The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-10-12

not tell wnetner ne was renewed OF
sorry to tell her he could not come. 1t
began to look to him a good deal as IL
he would ask Julia Bentley to marry
him some day, when she got tired Of
playing all the others off against him,
and he could make up his mind to sur
render his freedom to any woman.
He bought a paper and settled him
self comfortably in the parlor car, but
his interest was not In the paper. His
strange commission engaged all his
thoughts. He took out the envelope
containing instructions and wen over
the matter, looking c%uriously at the CT
pher message and it's translation.
which. however. told him nothing. 1t
was the old chiefs way to keep the
business himself until such time as he
chose to explain. Doubtless it was
safer for both message and messenger
that he did not know the full import
Of what he was undertaking.
Gordon carefully noted down every
thing that his chief had told him.
comparing 1t with the written instruc-
lions in the envelope; arranged in his
mind just how he would proceed when
he reached New York; tried to think
out a good plan for recovering the sto-
len message, but could not; and so de-
cided to trust the inspiration OF the
moment. Then 1t occurred to him to
clear his overcoat pockets Of any let
tiers OF other telltale articles and stow
them in his suit case. He might have
to leave his overcoat behind him. SO
It would be well to have no clues for
anyone to follow.
Having arranged these matters. and
prepared a few letters with notes for
his stenographer, to be mailed back to
her from Philadelphia, he reread Julia
Bentley's note. When every angular
line Of her tail script was imprinted on
his memory. he tore the perfumed note
into tiny pieces and dropped them from
the car window. ..t
The question was, did he or did he
not want TO ask Julia Bentley to be-
come his wife? He had no doubt as
to What her answer would be. Julia
had made II pretty plain to him that
she would rather have him than any
OF her other admirers; though she did
like to keep them all attendant upon
her. Well, that was her right so long
as she was unmarried. He had no
fault to find with her. She was a fine
girl, and everybody liked her. Also,
she was Of a good family, and with a
modest fortune in her own right. Ev-
erybody vas taking 1t for granted that
they liked each other. 1t was time he
was married and had a real home, he
supposed, whatever that was-that
seemed to have so great a charm for
all HIS friends. To his eyes, it had as
yet taken on n alluring mirage effect.
He had never known q real home, more
tina his quiet bachelor apartments
were to him now, where his man or
dered everything as he was told, and the
meals were sent up when wanted. He
had money enough from his inheritance
to make things more than comfortable,
and he was deeply interested in the
profession he had chosen.
Still, II he was ever going to marry,
1t was high time, Of course. But did
he want Julia? He could not quite
make 1t seem pleasant to think Of her
In his rooms when he came home at
night tired: she would always be
wanting to 60 to her endless theater
parties and receptions and dances; al
ways be demanding his attention. She
was bright and handsome and we'll
dressed, but he a never made love to
her. He could not quite imagine him
self doing so. How did rlen make love,
anyway? Could one cal It love when
1t was made" love? These questions
followed n another idly through
him. II he had stayed al home he would
have spent he evening with Julia, as
she requested In her note, and there
would probably have been a quiet half
hour after other callers had gone when
he would have stayed as he had been
doing Of hate, and tried to find out
whether he really cared for her or not.
Suppose, for instance, they were mar
ried. and h sat beside him now. Would
any glad thrill fill his heart as he
looked at her beautiful face and realized
that she was his2 He tried to look over
toward the next chair and imagine that
the tired, fat old lady with the double
chin and the youthful purple hat was
Julia, but that would not work.. He
whirled his chair about and tried IL on
an empty chair. That went better: but
still no thrill of Joy lifted him out Of his
sordid sell. He could not help thinking
about little trying details. The way
Julia looked when she was vexed. Did
one mind that in the woman one loved?
The way h ordered her coachman
about. Would she aver speak so to her
husband? She had q charming smile,
but her frown observation-disclosures
to say the least.
He tried to keep up the fallacy of her
presence. He bought a magazine that he
knew she liked. and read a story to her
Tin fmagination). He could easily tell
how her black eyes would snap at GER
tain phrases she disliked. He knew Just
what her comment would be upon the
heroine's conduct. It was an old disput-
ed point between them. He knew how
h would criticize the hero, and some
hS hOAN iAiAio0Al Al Ln0 It6TOS pIdCc
every time she aid IL. The story had not
been q success, and he felt q WEAKNESS
as he laid the magazine aside at the
call for dinner from the dining car.
Before he had finished his luncheon
he had begun to feel that though Julia
might think now that she would like to
marry him, the truth about Il was that
she would not enjoy the actual life to-
gether any better than he would. Were
all marriages like that9 Did people lose
the glamour and just settle down to en-
dure each others faults and make the
most OF each others pleasant side, and
not have anything more? Or was ne get
ting cynical? Had he lived alone too
long, as his friends sometimes told him,
and so was losing the ability really to
love anybody but himself He knit his
brows, ard got UP whistling to go out
and see why the train had stopped so
long In this little country settlement.
It was just beyond Princeton, and
they were not far now from New York.
It would be o annoying to be de-
layed so near to his destination. He
was anxious to get things In train for
his evening OF hard work. II was nee
essary to find out how the land lay as
as possible.
1t appeared that there was a wrecked