Evening star., 1909-02-28
When False Gods Go
Continued from rage s

ewes met. Then Ju looked down-and Jim
looked down-and for little time they ate in
silence.
Il wish you'd chuck those damned gloves
awayi They smell of naphtha, and hate it!
said LEROY suddenly
so do t." said Ju; "but it is only the very
rich who can dispense with necessities. and
cruInpled up the offending gloves and-put
them in her pocket
LEROY noticed it and reached across and re-
filled her glass, and bit at his mustache for
moment in silence. :. lu. aren't you sick of it,"
he said suddenly; 1--WE were a pair Of sillies,
you and 1. Don't you think we were?"
"Yes, great sillies." she agreed, with little
shaky laugh. I'VE married on nothing, and
expected to cut down expenses by doubling the
butchers bill and eliminating only half the
landlord
Il wasn't speaking of that time, IJu, but Of
the afterward.'
The afterward." she repeated. "Thats
the worst of life,-there always is an after
ward to every folly to every joy. If you had
only let me do what wanted to do in those old
davs! But no, you wouldn't! / suppose you
never thought that if l forgot the buttons it
was only because / remembered you. 1t is
true wrote because / loved writing,-because
couldn't help writing, because the thing was
there was always the thought of you. A woman
can love and suffer and hope and dream, and
still forget buttons, Dollops. A woman can
shut herself up in room and write things for
cold print and forget hot JOINTS and yet still
be woman, little as men and the world think
So dare say you thought But what is the
use of talking? You thought what you thought
and that's the end of it.
Is it the end, Ju' Is there any reason why it
should be the end?"
That was for you to say-once," she
swered. "And you said it pretty plainly. 1t
didn't matter that l wanted to raise the money
to send you out of the country; you thought
only of buttons. only of the pride l had in jured
bv criticism, and when that man Stannard
bought that botch of picture at three times
what it was worth you got what was popularity
known as the 'swelled head and became-im-
possible"
Were all the impossibilities miner" said
LEROY bitterly.
Most of them" she replied. mo, don't
think am shirking my own share. l am not
trying to minimize that; l am simply stating
facts. When you had the money to 60 away,
YOU wouldn't You wanted to stay in New
York-and buy pretty frocks and things for
me, and waste it all, when it was so precious.
OF course / loved you for it. | was prouder of
YOU in that moment than ever before; but it
wasn't what the money came to you for, and |
shall always thank God that | wasn't weak
enough to yield. l wanted your health, Jim:
! didn't want frocks. And still you wouldn't
oh, come! Play fair, Ju. ! didn't say /
wouldn't go; only that wouldn't go without
YOU. That's the rock we split on, remember.
If you had consented to 60 with me"
How like man-how very like man.
she interrupted with little despairing laugh.
49, The woman tempted me and did eat The
doctor had said that you must remain away for
two years at the very least, and you know very
we'll that the money wouldn't have lasted half
that time if there had been two to, pay for and