Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-11-22
PLAYING THE: GAME
8. sy ENocH KYLE.

The man was going 70 get LID!
ied. He had sown his wild oats,
and now he meant to settle down.
Well Off, good looking. first rate
sportsman, favorite with men and
women alike, the Fates spinning busily
had smiled upon him at birth and had
woven only gold threads in the woo2
of his life.
It. was because he felt it incun,
bent upon him to play the game thai
he decided to tell the, woman he was
going to marry of a certain newt
closed episode in his life. The con-
sideration that perhaps it would Do
as well for her to hear the tale from
him frst:hand, instead of embroidered
with lies on a foundation of truth, as
she might hear it from some one else,
may have counted for something, too.
But the reason he gave himself as
he knotted his tie carefully before the
mirror on. the fateful morning of
confession was that he "must play
the game"
81 hardly know how to tell you,
dear" he began awkwardly, standing
.all and perfectly groomed on the
aearthrug that afternoon. ITS SO diff
Geult 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 | feel It's
up to me to own it. You're not mar
rying saint, you know
The fair-haired woman in the big
armchair looked up at him sweetly
out of innocent blue eyes: Dear, DO
know" she said gently.
He moved uncomfortably. tits
Just what you don't know" he told her,
that I'm worrying about I'm net
thinking Of cards and racing, and
things like that. It's about women !
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 nice little thing" went
on the man. "Not 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 I 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. +.
took a fat for her."
"Ah!" said the woman softly.
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 a
nice little thing. But, Of course, that's
nil 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 gir:?"
asked the woman, still softly and still
looking away.
The man shrugged his shoulders.
still in the fiat, presume" he said
carelessly. "The rent is paid till De-
cember." His voice became persua-
siye. He bent down SO that his face
was very near the coils of hair wound
smoothly round her head. Don't let's
talk about her any more he urged.
"Its all finished and done with. Now,
don't frown, but just kiss me, and say;
you forgive me-
You're very naughty boy, Jack"
said the woman reproyingly, but she
let him wind her smooth white arms
round his neck, as he knelt beside her
on the floor. ''Then il you promise
never, never to do it again, III for
give you," she said prettily.
He caught her, flushed and smiling,
to him fiercely. my saint" he
breathed upon her mouth
In a daintily furnished room of j't-
tie fiat in Queens Club Gardens a
woman lay dead upon the bed with an
empty phial in her hand. There We're
traces of tears upon her white, cold;
cheeks; her closed eyelids were swol-
len. Her lover had failed her. There
was nothing between her but the
streets.
So she, too, had played the game.
God will decide who played 1t best.