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Livingston Hill Grace

Description

Settle in for an enthralling tale of wartime romance in The Search from renowned Christian romance writer Grace Livingston Hill. As in all of Hill's books, the author's Christianity is apparent not in overt religious religious themes, but rather as a strong moral framework in which the tale unfolds. Fans of historical romance will relish this novel.

Sujets

• Romance

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776584932
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE SEARCH
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GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL
 
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The Search First published in 1919 Epub ISBN 978-1-77658-493-2 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77658-494-9 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XII Chapter XIII Chapter XIV Chapter XV Chapter XVI Chapter XVII Chapter XVIII Chapter XIX Chapter XX
Chapter I
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Two young men in officers' uniforms entered the smoker of a suburbantrain, and after the usual formalities of matches and cigarettes settledback to enjoy their ride out to Bryne Haven.
"What d'ye think of that girl I introduced you to the other night, Harry?Isn't she a pippin?" asked the second lieutenant taking a luxurious puffat his cigarette.
"I should say, Bobbie, she's some girl! Where d'ye pick her up? Icertainly owe you one for a good time."
"Don't speak of it, Harry. Come on with me and try it again. I'm going tosee her friend to-night and can get her over the 'phone any time. She'sjust nuts about you. What do you say? Shall I call her up?"
"Well, hardly to-night, Bob," said the first lieutenant thoughtfully,"she's a ripping fine girl and all that, of course, but the fact is, Bob,I've decided to marry Ruth Macdonald and I haven't much time left beforeI go over. I think I'll have to get things fixed up between us to-night,you see. Perhaps—later—. But no. I guess that wouldn't do. Ruth'sfolks are rather fussy about such things. It might get out. No, Bob, I'llhave to forego the pleasures you offer me this time."
The second lieutenant sat up and whistled:
"You've decided to marry Ruth Macdonald!" he ejaculated, staring. "Buthas Ruth Macdonald decided to marry you?"
"I hardly think there'll be any trouble on that score when I get ready topropose," smiled the first lieutenant complacently, as he lolled back inhis seat. "You seem surprised," he added.
"Well, rather!" said the other officer dryly, still staring.
"What's there so surprising about that?" The first lieutenant wasenjoying the sensation he was creating. He knew that the secondlieutenant had always been "sweet" on Ruth Macdonald.
"Well, you know, Harry, you're pretty rotten!" said the second lieutenantuneasily, a flush beginning to rise in his face. "I didn't think you'dhave the nerve. She's a mighty fine girl, you know. She's— unusual !"
"Exactly. Didn't you suppose I would want a fine girl when I marry?"
"I don't believe you're really going to do it!" burst forth the secondlieutenant. "In fact, I don't believe I'll let you do it if you try!"
"You couldn't stop me, Bob!" with an amiable sneer. "One word from you,young man, and I'd put your captain wise about where you were the lasttime you overstayed your leave and got away with it. You know I've got apull with your captain. It never pays for the pot to call the kettleblack."
The second lieutenant sat back sullenly with a deep red streaking hischeeks.
"You're no angel yourself, Bob, see?" went on the first lieutenant lyingback in his seat in satisfied triumph, "and I'm going to marry RuthMacdonald next week and get a ten days' leave! Put that in your pipe andsmoke it!"
There ensued a long and pregnant silence. One glance at the secondlieutenant showed that he was most effectually silenced.
The front door of the car slammed open and shut, and a tall slim officerwith touches of silver about the edges of his dark hair, and a look ofcommand in his keen eyes came crisply down the aisle. The two younglieutenants sat up with a jerk, and an undertone of oaths, and preparedto salute as he passed them. The captain gave them a quick searchingglance as he saluted and went on to the next car.
The two jerked out salutes and settled back uneasily.
"That man gives me a pain!" said Harry Wainwright preparing to soothe hisruffled spirits by a fresh cigarette.
"He thinks he's so doggone good himself that he has to pry into otherpeople's business and get them in wrong. It beats me how he ever got tobe a captain—a prim old fossil like him!"
"It might puzzle some people to know how you got your commission, Harry.You're no fossil, of course, but you're no angel, either, and there aresome things in your career that aren't exactly laid down in militarymanuals."
