The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-10
JOHN THEpFOOL''

| tue line drama OF q man Qe1ylnB
failure:
"You see, it's me-personal
and specified-fo' the sweet land
against the gulf, the girl and the
king o. Spain!"
You see, the fellow had been
bred on defeat.
/ don't know just when he came
to the south coast country; | had
met him first in Mary Mason's
apartments, on 57th ST.; she had
known him since, as a child. she
rode his saddle in the Panhandle
country. He had loved her, but
she had come east and made
good; and again the silent soldier
of misfortune had stepped aside
for another.
But / shall have to go back a
bit to tell how it was that | came
south with these two men. Will
liams and Clell Redfield, and the
hate between them.
had retired from our firm of
manufacturing chemists that year.
Virgil was in the city, called to
his annual conference with the
directors of the land company,
facing their losing faulty COM
plants that he had drawn them
into the most daring of all the
Gulf coast reclamation projects.
l had met him once; Clell,
never. But Cell knew what
Mary had been to the Texan; that
Virgil had grown from boyhood
with a passion, then, realizing its
uselessness, had laid it away,
simply, without resentment, when
he knew she cared more for an
other.
Clell's and Mary's affairs were
an open book. For all the six
years of their engagement, since
they had both graduated, class
mates at the university, not a
week had passed that | had not
been with them, listened to their
hopes and fears, successes and
discouragements.
1t had been queer enough. They
had plunged into the business
world together at the foot of the
ladder in the same huge utility
corporation; Clell Redfieldg with
his electrical engineers diploma
liz the drafting room OF the ANAL
gamated Electric company, and
Mary Mason at the offices.
And six years of their engage
ment had cone and gone, and
Clell was still a craftsman at
twenty-five dollars a week; while
Mary was now the confidential
secretary to the general manager
at five thousand a year! That
was the tragedy.
Mary dumbly tried to conceal
it from herself and from him.
Only ten minutes before Virgil
came this night, her lover cleared
it for both, turning to me, as
removed my overcoat, with a be-
seeching pathos:
Doctor Dick, I'm tired of wait
ing. Good Lord, I've tried-I've
mashed away down there six
years. And MAXWELL, l asked
her to resign her position and
marry me and take a chance
and she WON'T"
Mary's gray eyes had sought
mine, strangely touched.
ION your salary, Clell?" / ven
tured.
That's just it, Doctor Dick.
Six years, and by this time we had
planned that I'd have got ahead
and Mary would have quit her
place and we'd been married. And
it's Mary who's gone to the top"
"Clell, dear" Mary had put in
softly, you've done splendidly.
Only"
That's it-only you've done
better. Mary's there's something
wrong somewhere. You're too
too modern ask you to marry
me on my salary and you won't"
mo. And you know | love you
Cleel." And Mary turned to me
with bright, brave eagerness.
Doctor Dick, just asked him to
marry me! Now-at once-to-
morrow-and we'd both keep on
working. 1t would only be for a
year or so. And we could keep
on right in my apartments, Doc
tor Dick-and live on his income
and save my money to open his
business with when the time
came"
Exactly like you, Mary. Won
derfully sane, practical-all that
but a man" | looked pity
ingly at Clell, and 1t stung afresh,
| fear.
Doctor Dick sees" he blurt-
ed.
Dear old Dick Is as out-of-
the century as you are" Mary
retorted. "Oh, | want to help
and l want to be free-free-to
help!"
"Er-but marriage" I said,
and the girl cut me off sharply.
Marriages. what?
well" I cleared my Throat
severely. "All these ideas OF you
intensely modern young women
or break up the home and every
thing" ~
Mary laughed-there a. the
outraged two OF us. W
ITO be free-and capables and
able to help make a home-that
breaks up the home, does it?"
What sort of home would
that he2n Clell raforted Con Ynur