Putnam patriot., 1913-10-31
CHAPTER |.
Five Years Refore


 on the floor beside the nearly-full trunk, with litter of garments about her. her pose was not ungraceful. Yet her face was oddly tense. and her elenched hands spoke of self-control hard to maintain.
 "No," she said patiently, as though trying to teach lesson to some rather stupid child, that isn't what mean, at all. l mean. its-over. Cant you understand"
 Why, yes" answered Standish, "of course I understand. Why shouldn't I? It's over. You will be safe at your aunt's house by six o'clock this eve ming, and you will start for Europe to- morrow, just as you arranged. And our wonderweek is ended. And for the next three months I'll be counting every"
 "Ohl" interrupted the Woman. her hard-worn patience going to pieces. Wont you understand? said 1t was over. Overl Not for three months or for any other time. But for always. Why do you make me put 1t this way? I tried to say 1t fhore-"
 You don't mean"-he began thick ly, his throat sanded and sore.
 The Woman nodded
 But" he protested lamely, ''it-it . cant be. Why. girl, you love mel"
 q thought I did. Oh, was so sure l did! But little by little, for days, I've begun to understand Don't look at me like that! Do you suppose I enjoy talking so? It has to be said. And you're not making it a bit easy for me-"
 Forgive me" he answered, a bitter note creeping into his heavy voice. "You are wreeking ne. You are smashing all I hold dear. You are making my future as barren as a rainy sea. Forgive me for not making the process a bit easy for you"
 "You have no right to say such things!" she fared. Tt is cowardly. It is ungenerous.'
 Why? Because you are a woman? A wor1au may fay man. She may break his life to pieces for her own amusement. If he dares to protest, he is cowardly and ungenerous. Because -A tied behind him by that asinine old tradition. How about the woman who pommels a man when she knows his hands are so tied? Isn't she as cow ardly' and 'ungenerous' as I would be If I thrashed cripple? And yet women clamor for their 'rightsf'- Rightsl With one-tenth of the rights that silly chivalry showers upon wom- ien. I could conquer the whole worldi''
 But you could not conquer enc woman. If begged you to avoid scene it was as much for your own sake as for mine. Since you will have one. let's get 1t over with as quickly as we can. Here Is the situation in a handful of words: I met you. You weren't like any other man I'd ever known. You didn't fall down and wor- ship me at sight-or pretend to, which comes to the same thing. It didn't seem to interest you that had money and that other men made fools of themselves over me. And then your Quixotic ideas about politics and gov ernment and all that sort of thing. ap- pealed to me. These and other req sons of the same kind made me think was in love with you.'
 You didn't think. were' And"
 Perhaps. Perhaps loes 1t matter-now? Isn't that l4-J an ef- fort to save the anchor after the wreck? But never mind. l thought I loved you. With your impractical high-souled ideas about political re- form and the peoples wrongs you seemed to me 0 modern Galahads ln- stead of just a Don Qaixote'
 "Ahl"
 sTm sorry it makes you vince. But it's the truth. And be truth is gen eraIly painful When you wanted to marry me, I felt as though demigod had stopped to earth That isn't the way to feel when one marries. l didn't know it then. I do, now. And per haps the knowledge that l would not be allowed to marry you just yet, or even acknowledge our enga cement, helped strengthen the infatuation. Then when I found l must go to Flu rope so soon, and you begged me to give you just tf,is one perfect week. it all seemed so natural-so rigAt-so beautiful"
 q was wrongi" he cried. T WAS in- sane. I had no right to suggest t. had no right to let yol consent
 But womanlike, she would not let him blame himself.
 ''H was not your fault, she cried. GOT if there were fault at all it was mine as much as yours. l say yop .begged' me to come here. You did not At your first hint l was as eager as vou. Perhaps" she added with 2 return of her forced hardness, it was not quite the way one would expect Galahad or Quixote to spend week. But the blame is as much mine as yours. So don't let's talk or that. Can't we both forget it?"
 Forget it? Why. girl. it's my whese fife"
 aIt is an episode whose memory can be sweet or bitter as we choose to make it. We were clever enough to leave no trace when we went away. I'm supposed to be on a visit and vour worthy constituents were told that their congressional representa- tive was going away to recuperats. somewhere in the mountains You will return from your vacation much benefted-if a little vague as to It's details. And l will go back to my aunts tonight. prepared to start nap oily on my European trip tomorrow pornins. That is all"
 n0h girl l love Youi You are