Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-03-26

she did nOL-Qlu not DeCduSS ShS NSNA
not. not because she would not.
Men do not think clear to the bottom
OF these things They take what WON
en- give them, when they give them
anything, and are humbly grateful and
SURPRISED because they get smile
when they deserve one. rather than
brick when they do not deserve one
Nothing which the world has ever OF
fered to the gaze Of the philosopher
has been one-half so pitiful as the as
tonished gratitude of the right-minded
male when he finds that the one fe'
male for whom he has begun, con-
sciously or without his knowledge, TO
live his life and do his deeds, does not
utterly condemn him when he has
done his level best and that best mas
been worthy. Men are the worlds nat
ural "come-ons," women the world
natural vendors OF psychological sen
timental and often very raw goid
bricks.
So when Josie soulfully declared
that she had known he would, Broad
way did not let it pass with an unap-
preciative, "Of course you did OUT
looked at her with gratitude alight III
his pleased face and humbly querled'
Did YOU"
For a moment the fact that she de-
clared that she had known he would De
decent and not villainously selfish SO
completely overwhelmed him and
please do not forget that she, within
minute, had admitted that she thought
him capable of basest selfishness) that
he could not find words with which to
proceed conversationally. All men are
| that way.
Rut presently he recovered self-pos-
session and continued:
Now, l don't know anything ABOUT
business. and | don't know anything
about money. never did days WORK
in my life for the simple reason that
never had to-
He looked at her with a shamed
smile, the first evidence that he had
ever shown of anything but pride IN
his ability to live Idly with enormous
and successful effort.
"The only trial of skill into which
have entered since went from Jones
Vile to New York has been a general,
endless contest with the world at large
10 see which could stay up the latest.
have generally won-won In Walk.
she was listening intently All wom-
on are intent to breathlessness when
they are hearing any man tell his IN
worthiness; If there is hint OF con-
fession of real wickedness in his decla-
ration they will listen with an absorb
ton which approaches a hypnotic
trance.
1--WE never done anything good be-
cause I've never had anything good to
do" Broadway went on, before he
reached the next full stop.
She sat absolutely spellbound. Did
she feel a vivid hope that he would go
into detail of the things which he had
done which were not good? Such re-
citals always pain good women ex'
ouisitely, yet they never shun them
never interrupt them-never, by the
way forget them or fail to have them
at their tongues ends afterwards
when, by recalling them, they can
abash the man who in a moment OF I'M
guarded foolshness has made them
But Broadway told no details OF his
villainies. This was not brilliance on
his part; it was sheer luck.
IF she was definitely disappointed
her distress was more or less allevi
ated the next moment, for he burst
forth somewhat wildly:
What I've needed all along was ar
Notwithstanding to spur me on
something to inspire me. What I've
needed was"
He could not complete the sentence
It was as If his tongue had found al
insurmountable obstruction in thu
groove of language which it had begun
to follow and had to leap out to sld'
groove. An expression OF DISCUS
grew on his face He hesitated, flushed
then reached his hand into his poke
and drew forth the paper on which NJ
had labored with such assiduity ant
such a tensely working, cheek manipu
lating tongue in the small hours tina
morning.
What I've needed was"-he ono
more said, in desperate endeavor u
. remember what came next, and, hnd
. ing it impossible to continue with hi
recitation, looked at her wild eyed, dis
appointed self-disgust writ plain upol
his face, and dropped his hands Il
I, helpless and disorganized fashion t
I his sides
7 Can you beat that?" he demands
a of the fascinated girl. Il knew tina
q thing by heart when left the hotel
a Almost angrily he thrust the paper IL
Y to her receptive hands.
1T took me hours to write that! Il
q earnestly declared. Hours full OF mos
r uuito-bite got up early, too, an
:. learned the thing by heart. But
a might have known that I'd forget II!
=. never could remember anything.
r She took the paper, glanced at
with highly kindled interest and wa
q on the point Of reading 1t when ther
came an interruption. 1t was Samm!
a There ever is Sammy ready to ste
% IN and spoil big moments In our ilVe'
% "Are-you-too- busy for COZ