The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-08-26
wright l9O6 BIZ the Bobbs- Merril
CHAPTER XIX.
Friend or Foe.

fTlend or roe.
For some time after Rose had left
her, Berry remained on the bench, not
moving, her glance resting on that
part Of the path whence the young
girls figure had faded from view.
The night slowly deepened, impreg-
mating the gray atmosphere with vel
vety depth Of shadow that oozed
through it like an infusion of a darker,
denser element. Lights came out
First sporadically, here and there
blooming through the opaque dusk,
not suddenly, but with an effect Of
gradualness, as though the air was so
thick it took some time to break
through it. Then came more. Rows
of windows appeared in long, magni-
fed sputters. ALI round the plaza
there was a suggestion Of effaced
brightness, as Of painting which
had once been sharply outlined and
brilliant, but was now rubbed into a
formless, impressionist study Of shad-
ows and underlined, yellow blurs. The
golden halos Of lamps blotted the dark
at intervals, and now and then the fig
ures, which had occupied the benches,
passed into the circles of vaporous H.
Elimination, and passed out of them,
as If they had been crossing the stage
of a theater.
Berry did not move and did not no
tice the increasing chill Of the hour or
the moisture beading on her clothes
like wintry rime. She was sunk in an
abyss of thought, suspended trance
Of contemplation, of receptivity to new
ideas. In one hour her basic estimate
of human nature, her accepted meas
urement Of motives and standards, had
been suddenly upset. Her point Of
view was like a kaleidoscope, which
Is Unexpectedly turned. Sitting mo-
tionless on the bench she saw the IA
miliar aspect Of life fallen into new
shapes, taking on alien forms.
She realized that Dominick had new
er been happy with her, and, for the
first time, she understood the gulf be-
tween them. She saw what the life
was that he had wanted to lead, and
that he could have led with the other
woman. 1t would have been that very
form of existence which Berry had al
ways derided, and thought an outward
expression of the inward dullness Of
people who had children, looked shah
by, and did not care for money. Now
she felt insure as to whether her
scorn Of 1t was not foolish and unen-
Iightened. AS in a sudden forward
shoot Of a search-light, she saw them
-Dominick and Rose-happy in a way
she had never dreamed of being happy,
In world so far from hers that she
had never before had a clear look at
it, man and women concentrated up
on the piece of life that belonged to
them, living passionately for each 9TH
er, Indifferent to all that seemed to
her of value.
She brought her mental vision back
from this upon herself and felt shaken
and slightly sick. Seeing beyond the
circle of her own experience and SEN
satton for the first time, she would
have said to any companion who
might have shared her thoughts: mo
wonder Dominick didn't get on with
mel" For a dispassionately-c ontem-
plative moment she saw herself in
Dominick's eyes; she saw their mar
ried life as it had been to him. She
felt sorry for both of them-for him
In his forced acquiescence with the
conditions around him, for herself be-
cause of her ignorance Of all he had
wanted and expected.
II couldn't be any different" she