Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-22
THE SEED OF ~
~ THE RIGHTEOUS
JULIET WILBOR TOMPKINS
/, Copyright 1915 by the Bobbs- Merrill Co.

your fathers son. was the confident
answer as Mrs. Gage kissed her good
night.
Chloe went to bed but could not
sleep. There were Mrs. Cartaret to
be faced, and Donald with his good
manners and. his uncivil eyes, and poor
Ralston with all his hopes in the dust.
Then she fell to wondering how he
saw it; if that meager response had
meant to him success. The question
grew SO acute that she opened her
door to watch for him. A light had
been left in the hall and it would show
her his face.
And perhaps all the time l am
wrong: perhaps that is what success
feels like when you are frightened"
she argued over and over, but in vain.
Hours went by. A clock had struck
two before Chloe heard step below.
She raised herself on one elbow,
leaning toward the door. The step
was mounting heavily, but that might
be only WEAKNESS. Then she saw the
narrow, sensitive face, lifted kindly,
and SO white and drawn that note
of compassion broke from her.
"Rawly!"
He turned. looking in at her from
the doorway, but be did not speak. She
tried not to show all her understand
ing.
Where have you been all this
time" she asked.
Ralston' never pretended 81 don't
know-walking perhaps; l think sat
on BENCH" he answered obviously.
1T failed-you saw that"
She tried to save something for him,
to speak well Of what was good, but
in the face of that white misery it was
useless.
Yes she said, "but it was only
your first play, ,Ralston. One has to
fail few times, doesn't one?"
He had no ears for comfort And
| saw why" he went on. Tonight I've
seen the whole truth 1t failed be-
cause it was not good. The scenes
read we'll, but they didn't act. The
thing itself was unreal, too That is
not life-and so it is not true drama.
I'm no good, Chloe. / haven't real
talent. have brains and intelligence
and plenty of emotional understand
ing-good God, too much! But / am
thousand miles from being play
wright. shall never try again" He
spoke quietly, duly even, and Chloe
tried to answer in the same key.
Shouldn't you wait a few days be-
fore you make such big decision?"
What is there to wait for? ! shall
never see more clearly than see right
now. 1t isn't as if | were willing to
be fifth rate hack patching things
together to please the public. The
know what heard one member of the
public say, as the first curtain fell?
Only two laughs so far And the
woman with him said. Yes, and she's
worn the same dress right through
Then he dropped back to apathy.
well, even that was my fault, of
course. If my drama had been as
tense as it felt to me, even those sub
lime asses would have forgotten to
count the laughs and the gowns.
am not blaming any one but myself
for tonight's failure. feel like man
who has been struck by lightning and
got new vision"
TITS hard. Rawly!" Chloe longed to
mother him as she mothered Billy in
his troubles. But if you give up. right
Off, like that, what have you left
what will you go on to-"
He shrank physically, and she saw
again in his face the look OF harassed
awakening that she had called out
once before picturine future with
out prosperity. His hands rose and
fell in exasperated protest.
Go on to? Good God how do
know? Shabbiness>and scrimping \and
gripding-what can the failure go on
TO, if he has the misfortune to Jive?"
He turned away, haggard eyes on his
future. Chloe heard him muttering,
"What is there? What is left?" as he
closed his door.
IF love could only help him could
love him now" she thought sadly.
r A fear of where despair might lead
Ralston allowed Chloe no sleep. In
the early morning she heard him 90
out and guessed it was for the papers
but dread of seeing them kept her
quiet. The others were still asleep
when the telephone rang and Ralston
answered it.
yes, I'll come" she heard him say,
hHNW Wy MS loLt tIdt MlS- SuI tdi
ct was holding out her lovely sympa-
thy. In her relief from immediate
anxiety Chloe fell asleep and did not
awaken until quick step ran up the
stairs, several hours later. 1t must
be Ralstons; but its lightness and
the brisk closing of his door made her
hurry her dressing. eager to know
what had wrought the change Per
haps the play really wasn't failure,
after all!
She opened her door as Ralston
flung back his, and for moment he
flashed on her like some brilliant
stranger. Never before had she seen
SO wildly his outstanding bodily grace,
his boyish beauty, all aflame with ex-
element His eyes looked straight
through her, and it seemed to Chloe
that they expressed establishment, an
an1azement that had wiped out the
physical world about him. He did not
speak to her. and he had run down the
stairs before she realized that he car
ried bag. The slam Of a motor door
suggested Mrs. Cartaret and the sound
and Chloe hurried down to the papers
to get the rest of the explanation.
Sabra was not home and Mrs. Gage
had probably taken Billy out for the