Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-10-04
Playing the
Game

The man was going to get marrieo'
He had sown his wild oats, ana I'D"
he meant to settle down. wen On
good looking, first-rate sportsmA
favorite with men and women suAet
the Fates spinning busily had sIahsa
upon him at birth and had woven oaU
gold threads in the wool OF MS nus.
For years he had lived the LIE o.
the smart young man about toWE ~
had done the same thing In the a'uai
way, he had been neither very Eooo
nor bad; In his own words, the IaTor
lite words of British youth, he had a.
ways tried to play the game"
1t was because he felt it incumbent
upon him to play the game that ne
decided to tell the woman he was go
ing to marry of a certain newly closed
episode in his life. The consideration
that perhaps it would be as well Tor
her to hear the tale from him first
hand, instead of embroidered with lies
on foundation of truth, as she might
hear it from some one else, may sass
counted for something, too.
But the reason he gave himself as
he knotted his tie carefully before the
mirror on the fateful morning of con-
fession was that he must play the
game"
81 hardly know how to tell you.
DEAR" he began awkwardly, standing
tall and perfectly groomed on the
hearthrug that afternoon. It's so diff
cult to speak to women-pure WON.
en-, like you-about certain things, but
the fact of the matter Is, I've been an
awful rotter, Evelyn, and I feel it's up
to me to own 1t. You're not marrying
saint, you know"
The fair-haired woman in the big
big armchair looked up at him sweet
ly out of innocent blue eyes: Dear,
I do know" she said gently.
He moved uncomfortably. "But it's
just what you don't know" he told
her, that I'm worrying about. I'm
not thinking of cards and racing, and
things like that. It's about women
1 want to speak to you. Especially
one woman" He paused, and bit his
lip nervously.
"Ah!" said the woman softly, look
ing down.
"She was a nice little thing" went
on the man. mot quite lady, you
know, but very pretty and all that
Her father drank. She ran
away from home. Hadn't friend in
the world when l picked her up. Only
the streets in front Of her. A good
woman like you, Evelyn, can't realize
what the horror of that means. .. :.
I took a fiat for her."
"Ah!" said the woman softly, look
ing down.
81 lived with her more or less for
three years. went on the man, gather
ing courage from her passiveness
"She was very grateful for all I had
done for her; she was really quite q
nice little thing. But, of course, that's
all over and done with now. I set
tied up finally with her today. shall
never see her again. There was no
reason for you ever to know, Evelyn,
only that I felt it wouldn't be quite
playing the game not to tell you"
what has become of the girl?"
asked the woman, still softly and still
looking away.
The man shrugged his shoulders.
"Still in the fat, presume" he said
carelessly. 1.-THE rent Is paid up till
December" His voice became persua
sive He bent down 80 that his face
was very near the coils Of fair hair
wound smoothly round her head.
Don't let's talk about her any more"
he urged. "It's all finished and done
with. Now, don't frown, but just kiss
me, and say you forgive me-"
You're a very naughty boy, Jack"
said the woman reprovingly, but she
let him wind her smooth white arms
round his neck, as he knelt beside her
on the floor. "Then If you promise
never, never to do it again. I'll forgive
you," she said prettily.
He caught her, flushed and smiling
to him flercely. "My saint!" he breath
ed upon her mouth
In a daintily furnished room Of a lit
tie fat in Queens Club Gardens, a
woman lay dead upon the bed with an
empty phial in her hand. There were
traces Of tears upon. her white, cold
cheeks; her closed eyelids were swoll.
en-. Her lover had failed her. There
nothing before her but the streets.
So she, too, had played the game"
God will decide who played 1t best.