Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-02-10
nothing about this to any one.
GEARLDINE RHODES MORRIS

letter to Merrol now. She could not
concentrate upon it. She roamed
about the house listlessly from the
moment the wires went until an an
swer came that afternoon from the
superintendent of the school. He
said:
Scott not very ill now. No danger
Winter pulled him down some, but
proposed sea-trip should restore him
to condition. No occasion to worry
JOHN j. DELLFIELD.
She felt weight lifted from her
heart. Scott's throat had always
been weak. He was one of twins
The other had died in childhood
Neither had ever been very strong,
but Scott had begun to improve Won
derfully at military school.
She seated herself at her desk
and again began letter to Merrol
She began several letters, and each
one she destroyed. 1t seemed almost
impossible to explain the situation
on paper, and yet she felt that it
would be more difficult to tell him..
While she was struggling with the
problem a messenger arrived with a
huge box of white brides roses and
a note:
SWEETHEART:
thought you would have written
before this. Is anything wrong :?
Can't you understand? Is it that
you find it difficult to forgive my
wild haste? Pm devoured by ankle
ty.
ARCHER
She took fresh sheet of paper
and began again with a long sigh.
And she began without heading,
without term of address:
This is the hardest letter I've
ever had to write, because I've so
many things to explain, and l can't
see how am to make myself clear.
But l must try. To begin with, 1
have been deceiving you. am not
Geraldine Rhodes. There is no
Geraldine Rhodes. There was, but
over a year ago she married Sedge-
wick Morris. Do you understand?
Pm Sedgewick Morris's wife.
gave you the name of Rhodes in
the office because l didn't want you
to suspect that l had gotten my ma
terial for the book where | did.
had no other reason. l did not ex-
pect to see you again. | never i'm
agined we would be anything to
each other. | thought ! should new
er love any one.
When | married Sedge | didn't love
him, liked him, and he said that lik-
ing would turn into love. My mother
said so, too. She wanted me to
marry Sedge because we were terri
bly, poor-my mother, my little broth
er and I-all dependent upon the
earnings of an older sister. l had
heard endless complaining over mon
ey-troubles all my life.
| l was seventeen. And Sedge daz-
zled my eyes with artistic and taste
full display of his wealth. l married
him. What happened then you SEEM
ed to know, even before you read my
book Sedge didn't make me love
him.
He made me loath him, and pity
him, and shrink from him in dis
gust-the natural disgust of the
strong for the weak-of the clean
for the unclean-of the well for the
ill.
! had to go on living with him,
though. l pretended to my family
that l was happy. l had to. Sedge
makes my mother an allowance that
keeps her in comfort-allows her to
travel--to enjoy life. She had never
enjoyed life before-not since she
married my father. He was Cal
thorep Rhodes, a novelist. He wasn't
very successful.
Sedge makes Agnes an allowance,
too. She supported the family, you
know, since father died, until | mar
ried. She taught music to little
children that didn't want to learn.
AS consequence she looks thirty
seven instead of twenty-seven.
She gave up her studies for a con-
cert career in order to teach and
support us. 1t seemed only fair to
me-so long as Sedge could afford
it-that he should make her an al
lowance to enable her to study again.
She didn't want to take it, AS it is,
she takes as little as she can, and
manages. My little brother isn't
very strong. Sedge maintains him at
military school.
All this was arranged when
married Sedge promised to do
things. That was one of the rea-
sons l married him. Now, if leave
him, | cap hardl1, eynart him to on