The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-05-09
The Ambition of
Mark Truitt

re'ns, brought the horses sharply C
stop.
You are hurt?
NO" he lied through SET teeth a.
lhe puHed himself mp 10 the seat Ills
! hip, in fact. had received an eXcruciat
ling wrench. I'm little awkward
This Is one OF the things | can't gel
Iquite used TO"
II supposed it was only temporary.
/ He slCok his head briefly. as
/ though the topic were distasteful
| "Another-you PROBABLY won't be
! lieve this--is an existence that con
| tinually requires little cruelties OF
one. Big ones, too, sometimes
| You say-requires?
AT least, encourages. But l." he
smiled unpleasantly, "am subject ia
regrets. And equally Improbable i'm
pulses or course" with obvious
Irony this is very interesting 70
/ you"
She was standing between two bal
ustrade lamps. In their bright glow
he cav her cool impersonal regard
change, become questioning And the
dark shadow again-as though she
had seen and known 10 the full the
cruelties whereof he spoke Her lips
parted. But no words fell With an
odd little gesture of repression she
turned and slowly mounted the stairs
At the top she paused for an instant"
Good night" she repeated And
thank you again"
He dlned alone at his club that
night. The events OF the day had
| left him depressed and strangely rest
less and with strong distaste for
companionship. To escape an ap
preaching group OF loungers, he rose
hastily, leaving his cigar half finish
ed, and went home.
The drawing room was brightly
! lighted and from within came 20 him
a medley OF gay voices: Unity had
surrounded herself with her kind. He
entered quietly by a side door and
Undecided, stole upstairs to his own
room. He felt no guilt in thus shirk
l1ns fae role 81 host; Unity's guests
! he knew happy in their chit-cha,
! their cards and their situations, wo{nu
be glad to be spared the presence OF
one with whom they had nothing in
Icommon.
Hours later burst OF laughter
from departing guests aroused him
from his long reverie. He looked at
the clock-it was past midnight.
And | thought | had forgotten how
TO dream. But what a woman, What
a woman to have made the fight with
She would care-and not for the loot.
I'd better quit thinking OF
her"
He could not know that at the same
hour the woman was sitting at her
hospital window. looking out into the
murky night and seeing procession
of memories stalk forth from the
tomb. There was no lack OF charity
nov. There had been no lack Her
cool composure had been but a mask
for an inward tremor such as she had
believed she could not know again
The man who had filched her girlish
heart only 10 give it back had return.
ed into her life, and he, too. was a
promise fulfilled His very frailty and
disability, while forbidding harsh
judgments, threw a halo around him
for her The spirit and courage that
had withstood trials before which
stronger suocumbed had not faltered
until a seat among the masters had
been won.
Other memories. too. in which he
had had no part and for which time
had seemed To be finding an anodyne,
revived and burned. There was no
one 10 see The will that had sternly
depressed such utilities as regrets
relaxed. Tie guise OF selr-reliance
that had so impressed the successful
man slipped away. The somber shad.
.ow-of hopeless penltence-fell upon
her.