The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-06-22
CHAPTER vi-continued.

s.
For the next half-hour, until the
car stopped In front of her house.
Rose acted on this request-told about
her life before and since her marriage
to Rodney. about her friends. her
amusements-anyth thing that came into
her mind. But she fingered before
getting out of the car, to say:
81 hope haven't forgotten single
word of your preaching. You said
80 many things want to think about"
"Dont trouble your soul with that,
child" said the actress. "All the
sermon you need can be boiled down
into a sentence, and until you have
found it out yourself, you won't be-
lieve It."
'"Try me-" said Rose.
'"Then attend. How shall I say It?
Nothing worth having comes as a gift,
nor even can be bought-cheap.
Everything OF value In your life will
cost you dear, and sometime or other
you'll have to pay the price Of It,"
1t was with a very thoughtful, per-
picked face that Rose watched the car
drive away, and then walked slowly
into the house-the ideal house-and
allowed herself to be relieved Of her
wraps by the perfect maid.
There was still an hour before she
need begin dressing for the Randolph
dinner; when Rodney came home this
vague, scary, nightmarish sort Of feel
Ing which for no reasonable reason
seemed to be clutching at her, would
be forgotten. She wished he would
come-hoped he wouldn't be late. and
finally sat down before the telephone
with half-formed idea Of calling him
up.
Just as she laid her hand upon the
receiver, the telephone bell rang. II
was Rodney calling her.
"Oh. that. you, Rosef he said. 81
sha'n't be out till late tonight. I've
got to work."
"But Roddy, dearest" she protested,
ayou have to come home. You've got
the Randolphs' dinner"
"Oh" he said. 81 forgot all about
1t. But 1t doesn't make bit Of differ
ence. anyway. wouldn't leave the
office before I have finished this job
for anybody short Of the Angel Ga
briel."
Butt was absurd that her eyes
should be filling up and her throat
getting lumpy over q thing like this
"But what shall I dof Shall I tell
Eleanor we can't come. or shall offer
to come without your
81 don't care! Do whichever you
like. I've got enough to think about
without deciding that. Now do hang
up and run along"
"But Rodney, what's happened? Has
something gone wrong?"
"Heavens, no." he said. "What Is
there to 60 wrong? I've got a big
day In court tomorrow and I've struck
a snag, and I've got to wriggle out Of
It somehow, before / quit. It's moth
ing for you to worry about. Go to
your dinner and have a good time.
Good-by." The click In the receiver
told her he had hung up.
The difficulty about the Randolphs
was managed easily enough. Eleanor
was perfectly gracious about 1t and
insisted that Rose should come by her.
self.
She was completely dressed a good
three-quarters of an hour before 1t
was time to start, and If she drove
straight downtown she would have a
ten-minute visit with Rodney and still
not be late for the dinner.
She found a single elevator In COM
mission In the great, gloomy rotunda
Of the office building, and the watch
man who ran her up made terrible
noise shutting the gate after he had
let her out on the fifteenth floor. The
dim marble corridor echoed her foot
falls opinously, and when she reached
the door of his outer Office and tried
It, she found 1t locked. The next door
down the corridor was the one that led
directly into his private office, and here
the light shone through the ground
glass.
She stole up to It as softly as she
could, tried 1t and found Il locked.
too, so she knocked. Through the
open transom above 1t, she heard him
softly swear In q heartfelt sort of way,
and heard his chair thrust back. The
next moment he opened the door with
jerk.
His glare Of annoyance changed to
bewilderment at the sight Of her, and
he said: "Rosel Has anything
happened7 What's the matterT And,
catching her by the arm, he led her
into the Office. "Here, SIT down and
get your breath and tell me about 1t ~
She smiled and took his face in both
her hands. "But It's the other way"
she said. There's nothing the matter
with me. I came down, you poor old
boy, to see what was the matter with
you"
He frowned and took her hands
away and stepped back out Of her
reach. Had Il not been for the sheer