Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-12-21

enterprise nothing could possibly hap
pen TO disturb 1t; / was all ready for
the first of July announcement and
boom. Never did / have g lighter heart
than when | Joined Anita and her
friends at Sherry's. 1t seemed to me
her friendliness was less perfunctory,
less a matter of appearances. And the
sun was bright, the air delicious, my
health perfect. 1T took all the strength
of all the straps Monsoon had put on
my natural spirits TO keep me from be-
Ing exuberant.
/ had fully intended to be back at
my office half an hour before the FIX
change closed-this in addition to the
obvious ~precaution of leaving orders
that they were to telephone me If any
thing should occur about which they
had the least doubt. But so comfort
able did by vanity make me that I for
got to ook at my watch until a quar-
ter to three. had a momentary
qualm: then. treasured. i asked Anita
to take a walk with me. Before we
set out | t~elephoned my righthand man
and partner. Ball. AS I had thought.
everything was quiet; the Exchange
was closing with Textile sluggish and
down a quarter. Anita and l took a
car to the park.
As we strolled about there. 1t seemed
To me l was making more Roadway
with her than in all the times I had
seen her since We became engaged. At
each meeting l a had to begin at the
beginning once more, almost as if we
had never met; for / found that she
had in the meanwhile taken on all, or
almost all, her original reserve. 1t was
as IL she forgot me the instant / left
her-not very iattering, that!
You accuse me of refusing to get
acquainted with YOU" said 1, "of re-
fusing to see that you're a different
person from what / imagine. But how
about YOU? Why do you all stick to
your first notion of me? Whatever l
am or am not. I'm not the person you
condemned on sight"
You have changed" she conceded.
The way you dress-and sometimes
the way you act. Or, is 1t because I'm
getting used TO you?"
Motifs" began, but STONED
there. Some day / would confess about
Monsoon, but not yet. Also l hoped the
change wasn't altogether due to Mon
son and the dancing master and my
imitation of the tricks of speech and
of the people in her set.
She did not notice my abrupt halt.
Indeed, | often caught her at not listen
ing to me. / saw that she wasn't lis
teninS to INC now.
You didn't hear what / said" | ac-
cused somewhat sharply. for / was ir-
ritated-as who would not have been?
She started. gave me that hurried,
apologize look that was bitterer to
me than the most wage insult would
have been.
81 began your pardon" she said.
w were talking of--of changes,
weren't WEI"
I'VE were talking of me-" | answered.
"Of the subject that interests you.
not at an
Shn lpnlaJ az ~ IL, =, farIar, -Drt AP
way that softened my irritation with
sympathy. I'VE told you how it il
with me-" she said. Il do my best to.
please you. l."
Damn your best,'' / cried. Don't
try to please me. BE yourself. I'm not
a slave driver. | don't have to be
concilated. Can't you ever see that
I'm not your t~yrant? Do 1 treat
YOU as any other man would feel
he had the right TO treat the girl
who had engaged herself to him? Do
| ever thrust my feelings or wishes
belongings on you?? And do you
hin repression easy for a man Of my
You have been very good she said
humbly.
Don't you ever say that to me
again. / half commanded half pleaded.
II won't have you always putting me
in the position OF a kind and indulgent
master"
n halted and faced me.
why do you want me. anyhow %
she cried. Then she noticed several
loungers on a bench staring at us and
grinning; she flushed and walked on.
II o know" said /. Because I'm
a fool, probably. My common sense
tells me / can't hope to break through
hat shell of self complacence you've
been cased in by your family and your
associates. Sometimes i think I'm mis-
taken in you. think there isn't any real,
human blood left in vour veins, that
you're like the rest of them-a human
bod" whose heart and mind have been
taken out and a machin substituted
a machine that can say and do only a
narrow little range of conventional
things-like one Of those French dolls"
You mustn't blame me for that
she said gently. realize,
too and I'm ashamed Of it.
Buff o could know how I've
been educated. They've treated me as
the Flathead Indian women treat their
babies-keep their skulls in a press
isn't that it?-until their heads and
brains grow of the Flathead pattern.
Only, somehow. in my case-the proc
ess wasn't quite complete. And so, in
stead of being contented like the other
Flathead girls, Tm-almost a rebel, at
times. I'm neither the one thing nor
the other-not natural and not Flat
head, not enough natural to grow
way from Flathead, o enough Flat
head TO get rid of the natural"
Il take back what | said about not
knowing why II want you, Anita" !
said. Il do know why-and-well, as
/ told you before, you'll never regret
marrying me-"
sN-.-a Ma MALI