"Oh, my uncle Henry looked after my commission. It was a cinch! He thinksthe sun rises and sets in me, and he had no idea how he perjured himselfwhen he put me through. Why, I've got some of the biggest men in thecountry for my backers, and wouldn't they lie awake at night if they knew!Oh Boy! I thought I'd croak when I read some of those recommendations,they fairly gushed with praise. You'd have died laughing, Bob, if you hadread them. They had such adjectives as 'estimable, moral, active,efficient,' and one went so far as to say that I was equally distinguishedin college in scholarship and athletics! Some stretch of imagination, eh,what?"
The two laughed loudly over this.
"And the best of it is," continued the first lieutenant, "the poor boobbelieved it was all true!"
"But your college records, Harry, how could they get around those? Ordidn't they look you up?"
"Oh, mother fixed that all up. She sent the college a good fat check toestablish a new scholarship or something."
"Lucky dog!" sighed his friend. "Now I'm just the other way. I never tryto put anything over but I get caught, and nobody ever tried to cover upmy tracks for me when I got gay!"
"You worry too much, Bobby, and you never take a chance. Now I —"
The front door of the car opened and shut with a slam, and a tall youngfellow with a finely cut face and wearing workman's clothes entered. Hegave one quick glance down the car as though he was searching forsomeone, and came on down the aisle. The sight of him stopped the boaston young Wainwright's tongue, and an angry flush grew, and rolled up fromthe top of his immaculate olive-drab collar to his close, militaryhair-cut.
Slowly, deliberately, John Cameron walked down the aisle of the carlooking keenly from side to side, scanning each face alertly, until hiseyes lighted on the two young officers. At Bob Wetherill he merelyglanced knowingly, but he fixed his eyes on young Wainwright with asteady, amused, contemptuous gaze as he came toward him; a gaze sonoticeable that it could not fail to arrest the attention of any who werelooking; and he finished the affront with a lingering turn of his head ashe passed by, and a slight accentuation of the amusement as he finallylifted his gaze and passed on out of the rear door of the car. Those whowere sitting in the seats near the door might have heard the words: "Andthey killed such men as Lincoln!" muttered laughingly as the doorslammed shut behind him.
Lieutenant Wainwright uttered a low oath of imprecation and flung hishalf spent cigarette on the floor angrily:
"Did you see that, Bob?" he complained furiously, "If I don't get thatfellow!"
"I certainly did! Are you going to stand for that? What's eating him,anyway? Has he got it in for you again? But he isn't a very easy fellowto get, you know. He has the reputation—"
"Oh, I know! Yes, I guess anyhow I know !"
"Oh, I see! Licked you, too, once, did he?" laughed Wetherill, "what hadyou been up to?"
"Oh, having some fun with his girl! At least I suppose she must have beenhis girl the way he carried on about it. He said he didn't know her, butof course that was all bluff. Then, too, I called his father a name hedidn't like and he lit into me again. Good night! I thought that was theend of little Harry! I was sick for a week after he got through with me.He certainly is some brute. Of course, I didn't realize what I was upagainst at first or I'd have got the upper hand right away. I could have,you know! I've been trained! But I didn't want to hurt the fellow and getinto the papers. You see, the circumstances were peculiar just then—"
"I see! You'd just applied for Officer's Training Camp?"
"Exactly, and you know you never can tell what rumor a person like thatcan start. He's keen enough to see the advantage, of course, and followit up. Oh, he's got one coming to him all right!"
"Yes, he's keen all right. That's the trouble. It's hard to get him."
"Well, just wait. I've got him now. If I don't make him bite the dust! Yegods! When I think of the way he looks at me every time he sees me Icould skin him alive!"
"I fancy he'd be rather slippery to skin. I wouldn't like to try it,Harry!"
"Well, but wait till you see where I've got him! He's in the draft. Hegoes next week. And they're sending all those men to our camp! He'll be aprivate, of course, and he'll have to salute me ! Won't that gall him?"
"He won't do it! I know him, and he won't do it !"
"I'll take care that he does it all right! I'll put myself in his way and make him do it. And if he refuses I'll report him and get him in theguard house. See? I can, you know. Then I guess he'll smile out of theother side of his mouth!"
"He won't likely be in your company."
"That doesn't make any difference. I can get him into trouble if heisn't, but I'll try to work it that he is if I can. I've got 'pull,' youknow, and I know how to 'work' my superiors!" he swaggered.
"That isn't very good policy," advised the other, "I've heard of menpicking off officers they didn't like when it came to battle."
"I'll take good care that he's in front of me on all such occasions!"
A sudden nudge from his companion