Tombstone epitaph., 1917-12-09

oiu urC yOuf-tWeOty-tDUI IcEuuPS when you're fifty-one You can."
 T suppose so." she said absently. Perhaps if 1t were . question of choosing between . love that hadn't any friendship in 1t and a friendship |. But 1t can't be like that! Can itf Can't one have both? Can't Q man love a woman and be her friend and partner all at the same timer
 T can't answer for every man." he said refectiveiy. But I've q notion that nine out of a dozen. If you could get down to the actual bedrock facts about them. would own up that if they were in love with woman really, you know-they wouldn't want her for a partner. and wouldn't be able to see her as friend. That's just a guess. of course. But there's one thing l know. and that is that couldn't"
 She gave little shiver. "Oh. what a mess it isr' she said. What a per fectly hopeless blunder 1t isl" She slid down from the wall. Come. let's walk"
 He fell in beside her, and they tramped sturdily along for a while in silence. At last he said: "I don't know that I can explain 1t. but don't think I'd call 1t blunder that strip of spring steel can't bend in your fingers like copper. and still go on being a spring. You see. a man wants his work, and then he wants something that's alto gether apart from his work. Loves about as far away as anything he can get. So that the notion of our work ing ourselves half to death over the same job. and then going home to- gether-"
 "Yes," she admitted. 'I can see that. But that doesn't cover friendship"
 He owned that 1t didn't. But when I'm in love with a woman-this isn't fact I'm proud of, but it's trle-rm jealous of her. want to be everything to her. want her to think nobody else could be right and be wrong. And I want to be able to think the same of her." He thought 1t over bit longer. and then went on: "No. I've been in love with women I thought were lying to me. cheating me; women I've hated 1; women I've known hated me. But I've never been In love with a woman who was my friend" He had been tramp ing along. communing with his pipe, thinking aloud. If he'd been watching Roses face he wouldn't have gone so far.
 "Well. If it's like that" she said, and the quality of her voice drew his full attention instantly-''if love has to be like that, then the game doesn't seem worth going on with. You can't live with it. and you can't live-with- out it." Her voice dropped A- little, but gained in intensity. "At least I can't. I don't believe l can." She stopped and faced him. "What can one do?' she demanded. She turned away with a despairing gesture and stood gazing out. tear-blinded. over the little valley the hilltop they had reached com handed.
 You want to remember this" he said at last. i've been talking about myself. I might have been different if my first love affair had been an ai- together different thing. And I'm not, thank God, fair sample"
 My love affair brought me a home and-kids," she said. There are two of them-twins-a year and half old now; and 1 went of and left them ; left him. thought that by earning my own way. building life that he didn't surround. as you say. I could win his friendship. And have his love be sides. don't suppose you would have believed there could be such fool in the world as I was to do that"
 He took a while dicesti1g this truly ! amazing statement of hers. But at last he said: "No. wouldn't call you fool. I call fool person who thinks he can get something for noth- ing. You didn't think that. You were willing to pay-a heavy price 1t must have been. toO-fOr what you wanted. And I've an idea, you know, that you never really pay without getting some ! thing"
 "I don't know" she said raggedly. Ici HupS
 There was a seven-thirty train to town. and they finished their walk al the station. She got back to her apart. mcnt about nine. Two corners of white projected from under her door visiting card and a folded bit of paper. It was ROdney's card. and on it he'd written: "Sorry to have missed you. I'll come back at eight"
 Her shaking fingers fumbled pitt. fully over the folds of the note, but she got 1t open at last. It was from him, too. It read:
 Dear Rose: This Is hard luck. I sup. pose you're of for a weekend some. where. I want very much to see you When you come back and have leisure for me. will you call me up? l know how busy you are. SO I'll wait until hear from you. RODNEY.
 When the telephone girl switched her to the information desk, and the information clerk said. "Mr. Rodney Aldrich? Just a moment" and then Mfr. Aldrich is in fifteen naught i've the dry contraction In her throat made 1t impossible for her to speak. She couldn't answer his first "Hello," and he said 1t again, sharply. Hello. what is it?"