The Washington herald., 1914-12-20

Willie, with splendid presence of
mind, aDSWered:
Nonsense. you old fool, it's that dew
lied crab. There was so much CAYENNE
pepper in it, it went to my eyes"
Crofts was desolated.
"Oh, am sorry. sir. The chef shall
hear of II, sir. And the roast now
shall ] carve it, or will your"
Willie looked drearily across at Per-
SIS: DO you want any roast?'
She frowned with aversion. Il
| couldn't touch it."
And Willie shook his head to Crofts.
Wen skip the roast What follows
that! Be quick about ii
IrottS lowered his voice, as If a
game warden might be listening. for Il
was after the season had closed. There
IS pheasant, SIr-Sent down from your
own run, sir. 1t is braised, hnanciere.
I'm sure you'll like it, You may have Z
to wait a little. seeing as you didn't eat
sir"
The old man was pleading both for
the honor of his menu and for the well
tare OF his master. Willie nodded curt
ly, and the roast, that had ridden in so
royalty on its silver palanquin with its
retinue of cutlery and its hot plates,
was removed in disgrace.
Once more husband and wife were
abandoned to themselves. But now
Persis looked with new eyes at the heap
of misery collapsed in the opposite
chair. All these years Willie had tried
10 WIN her love with gifts, with splen-
dorS. with careSses, prayers. compIi-
ments, and with weak experiments in !
tyranny. And he had failed disn1allv. :,
Finally his failure and his shame had
crushed him into AFFECTION
And now her heart went out to him
with a melting tenderness. But now
she was unworthy to approach him.
Now it was she that must plead:
I'm awfully sorry for you, Willie~
You haven't had fair deal. | never
realized what a rOtter I've been till
now. But If you'll let me, I'll try again;
III try hard, really, honestly, Willie.
The only man ! ever seemd to care for
has taken himself out of my life. HeJ
hates me as you hate me. | haven't
much of anything to live for now except
to try to square things with you. I'll
do better by you III be on the level
with you after this. Honestly l will
Well fnd happiness yet"
'Happinessp
Even at this belated hour the worlds
ambition was so dear to him that he
was wrung with longing.
Its hideous, | know, Willie. I'll 60
away tomorrow. You can divorce me
II you want to. / won't resist 1t will
be horrible to drag YOUR name through
the yellow papers. But | won't resist
unless you think YOU might let our life
. sfIf hnH-
starved to death? Wen be no worse
than the rest, Willie Every family has
its skeleton in the closet. The worst
gossips have the worst skeletons. Let's
fight it out together, Willie, won't you?
| Please
She stretched one importunate hand
across the table to him, but he stared
at her with glazed eyes. "And go on
like this the rest OF our lives? Sitting
| at table like this every day, facing each
J other and knowing what we know
| Knowing what other people know of
us: Keep up the Shastly pretense till
we grow old?"
She drew back her rejected hand with
a sigh, but pleaded on: Its not very
pretty. that's true: but lets he good
/ sports and play the game. We tried
marriage without love. for YOU knew l
| didn't really love you, Willie. You
knew it and complained OF it. But YOU
married me. ! tried TO do what was
right | ran away from him in France,
and | tried to love YOU and unlovc him.
! But You can't turn YOUR heart like
wheel, you know We've married and
! failed. But nearly everybody else has
failed one way or another. Willie No
! body gets what he wants out OF life
! Let's play the game through You said
! to me once-dO you remember YOU
said. Cad. Persis, but you're a good
loser. And I've lost little, too. Wilt
lie. I've had a pretty hard day of it,
too. Let's he Cd losers, Willie: let's
try it again, won't youo Won't you,
please!"
She sat with hands clasped. and
thrust them ont to him and PRAYED to
! him as il he were an ugly little idol.
! But contrition did not seem to render
her more attractive in his eyes 1t hard
cned his heart against her
you've set everybody laughing At
me. They're all saying ! was blind.
! infatuated fool before Now Won want
them to fasten that filthy word COM
placent on me. You want me to over
| look what YOU have done and what
you've brought me to. I'm lust to say:
! Well. PersiS. you've had your lover and
! your fling and You're tired of each 9TH
er. so come home and welcome. and
don't worry over whats past It's a
mere trifle not worth discussing. What's
the Seventh Commandment between
friends !"
She was trying to silence him. but he
had not needed the return of Crofts till
the pheasant was placed before him in
all its garnishment, and the plates and
the carving fork and the small game
knife He was ashamed, not of what
he had said of her, but of his own cyl
citement
as that knife sharp" he asked for
lack OF other topic
"Oh, yes, sir," said Crofts. Il steeled
i myself"
He sat forward to the pheasant. set
the fork into it, and paused with the
| knife motionless Suddenly there were
beads of sweat on his forehead, and
he was painting hard; then he groaned:
'My God, he took my revolver away
from ,meP
His eyelids seemed TO squeeze his
eyes in anguish. When he opened them
they were bloodshOt and so fierce that
/ they seemed to be crossed He laughed.
Il was too weak to kiln your soldier.
| But | think I'm lust about strong