The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-09-05
CHAPTER xI.
The Measure of a Man.

been In Bethel for more than two
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 a long time, barring
his head to the summer sunshine.
This is very good indeed" 1t
would have been almost fiawless but
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 a buggy drawn by a
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 a
sailor hat. Even before the vehicle
drew near enough for recognition. he
knew the passenger for Unity.
A slight tremor passed over him. To
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 a moment Of silence dur
ing which, without seeming to do So
they inspected each other.
Mark had a twinge of disappoint
ment. This was not the Unity he had
loved so boyishly-and so briefly. She
was as pretty as ever, in a way even
| 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
that protruded from under the dust
robe. Not that she was fat! But hel
daintiness was gone. In the item oil
| dress she would have suffered from
| comparison with the young ladies oil
his boarding house. Her hair was done
carelessly. And vivacity had gone the
way Of daintiness. She had the all
of having settled into the habit Of
Bethel, of having accepted its narrow
outlook. A faint vertical line between
her eyes limited that she might moi
have accepted it with complacency.
Therefore he said: You look the
same as ever, Unity
She frightened little. You thinl
so?" There was something almos
pitiful to him in the way she caught
at the remark. She became spiritless
again. But, Of course. that ism
true"
But, of course. 1t is"
She laughed unpleasantly. "Yol
wouldn't think so. IL you saw the wal
they treat me here now"
THE men? Surely mott"
She shrugged her shoulders. mo
The women. They're so friendly nov
and they don't giggle behind my back
And when they haven't anything els'
to gossip about, they talk about hov
I'm settling into an old maid
Isn't that what the rhetorics use,
to call hyperbole? 1t should be spar
ingly used. Besides l hear you hav,
a beau"
oh! him!" With another shrus
Hes afraid I'm not a good cook"
That's nice way to talk about
lover! Especially" he laughed sell
consciously. since you threw me owe
for him
He almost missed the acid look sh
flashed at him. 1T broke your heart
of counsel"
I've had pleasanter experiences,
he said dryly. Why didn't you answe
my last letter. Unity?"
Her Indifference might have been
little too well done For one thins
even l have a little pride. 1t wa
easy to see you'd got tired of me. Nc
that l cared! Those boy-a i-girl a
fairs always die natural death. Their
: was another girl. wasn't there?"
why. l believe so. In fact, ther
was. l gave her up for you"
And / gave you up. You must hav
thought" again her unpleasant laug
rang. you'd made~a poor bargain a
round. Or had lucky escaped"
Il did, he answered grimly, leavin
her to construe the answer as sh
chose.
That's an easy conundrum." Sh
gathered up the reins. Well. / mus
be going We're harvesting now an
/ have to get back in time to help ge
dinner. Good-by."
. She drove on, as casually as IL the
had been neighbors In the habit {
meeting daily. And this was the,
first meeting after six years.
He leaned back on his grassy banl
, having found, II not q companion. 9
I least food for reflection.
, He was still resting on his grass
bank when. an hour later, the SLOW
going vehicle reappeared. With diff
! culty-for he had not yet become e,
pert with his crutches-he rose an
i afne,A IN thu vnlAAla ~ <ha ~o>A m