The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-01-06

Yea"
Then Il is simply the desire Of the
friendless for a friend. nothing else.
nothing more subtle. nothing Of of-
frontery. n-nothing worse Do you he
Beve meT'
Il don't understand
Try to-
do you mean that you have differed
With
"HimT She laughed -Uh. no
was talking Of real people. not of
myths And real people are not very
friendly to me always. not that they
are disagreeable. you understand. only
a tri1e overcordlal and my most inti-
mate friend kisses me a little too fire.
quently. By the way. she has quite
succumbed to you I hear"
who do you meanT
why. Rosamund"
He said something under his breath
and looked at her impatiently
Didn't you know itY" she asked
smiling
know whatY"
THAT Rosamund is quite crazy about
you. There's no use scowling and squar
ing your chin. Oh. I ought to know
what that indicates rve watched You
do it often enough. but the fact is that
the hsndsomest and snartest woman
in town is forever dinning your perfec-
tons into my ears"
he drew up a chair. seated himself
very deliberately and spoke. his un-
lighted pipe In his left hand:
THE girl I left-the girl who left
me-was q modest clean thinking
clean minded girl. who also had a
brain to use and employed It What
ever conclusion that girl arrived at
concerning the Importance of mar
riage vows In no longer my business
But the moment she confronts me
again. offering friendship. then I may
use a friends privilege, M I do. And
90 tell you that loosely fashionable
badinage bores me. And another mat
ter-privileged by the friendship you
acknowledge-forc me TO ask you q
question. and I ask Il. point blank.
Why have you again permitted Gerald
to play cards for stakes at your house
after promising you would not do SOP
The color receded from her face. and
her gloved fingers frightened on the
arms OF her chair.
That is one reason I came" she
said. ito explain"
You could have written
Il sag 1t was one reason. The OH
er I have already given you-because
IL felt that you were friendly"
81 am. Go on. Please explain about
Gerald"
Are you sure" raising her dark
eyes. that you mean to be kind?"
Yes. sure" he said harshly &c
on"
a-almost insolent"
IL have to be. Good God, Alike!
Do you think this is nothing to me
This wretched mess we have made Of
life: Do you think my roughness and
abruptness come from anything but
pity-pity for us both. i tell you?
Do you think I can remain unmoved
looking on the atrocious punishment
you have inflicted on yourself-tether
ed toto that-for life-the poison of
the contact showing in your altered
voice and manner. in the things you
laugh at. in the things you live for.
In the twisted, misshapen ideals that
your friends set up on heap of mug
gets for you to worship? Even if
we've passed through the sea Of mire
can't we at least clear the filth from
Dur eyes and see straight and steer
straight to the anchorage?"
She had covered her pallid face with
her muff. He bent forward. his hand
On the arm of her chair.
Her gloved hand, moving at random.
encountered his and closed on it con-
vulsiveS.
DO you understand" ?" he repeated.
''Y-es, Phil"
Head still sinking. face covered with
the silvery fur, the tremors from her
body set her hand quivering On his.
Heartsick. he forbore to ask for the
explanation. He knew the real answer
anyway. whatever she might say, and
he understood that any game in that
house was Ruthven's game and the
guests his guests and that Gerald was
only one OF the younger men who had
been wrung dry in that house.
No doubt at all that Ruthven needed
the money. He had been picked up by
big, hard eyed woman who had al.
most forgotten how to laugh until she
found him furtively muzzling her dia-
mond laden fingers. So when she dis
covered that he could sit up and beg
and roll over at a nod she let him fol
low her, and since then he had become
Indispensable and had curled up on
many a soft and silken knee and had
sought and fetched and carried for
many a pretty woman what she her
self did not care to touch even with
white gloved fingers.
What had she expected when she
married him? Only innocent ignorance
Of the SET he ornamented could ac-
count for the horror Of her disillusion
What splendors had she dreamed OF