Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-10-01
CHAPTER xi.
The Measure of a Man.

| The Measure of Man.
| When he met Unity again, he hat
been in Bethel for more than TIVE
| weeks.
| He had started out for the morning
turn on his crutches, to test his re
turning strength, and before he quite
realized it the village lay behind him
He swung along for some two hundred
yards farther; then let himself care
fully down on the roadside.
He sat there for long time, barring
his head to the summer sunshine.
This is very good indeed" i
would have been almost flawless bu
for one thing--he was rather lonely;
he felt the need for some one to share
the day with him.
He had his wish. Down the valley
road appeared buggy drawn by G
lazy heavy-footed horse of the sort dis
tinguished as safe for women" From
within the buggy Mark caught the
| CLEAN of a white shirtwaist and 9
sailor hat. Even before the vehicle
drew near enough for recognition, he
knew the passenger for Unity.
A slight tremor passed over him. TIC
meet the embodiment of a shadow by
whom one has been jilted-or whom
one has jilted?-is at least mildly ex
citing.
A slight tightening OF the reins was
sufficient to stop that horse.
Hello, Unity!" Mark felt that this
greeting fell short of the dramatic
proprieties.
oh! How do you do?" she an
swered colorlessly.
There was moment of silence dur
ing which. without seeming to do so
they inspected each other.
Mark had twinge OF disappoint
ment. This was not the Unity he hat
loved SO boyishly-and so briefly. She
was as pretty as ever, in a way ever
prettier; but one could hardly have
thought of her as spirituelle. Her face
was fuller. its color deeper, and there
was a healthy roundness in the line
OF shoulder and breast, OF the ankle
that protruded from under the dust.
robe. Not that she was fat! But her
daintiness was gone. In the item OF
dress she would have suffered from
comparison with the young ladies OF
his boarding house Her hair was done
carelessly And vivacity had gone the
way of daintiness. She had the air
of having settled into the habit oil
Bethel, OF having accepted its narrow
outlook. A faint vertical line between
her eyes limited that she might no,
have accepted 1t with complacency.
Therefore he said: You look the
same as ever, Unity"
She frightened little. you think
sol" There was something almost
pitiful to him In the way she caught
at the remark. She became spiritless
again But. of course. that isn't
true"
But, Of course, It is"
She laughed unpleasantly. You
wouldn't think SO. If you saw the way
they treat me here now"
THE men? Surely mott"
She shrugged her shoulders. NO
The women. They're SO friendly now
and they don't giggle behind my back
And when they haven't anything else
to gossip about, they talk about how
I'm settling into an old maid"
Isn't that what the rhetorics used
to call hyperbole? 1t should be spar
ingly used. Besides l hear you have
a beau"
"Oh HIM" With another shrug
He's afraid I'm not good cook"
That's a nice way to talk about q
lover Especially" he laughed self
consciously, since you threw me over
Cor him"
He almost missed the acid look she
flashed at him. 1T broke your heart
of counsel"
i've had pleasanter experiences,
he said dryly. why didn't you answer
my last letter, Unity?"
Her indifference might have been 9
little too well done. For one thing
even I have little pride 1t was
easy to see you'd got tired OF me. Not
that / caredl Those boy-and- girl af
fairs always die natural death. There
was another girl. wasn't there?"
Why. believe So In fact, there
was. ! gave her up for you"
And gave you up. You must have
thought" again her unpleasant laugh
rang, you'd made poor bargain al
round. Or had a lucky escaped"
Il did" he answered grfmly, leaving
her to construe the answer as sh,
| chose.
That's an easy conundrrm." Sht
gathered up the reins. We'll, I mus
be going. We're harvesting now ant
I have to get back In time to help &c
dinner. Good-by."
| She drove on. as casually as II the,
had been neighbors In the habit o
meeting daily. And this was thei
first meeting after six years.
He leaned back on his grassy bank
having found, II not companion. O
least food for reflection.
He was still resting on his grass!
bank when, an hour later. the slow
going vehicle reappeared. With din
culty-for he had not yet become ex
pert with his crutches--he rose an,
stood in the middle Of the road Thu