Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-09-13
How'd you like Dominick Ryan!

low and careful. She spoke slowly, as
II considering her words:
81 thought he was very nice, and |
good-looking, too. He's not a bit like |
Cornelia Ryan. or his mother. either. |
Cornelia has such red hair"
NO, looks like the old man Good |
deal like him in character. too. Con |
Ryan was the best Teller in the world,
but not hard enough. not enough grit |
His wife had II though. had enough |
for both. II II hadn't been for her,
Con would never have amounted to
anything-too soft and good-natured,
and the boys like him"
Howl" She raised her head and
looked directly at him, her lips slight
ly parted.
soft, too, Just the same way. soft
hearted An easy mark for any one
with a hard-luck story and not too
many scrupies. Why did he marry
that woman? I don't know anything
about 1t, but I'd like to bet she saw
the stuff he was made of and cried
and teased and nagged till she got
him to do II"
81 don't see that he could have done
anything else"
That's a woman's-a young girls
view. That's the view Dominick him
self probably took. It's the sort OF
| idea you might expect him to have.
something ornamental and fmpracu-
cal, that's all right to keep in the cup
board and take out and dust, but that
don't do for everyday use. That sort
of thing is all very we'll for girl,
but 1t doesn't do for a man. It's not
for this world and our times. Maybe
1t was all right when a Teller went
round In armor, fighting for unknown
damsels. but It won't go in California
to-day. The woman was a working
woman, she wasn't any green girl.
She earned her living in an office full
Of men, and l guess there wasn't
much she didn't know. She saw
through Dominick and gathered him
in. It's all very we'll to be chival-
rous, but you don't want to be con-
founded fool"
Are you a COMPOUNDED fool when
|
1T depends on what you think right.
honey. II it's going to break up your
life, cut you off from your kind. make
an outcast Of you fror. your own
folks, and poverty-stricken outcast
at that, you're a COMPOUNDED fool to
think it's right. You oughtn't to let
yourself think so. That kind OF
moral attitude is a luxury. Women
can cultivate 1t because they don't
have to get out in the world and fight
They keep indoors and get taken care
Of, and the queer ideas they have
don't hurt anybody. But men"
He stopped. realizing that perhaps
he was talking too frankly. He had
long known that Rose harbored these
Utopian theories on duty and honor
which he thought very nice and pretty
for her and which went gracefully
with her character as sheltered
cherished, and unworldly maiden. II
was lis desire to see what effect the
conversation was having on her thai
made him deal so unoeremoniousll
with ideals Of conduct which were al
very well for Bill Cannon's daughter
but were ruinous for Dominick Ryan
IF you live in the world you've go
to cut your cloth by its measure" h
continued. Look at that poor devil
tied to q woman that's not going t.
let him go If she can help it. that h
, doesn't care for"
How do you know he doesn't car,
for herr" The interruption came IL
a tone of startled surprise and Ros'
stared at him, her eyes wide with II
a For a moment the old man was a
a loss. He would have told any Ii
: rather than have let her guess hi
: knowledge Of the situation and the In
! formation given him by Dominick. H
: realized that his zeal had made hin
!. imprudently garrulous, and, gain
at her with a slightly stupid expires
sion, said in a low tone of self-justif
cation:
We'll, that's my idea. I guessed II
I've heard one thing and another her
and there and I've come to the cor
clusion that there's no love lost be
tween them. It's the natural outcom
Of the situation. anyway"
Eyes. perhaps" she murmured. Sh
placed her elbow on the table an
pressed the tips of her fingers agains
her cheek. Her hand and arm, re
vealed by. her loose lace sleeve, locke
as If cut out of ivory.
And then" went on her father re
morselessly, "the results Of being
COMPOUNDED fool don't stop right there
That's one Of the worst things of a
lowing yourself the luxury of foolish
ness. They go on-roll right alon
like a wheel started on a dswn-hil
grade. Some day that boy'n meet tn
right woman-the one he really wants
the one that belongs to him. He1
be able to stand 1t all right till ther
And then he'll realize just what he
done and what he's up against, an
things may happen"
The smoke wreaths were thick 4
\ front of his face, and peering throug
them he saw the young girl move he
fingers from her cheek to her fore
head, where she gently rubbed ther
4 up and down.
isn't that about the size Of it," b
| al ubon che dfI not orc-av