The Everlasting Whisper

o the log house. While King unsaddled, Gloria stood

uly wonderful day

. "I know you are not used to long rides like ours to-da

ancestors," she

nd a few words with Mrs. Gaynor, entirely given to warm praise of her daughter, drew Ben aside for a discussion of conditions as he had found them and left the

the victrola and urged them to dancing, she found Gloria ready for bed but standing before her window, looking out at the first stars. Mrs. Gaynor discovered in her little

mma," she said impatien

-anything I can think o

ssed her mother and ad

-nig

lready,

Gloria, slipping into bed. "Wil

ted her mother, wi

a very pretty picture o

d watchful look to mark her daughter's quick play of expression, "that that man couldn't sleep two consecutive nights und

mamma," she offered again, her cheek snuggled against

es. A tiny shiver shook the white shoulders, a shiver not from cold, since not yet had the air chilled. Through her mind swept a dozen vivid pictures, all of King, most of them of him out there, alone with the night and the mountains. But she saw him also as she had seen him to-day; riding before her, breaking the alders aside, catching her as she fell. All day she had thrilled to him. Now, more than ev

t until noon next day had she been left to her own devices. But at nine o'c

dear," said Mrs. Gaynor, "but th

pendence?" She was lying in identically the same position in which she had dropped off to sleep the night before; now she turned

Mr. Gratton, who was astute enough to keep tactfully in the background, hurt her mother's feelings, and alarmed her father by a wild and for the instant perfectly heartfelt determination to go and be a "movie" actress. There was no dancing that night. Gloria, when they thought her upstai

e down early, all radiant smiles; she kissed her mother on both cheeks and the lips, rumpled her father's hair affectionately, went for a

im all about it; of the deserted houses, the store, everything. Hence his curiosity in Honeycutt and Brodie, and just what happened between King and them, did not stand out alone and made no impression on Gloria. Long ago Gratton had had from her lips what rumours had been repeated by her father to her mother and then relayed on to her own ears. Down

the business"; Teddy went away regretfully. Even Mr. Gratton, having lingered longest of all, went back to his city affairs, promising to run up again when he could, prophesying smilingly that he would see both Gloria and her mother in town within ten day

nk made a scurrying racket in dead leaves. She made a hundred romantic conclusions to the story, just begun, by Mark King going in the night into the mountains where Brodie was. Her mind was rife with speculation, having ample food for thought in all the information she had extracted from her father. Thus, she knew of Andy Parker

rest; she was worn out from a year of going eternally, entertaining or being entertained. Gloria, yielding, plunged into an orgy of letter-writing. She answered letters weeks old; she scribbled countless bright and unnecessary no

and extracted the tale in its entirety, pumping it out of the brief, few-worded old Spalding in jerky details. King had appeared late yesterday afternoon, coming out of the woods. Looked like he'd been roughin' it an' g

d phoned her father; they had talked ten minutes; Mr. Gaynor was to telephone to the log house again to-morrow or next day. There would be a mes

ay said to her daughter

iately was o

his lonely place with me, dear. I am ready t

s so deep!" was Glor

's. "And I'm as sleepy and lazy as an owl after being up so late last night." Her yawn, softly patted by four pink-and

the telephone rang, and Gloria, quick to forestall her mother, h

ed heartbeat. Then it wouldn't be her f

he was disappointed. The mes

at old Honeycutt boasts that what he has hidden nobody is going to find. I think if he ever talks to anybody it will be to me, and I'll run in an

country telephone lines, she knew that her beloved old humbug of a male parent was "holding out on her." Her first impulse was to face him down and demand to be told the rest. B

ood care of yourself. Bydie." She relinquished the

, Ben." And then: "Oh, Ben! I don't understand." And then her mother's voice sharpened, and she cut into somethin

. Gaynor looked worried; said it was nothing, and refused to talk. But in five minutes her daughter knew everything Gaynor had said. King was to be told that Gratton, instead of going straight to San Francisc

ll that to Mark King. What business of his is it i

papa to argue out,"

ack to San Fran

know I'm not r

ria," said her mother anxiou

c! And, anyway, papa wan

o that we co

will be here;

to see that his message is delivered!" Glo

o the sun with that familiar appearance of having just materialized from among the tree trunks; over and over she was prepared, with prettily simulated surprise, to greet his coming. But the day passed, night drove them indoors to a cosy fireplace and lights and fragments of music which Gloria played wistfully or crashingl

d havoc with the tenderer curves of her mouth. She resented at this late date King's way of going; not only had he not told her good-bye, he had left no word with her father for her. She sat smiling over a letter received some days ago from Gratt

her mother, out of a long s

rancisco. This stupid p

Gaynor. "I can have everything pac

. "You know we can get

message which she considered important. Gloria herself left no message with old Jim; not in so many words. But she did impress him with her abundant gaiety, with her eagerness for San Francisco, where all of her best a