The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-10
BY ALFRED HENRY LEKIS
Copyrighted. 1908, by
A. j. Drexel Riddle.
Eotered At statIoner's
Hall, London.

stayed till the fall of doom. But
could not bear the leerlng, hooking
look of it. and me deserted. it would
seem ever to brew for me cup of lone
illness. And so for that l thrust it
from the room"
why. then! and that was it," cried
| Peg. There you see, now, / can be a
| fool as well as you"
But Why did you avoid me?" l ask
ed, in my turn. Surely, even for my
dull clumsiness, there was need of no
such hard reproof. Come, now, why
lid you stay away? And why did you
run from me when l went across to
the square that Gay to beg a word
I from you?'
Because hated you" returned Peg,
| with a self-satisfied air. Il have you
! now, Watchdog, when 1 pause and
| think. You had made me suffer, and
/ thought to see you suffer in return.
| And, really, Watchdog, you did suffer;
and it pleased me much"
| L had not thought you were made
| with such a palate for revenge" said
| /, bit stricken with these words of
cruelty. "And yet, if it so pleasure you
| to give me pain, why, then, go on"
Don't, Watchdog. don't" returned
| Peg, in a voice whimsically between
| crying and laughing. only a little
more of that and you shall have my
tears. But can't you see how your
! suffering was a most tender compli-
ment? I declare to you that when ]
would go by your door, the look of
| grief to weigh upon your brow was
better to me than a smile. The mere
memory of it would keep my heart
warm throughout winters day."
1T must indeed be a topsy-turvy ma
ture," said l. that finds its pleasure
| in the woe of friends"
N.l, y1cor
| torted Peg. in a high vein. IF your
| dullness have no limits, at the least
my patience has. Now where did you
| go when l avoided you in the square.
and you were too much the coward
| to lift the knocker of my door? File!
such another fawn-heart does not roam
| existence! Where did you 60 I say?'
well, I would give that vine of
yours a tree to Chamber on and lift
| it off the ground"
"And did your" demanded Peg, Gag
erly.
1.-THE gods ruled otherwise" I re-
| turned. There was no tree TO be near
| or possible for your vine; it must live
and die on the ground"
Peg sat quite still and never a re-
| Spouse. AS / looked on her, somewhat
with wonder, ] concede, two great
drops welled from her eyes and fell
down upon her hands.
Now I would like to hear" said Peg
at last, her voice in twitter of pain,
| docs ever one get what one prays for
| in this world of ours? Would there be
such word as contentment, now?
However, I am glad. Watchdog, your
! let it go; let it all go! Let us be
friends; and If the day can't be for
us all sunshine, let us own as few
clouds as we may. Now, we will for
get the past. and start our friendship
| out anew. We will bring nothing to
remind us of days when I was young
and cunning and you were old and
| dull"
At this, 1 involuntarily looked for the
mark of Pegs leopard TOOTH where.
round and white, it stared up at me
! from my hand.
"Ah yes" said Peg, softly, 81 had
| forgotten. There is that sign between
us that shall last through time. No,
we can never forget" Then, after
musing a moment: But we may
change the subject and say the worst
of it. You heard me lay out my recep-
ton purposes. What do you think Of
my plans?"
TELL me first one thing" said I.
when it was so much pleasure to
| behold me in grief for your absence,
why. then, did you come back?' That
| speech of Pegs was like a dagger in
my heart and I would have her draw
1t out with some kindness of explana-
ton. "Why did you come back,
them"
1.-THE mere sorrow of it brought me
back Watch dog" said Peg, and her
words were music in my ear. ut came
| finally to where I would sooner suf-
fer than have you suffer. That is the
woman nature of me. The sheer truth
is. I've been on my way back to see
you for DAYS When I followed you in
pose of taking YOUR arm and walking
with you as in the old time"
"And why didn't you?"
Just as l would have done so,
was caught up in a little swirl OF
hatred which carried me away from
your side. 1t didn't last the moment
but by the time it was gone the chance
had taken flight. There is one thing
| should tell you, however; at Such a
time you must not palter with wom-
an" Pegs tones were uplifted to the
pitch severe. do you know what you
should have done that day? You
should have seized me by the Shout
der as you did that spy who dogged
us; you should have stopped me flush
and full. Without excuse or explana-
ton or pretense of remorse for what
take your arm. You might have found
had you so willed it, that for all my
high head 1 would follow you like a
dog"
Take you by the shoulder" cried /
somewhat aroused to a spirit of terror
And that would have been polite, in"
deed, and the act of a true gentleman!
] can see myself selling you by the
shoulder"
For all that" contended Peg, with
much candor, that is what you should
have done, Remember, in treating with
woman, while one should be a gentle
man-your word-one must be man
There is this, too, about a woman with
the man she would love. She likes
warfare, but she does not want tc
win: victory would only embarrass
your woman. Her instinct is rather fol
protection than to protect, and to fin6
him on whom she leans weaker thar
herself might alarm her love into flight
And as for that politeness you tell of
IL is an artifice, like a dress or 6
house, and good only within a limit
There be occasions when politeness
to a man is a fair thing thrown away
also, there be occasions when polite
ness to a woman is nothing better thar
a waste of justice. Watchdog, yol
should have pocketed the gentleman
for use on a languid day; you should
have been all man. You SHOULD
have seized me by the shoulder; vol
should have made me go or stay, o.
talk or stand mute, as you willed
/