfast, rub the spoons.with a little polish, which requires only a second, but pays in time saved later. When creaming butter and sugar, add a little hot milk, and the “creaming” is done in half the lime. When having built-in book shelves put into the house, have deep drawers built at the bottom, which are most satisfactory for storing magazines which are to be kept for reference. X Government home economics specialists point out that roast lamb and other lamb dishes go well with vegetables of pronounced flavor. I hereby enroll as a member of the Farmers and Taxpayers League of South Carolina and pledge my support for the accomplishment of its purpose and objects. t Name County — J Town or City Voting Precinct The Purpose and Objects of the Farmers and Taxpayers League of South Carolina Are: 1. To relieve agriculture, industry, commerce and the individual citizen of too burdensome and excessive taxation. 2. To study and promote economy and efficiency in local, state and national government. “ 3. To inject for consideration fundamental issues into state and county campaigns. 4. To encourage the election and appointment of able dependable legislative, executive and judicial officers. 5. To make effective platform pledges. 6. To make sure of legislative and executive support of the needs, of the people.