Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1914-10-23

"All right" Mark lighted his cigar.
You've done your duty.
But this is little more than ouIy.
+" Baker hesitated. "Oh, hang II
all! Some things become SO palniui
only plain speech serves. You oon
need to be told OF the stories going
around. Lately it's occurred 10 me
that you've been letting us take tneln
at face, without trying to CONTRADICT
them. That's the thing I'd do myself
If were in the right. But II can %
carried to extremes. Have your per-
mission to say that the stories are
let us say, overdrawn?"
"You have not. Life's too short 10
enter into a contest with rumcr.
But your silence"
as my affair."" Mark answered grun-
ly, rising. You may say to your
meticulous friend that I'm about 70
resign from this club"
Baker, too, rose. looking at Mark
keenly.
"oh, come. Truitt." he began,
that's"
But Mark cut him short. AT least
1t will save him and his sort the ne
cessity of setting precedent that
would decimate the club. Good eve
ming"
Henley, who had been out OF the
city when Mark returned, came BACK
soon after the latter took up his resi-
dence in the hotel Mark approached
him with the inward shrinking that
preceded every new meeting just then.
You've picked up physically" Hen
ley remarked after cool handshake.
six months in the woods accounts
for that"
I'D think, If it was doing you SO
much good, you'd have stayed"
In other words?"
In other words" said Henley, why
did you come back now?"
Mark laughed holloway. II didn't
know I'd become a notorious char
acter."
How, in heavens name" Henley
exclaimed, did you let yourself get
caught in a divorce court scandal? I'd
have thought that you, of all men,
if you had to play the fool. would at
least have used finesse."
So even Henley believed the rumors!
lat any rate, no one but myself is
hurt"
That's not true. Every one who
had anything to do with you is more
or less hurt. The company is reflected
on. l." Henley concluded with an air
that declared the indictment to be
complete and unanswerable, Il am be-
smirched, because we're known to be
in so many things together"
That" Mark returned coldly, "can
be easily cured. We can wind up our
affairs And I'm ready to resign from
the company"
You can't cure the fact that we
have been together. And you can't
resign. Are you going to add to the
scandal by marrying that woman?"
What woman?" Marks voice was
cool and steady.
"The one that turned your head and
your wife was smart enough to dis
cover"
You've heard names, them"
NO." growled Henley. she's as
mysterious as the rest of your d.
does"
LAS mythical, you mean," Mark an
swered in a voice that did not betray
his relief. There was no woman"
What! You mean these stories
aren't true?"
You'd seen me almost every day for
years. You might have guessed that"
But last year-those women"
can experiment In idiocy-nothing
worse. There were no women, except
at arms length"
Henley surveyed him keenly. Then
how did these stories get out? But
you needn't answer. l can guess. A
woman is never clever except when
she's up to mischief
However" he went on, this puts
different face on the matter. AS you
say, might have guessed the truth"
This, for Henley, was abject apology.
Mark shook his head MY resigna.
ton holds just the same"
Are you going to let a little talk
drive you out?" Henley demanded.
1T isn't that / had decided before
knew of it. I'm tired of the scramble.
l want-peace." Mark laughed dis
cordantly. And I'm getting 1t with a
vengeance"
LAS much as you'll ever get It."
Henley returned promptly. Il know
what you want. Who doesn't? Some
time or other every man wants, or
thinks he wants, peace. And IL we
had 1t, we'd want to die. l told you
once before--things are. Accept them.
fit yourself to them, forget theories
that lead nowhere. Pick out the thing
you want most and fight until you get
it. Then fight to keep it, Besides, you
aren't misfit. The trouble with you
is, your strength Is your greatest
weakness-you'v too much imagina-
ton. And you're not a well man yet.
Go back to your woods until you're
cured Then you'll feel the itch to
get into the scramble agaiu and break
few heads"
But Henley the philosopher had
done. He resumed his usual crisp
manner
Moreover, you can't resign. The