Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-17

when he appeared l did everything to
prevent him from playing. You will
never know what took place. what l
submitted to.
81 am trying to be truthful. Phil. l
want to lay my heart bare for you. but
there are things woman cannot Who'll
~ confess. Believe me. l did what
could.
Il remember what you said about
an anchorage. l am trying to clear
these haunted eyes of mine and steer
clear of phantoms for the honor Of
what we once were to each other be-
fore the world. But steering a ghost
ship through endless tempests is hard
labor. Phil. so be little kind. little
more than patient. if my hand grows
tired at the wheel.
what do you think of me? Asking
you shows how much care. Dread of
your opinion has turned me coward
until this last page. What do you
think of me? am perfectly miserable
about Boots. but that is partly fright.
though know | am safe enough with
such man. But what sets my cheeks
my own eyes in the mirror is the fear
of what you must think of me in the
still. secret places of that heart Of
yours. which | never, never under
stood ALIXE E."
1t was week before he sent his re-
ply, although he wrote many answers.
each In turn revised. corrected. copied
~, 10 dnct In,
| the end. But at last he forced him
self to meet truth with truth. cutting
what crudity he could from his letter:
You ask me what l think of you.
but that question should properly come
| from me. What do you think of man
who exhorts and warns woman to
| stand fast and then stands dumb at
the first impact of temptation?
| IF words of COMMUNICATION, OF cour-
age, of kindly counsel. are needed by
| anybody in this world, | am not the
man to utter them. What hypocrite
must l seem to you'll who sat there
beside you preaching platitudes in
| strong self complacency. instructinS
you how morally edffying it is to be
good and unhappy!
Then what happened? l don't know
exactly. But I'm trying to be honest,
and I'll tell you what l think hap
pened.
/ you are-you; l ami, and we are
still those same two people who I'M
derstood neither the impulse that once
swept us together nor the forces that
tore US apart, All. more than that
we never understood each other, And
we do not now.
But one thing we do know. not
1 through reason. but through sheer in
stinct-we cannot venture to meet
again-that way. for l. it seems am a
man like other men, except that
lack character, and you are-you. still
unchanged. with all the mystery of
attraction. all the magic force of vital.
ty. all the esoteric subtlety with which
you enveloped me the first moment my
eyes met yours. D.,
, There was no more reason for II
then than there is now. and. as you
admit, 1t was not love, though. as you
also admit, there were moments ap
preaching II. But nothing can hav
real beginning without a basis of rea
son. and so, whatever it was, it van
ished. This perhaps is only the in
fernal afterglow
$50 now l end where 1 began-witl
that question which answers your
without the faintest suspicion of re
proach, What can you think of sucl
a man as l am? And in the presenc
Of my second failure your answe
must be that you now think what yo
once thought of him when you frs
realized that he had failed you.
PHILIP SELWYN."
That very night brought him her re
ply:
Phil, dear, l do not blame you 70
one instant. Why do you say you eve
failed In anything? 1t was cntirel
my fault. But am so happy that yo
wrote as you did, taking all the blame
which is like you. l can look int
my mirror now-for, a moment G
two.
ut is brave of you to be so fran