The Dermott news., 1917-03-29
By MARY
ROBERTS
RINEHART

stayed at home with her. he was so
discontinued that he drove her almost
to distraction. Although she WAS con-
WINGED that he WAS seeing nothing Of
the girl who had been with him the
night of the accident, she did not trust
him. Not that girl, perhaps, but there
We're others. There would always be
others
Into Christines little parlor. then,
! n. turned, one spring evening She
Was reading by the lamp, ana the door
j into the hall stood open. The little
+ room always cheered X. Its warmth
and light appealed 10 his esthetie
sense; after the baroness OF his bed
room it spelled luxury. And perhaps,
to be entirely frank her evident pleas
ure in his society grntitied him. Chris
tines small coquetrieS We're not lost on
him. The evenings with her did some
thing To reinState him in his own self.
esteem. 1t was subtle. psychological,
but also it was very human.
Come and sit down" said Christine.
Heres chair. and here are ciga.
j rettes and there are matches Now I"
Behind him. Christine stood watch.
ing his head in the light of the desk
! limp. what u strong. quiet face il
is. she thought. Why did She get the
impression of such tremendous re-
serve power in this man who was a
clerk, and a clerk only? Behind him
she nude Il quick. unconscious gesture
of appeal. both hands out fer an in
slant. She dropped them guilty Us
X. turned to her.
Il wonder if you know, X she said,
what n lucky woman the woman will
be who marries you?a
He laughed ood-humoredly.
Il wonder how long | could hypno.
tie her into thinking that"
I've had time IL do Il little think.
ing lately" she said, without bitter.
uess. Palmer i away 81 much now.
ENe been looking back wondering Il
ever thought that about Inn. don't
believe lever dtd. wonder
she checked herself abruptly and
sal down. After moment Has il
ever occurred - yeH how terribly
mixed up things ara? Taxi this
i Street, for instance. In you tHIah II
anybody ON ii tHt-tHat ,hfuss have
seae entirely right WITH"
- little world If IFS own. OF
course, said X. "Hu! 1t hrs pirny
+ ii contact points with liz. Euf Whcr
eyer one finds people. many or few
one hnds all The elements that make
up Hie-Joy and sorrow. birth and
| DEATH and even tragedy. That's rath-
CT trite, isn't it,
Christine was suH pursuing her
thoughts.
Men are different" she said. "To
certain extent they make their own
tateS. But when You think Of the
women on the Street-lIurriet Ken,
nedy, Sidney Page. myself. even Mrs
Rosenfeld back in the alley-some
body else molds things fer us, and all
We can do is 70 sit back and suffer
| am beginning To think the world is
terrible place. X. Why do people
So often marry the wrong people? Why
can't man cure for one woman and
only one all his life? Why-why is il
ali 50 complicatedW
There are men who care for only
one woman all their lives"
You're that sort, aren't your
Il don't want 70 put myself on any
pinnacle, II cared enough for u wom-
an to marry her I'll hope to- But
We are being very tragic Christine"
II feel tragic. There's going To be
another mistake, H. unless you stop
H.
lie tried TO leayen the conversation
with httle fun.
If you're going to ask me to inter
fere between Mrs. Mckee and the
deaf-and.dumh book and insurance
agent, l shall do nothing Of the sort.
She can both speak aud hear enough
Il mean Sidney and Max Wilson