The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-10-06
H. COPYRIGHT 1895 pYI1LpANCOTT COMPANY.
10 PUB I51tD BY SPECIAL lASN4NGtREN WITH TfENy


at lfe's flavor in The Worlds Way
But I'm going to make you taste it in
truth, the brackish and the sweet. In
short, I'm going to ask you to pitch in
your fortunes with mine and share these
rooms with me. Since Glendenning dis
appointed me have preferred to live
and dream alone. But-frankly-I like
you. The suite is large. We would
not clash. Besides, just across the hall
is an atelier left vacant since De Courcey
ran away only recently to escape his
debts. You'll probably find the drapery
of departed model still upon the plat
form. You could furnish it as you
please and have it as your own particu-
lar den."
He watched Toms eyes travel half
wistfully around the odd, artistic place.
Charming" he said at length and
added slowly, "but impossible. You
see, I'm going to marry very soon."
Delatole stared at him as if incapable
of grasping the statement.
eyes" said Tom, and now blunt
tenderness rang in his voice, 81 am 60
ing 10 marry NlTSlnld h6uU.
care you mad?" and the words were
slow exclamation.
Delatole rose as he spoke, lifted one of
Che fragile glasses on the table and con-
temptuously flung it from him. 1t lay
upon the hearth, mass of opaline splin-
tiers.
"In another year you will be as arts.
tically ruined az that glass"
Not dreaming of the selfish motive
prompting this violent objection and
listening to words that were q passion
less prophecy, Tom could not resist the
shudder that ominously passed over him.
Zone would think talkedof commit
ting a crime" And the words were
breathless.
"And so You are. Isn't it crime to
throw away your chanceH Life doesn't
offer too many of them. Let Inc tell
you, too, my dear fellow, that you do
not strike me as one who would cult
vate the virtues Of patience and humility
under the stress of failure and poverty.
Marry now, when you have just crossed
the line, before your strength has had a
fair test, and you'll not only fail, but
probably break your Wfe's heart in a
year. You remember what l said to
you last night did not dream then
that you were thinking of the madness
of an early marriage; that you stood on
the verge of the abyss strewn with the
ruins of good beginnings"
AS Tom listened his face grew stern,
his eyes searching.
why should fail because l keep my
word to woman, better, truer, hun
bred times, than l am-not woman to
retard any mans progress? She has
been my inspiration. You don't know
Virginia. She is more to me than any
thing in the world. need not fail.
will not fail"
He looked very stalwart, very deter
mined, as he lowered above Delatole, his
blue eyes flashing in his intense face.
"What interest can 1 have but for
your good?" asked his new friend, and
the silken voice held soothing gentle
ness after Toms hot, strained tones.
''Let US look at this matter dispassion-
ately. You are young. You have writ
ten one play of startling strength and
charm. 1t will bring you 80 much mon
ey. Alone, independent, you would have
a good income, be able to mix with the
world, travel a little and feed your brain
until it teemed with digested impressions
gathered from boudoir and barroom.
The same money will not support a
home and wife except in cramped
obscure way. Your love for her will be
another drawback to earnest work. The
treadmill of your dull, loving, respecta.
BILE existence day in and day out in some
little fiat will afford no feverish impetus
to your imagination. You will never
write play worth having typewriter
on the inspiration offered by baby's
fists. All, have l not watched the mental
paralysis set in beforep Love is bad
enough, but love and poverty
Tom turned away and faced the win.
dow. He did not seek the park Fol
just one moment the gray picture Delatole
stretched rose before him, and an acute
unmeasured despair took hold of him.
He beat it back fercely. He would
not believe. But the resistance was nc
longer buoyant; it was forced.
"Then there is the other side-freedom
knowing no limit" continued Delatole
in soliloquizing tone as he walked W
and down smoking, never once CHANGING
at the silent, erect figure in the window
Freedom. Only those who have sur
rendered it know the full sweetness Of
that word. Every door would be open
to you. You need not only be a Bohe.
milan. A fellow like you, of undoubted
talent, well looking, clever, independent
and with some money would not have
to knock at society's golden door for adj
mission. Itwould fly open to you. Fol
myself hate the stiff set, but it is al
ways well for an artist to become
acquainted with every sort of human
Under conditions of this sort your artistic
vein would warm and expand, your ma.
ture vibrate to change after change The
man who enters race fettered is a fool
When l have said this, have said all"
There was silence after these words
and then the rustling of paper. Tom
hastily turned and saw Delatole leaning
against the table, looking scornfully over
each of the pages wherein the criticism
was written that had so delighted him.
A painful premonition made him cold
lint he said nothing