Meade County news., 1917-08-30

uayS Wnen the storm ViSiDly hung 1
the sky; there were strained, stiff, sell
conscious moments of rigldly enforce
politeness. Things got said despite hi
resolute repression that had, as resC
lutely, to be ignored. But in the inter
walls Of these failures there emerge,
a new thing-genuine friendliness
partnership.
1t was just after Christmas that Alb
Shuman took her away from Galbraitl
and put her to work exclusively ol
costumes. And the swift sequence o
events within a month thereafte
launched her in an independent bust
ness: the new partnership, with tn,
details of which, through Jimmy Wal
lace. you are already sufficiently ac
quainted.
Her partner was Alice Perosini. ShC
was the daughter of a rich Italian
Jew, beadtiful-really q wonderful
person to look at, but little unac
countable, especially with the gorgeous
clothes she wore, in the circle of WON
en- who did things" of which Rose
had become part. Rose took her time
about deciding that she liked her, but
ended by preferrlng her to all the rest
But the fact that they had become
partners served, somehow, to divert q
relation between them which might
otherwise have developed into a first,
class friendship. Not that they quar-.
relied, or even disappointed each other
in the close contacts Of the days work
But at the end of the days work they
tended to fly apart rather than to stick
together. More and more Rose turned
to Galbraith for friendship that real
ly understood; gripped deep.
| There were long stretches of days,
Of course, when they saw nothing of
each other, and Rose, as long us she
had plenty to do, was never conscious
Of missing him. But the prospect of
an empty Sunday morning, for in
stance, was always enormously bright
ened if he called up to say that 1t was
empty for him, too, and shouldn't they
go for a walk or a ferry-ride some
wherei
All told, she learned more about
men, as such, from him than ever she
had learned, consciously at least, from
Rodney. She'd never been able to re-
gard her husband as specimen. He
was Rodney, sui generis, and 1t had
never occurred to her either to general
lie from him to other men or to ex-
plain anything about him on the mere
ground of his masculinity. She began
doing that now little, and the exer-
else opened her eyes.
In a good many ways Galbraith and
her husband were a good deal alike.
Both were rough, direct, a little re-
morseless, and there was in both Of
them, right alongside the best and
finest and clearest things they had, an
unaccountable vein of chlldlshness.
She'd never been willing to- call it by
that name in Rodney. But when she
saw it in Galbraith too, she wondered.
Was that just the man of it? Did a
man, as long as he lived, need some
body in the role of-mother? The
thought all but suffOcated her.
One Saturday morning, toward the
end of May, Galbraith called up and
wanted to know if she wouldn't come
over to his Long Island farm the fol-
lowing morning and spend the day.
She had visited the place two or three
times, and had always; enjoyed it i'm
mensely there. 1t wasn't much of q
farm, but there was q delightful old
Revolutionary farmhouse on it, with
ceilings seven feet high, and easement
windows and the floors of all the rooms
on different levels; and Galbraith,
there, was always quite at his best. His
sister and her husband, whom he had
brought over from England when he
bought the place, ran it for him. Rose
accepted eagerly.
Galbraith met her with -dogcart
and fat pony, and when they had
logged their way to their destination,
they spent what was left of the morn
ing looking over the farm. Then there
was a midday farm dinner, which Rose
astonished herself by dealing with as
1t deserved, and by feeling sleepy at
the conclusion of.
Coming into the veranda about four
o'clock, and finding her, Galbralth sug-
gested that they go for a walk. Two
hours later, having swung her legs over
stone wall which had a comfortably
inviting fiat top, she remained sitting
there and let her gaze rest, unfocused
on the pleasant farm land below them
After a glance at her he leaned back
against the wall at her side and be
gan filling his pipe. She dropped hel
hand on his nearer shoulder. Aftel
all these months Of friendship it was
the first approach to caress that ha(
passed between them. you're goot
friend" she said; and then the hant
that had rested on him so lightly sud
denly gripped hard. "And 1 guess
need one"
He went on filling his pipe. "Any
thing special you need one for?" HI
asked.
She gave a ragged little laugh. "
guess not. Just somebody strong ant
steady to hold on to like this"
"Well," he said, very deliberately