The Mena weekly star., 1913-08-21
CHAPTER |.
SopXeNd7 L0l2 I'VE sO6SS5nERRkZk COMM
Five Years Before.


 of fitting the trunk tray into exact po- sition Standsh noted vaguely that the effort of packing had not made her red or frowsy. Even as she sat there 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 clenched 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 wtat l mean at all. I mean, its-over. Cant you understGnd?'
 Why, yes" answered Stardish, "0t corrge I understa Why shouldn't I? It's over You will be safe at your aunts house by six o'clock this eve uIng. and you will start for Europe to- morrow, just as you arranged. And our wonder-week is ended And for the next three months I'll be counting every"
 oh" interrupted the Woman, hc hard-worn patience going to pieces. "Won't you understand? I said it was over. Over! Not for three months or for any other time. But for alH avs. Why do you make me put it ;nls way2 I tried to say it more---'
 You don't mean'-he began thick, ly. his throat sGrded nd so.o.
 The Woman nodded
 '"ut," he protested lamely, "it-;t cant be- Why, girl, ycu love me-" 'I thought did. oh. was so sure did, But little by little, for days, I've begun to ."ders,and Don't look at me Ike that, Do you suppose 1 enjoy tallling SO? It has to be said. And yca're not making it a bit cc-. for me-
 Forgive me" he answered. bitter note creeping into his heavy voice. You are wrecking mo. You are smashing all I hold dear You are making my future as basren as a rainy sea. Forgive me for not making the process a bit cay for you" You have no right to say such things." she fared Tt is cowardly It is ungenerous."
 why? Because you are a woman? woman may fay a man. She may break his life to pieces for her own amusement. If he dares to protest. he is cowardly and ungenerous. Because she is a woman. A mans hands are tied behind him by that asinne 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 l would be if I thrashed a cripple? And yet women clamor for their 'rightsn- Rights With one-tenth of the rights that silly chivalry showers upon wom- on, could conquer the whole world"
 But you could not conquer one woman. If 1 begged you to avoid cene tt was as much for your owl sake as for hine. Since you will have one let's get it over with as quickly as We can. Here ia the situation in handful of words: 1 met you. You weren't like any other man I'd eyer 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 l was in love with you" You didn't think. You were! And"
 Perhaps. Perhaps not Does it 4 matter-now? Isn't that also an el- l Tort to save the anchor after the I wreck? But never mind. 1 thought I l loved you. With your impractical I hiEhsouled ideas about political re- H form and the peoples wrongs you seemed to me modern Galahad; in- stead of just Don Quixote."
 "Ah,"
 m sorry it makes you vince But US the truth. And the truth is gen erally painful When you wanted to marry me, l felt as though a demigod had stopped to earth That isn't the # way to feel when one marries. l didn't Know It then. l do, now. And per maps the knowledge that l would not De allowed to marry you just yet. or even acknowledge our engagement, neIped strengthen the infatuation men when l found l must go to Flu rope so soon, and you begged me to give You just this one perfect week, q It all seemed so natural-so right-so beautiul-"
 ! was wrong!" he cried. T was in sane. had no right to suggest it. l lad no right to let you consent"
 hut womanlike, she would not let nm blame himself.
 was not your fault" she cried.
 UT 1T there were fault at all it was
 'Lhe as much as yours. say you
 Oespd me to come here. You did
 not At your first hint l was as eager '' Sou- Perhaps" she added with
 o'uIn or her forced hardness. it was
 o. quite the way one would expect a Fl u'ianad or a Quixote to spend week. put the blame is as much mine as ;outS' So don't let's talk of that. an We both forget it?"
 life" e'' '' u my "iio'e
 IS an episode whose memory can oe sweet or bitter as we choose to make It. We were clever enough to a'e no trace when we went away. |
 :" supposed to be on a visit and s'ur worthy constituents were told |