Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1917-10-04
CHAPTER XIV.
couIeur.de.Rose.

couIeur-de.Rose.
It was altogether fortunate for Rose
that she had attempted no prepare
ton, because the situation she found
herself in when she'd opened the door
for her husband, shaken hands with
him. led him into her sitting room and
asked him to sit down, was one which
the widest cast of her Imagination
would never have suggested as pos
sible one for her and Rodney.
1t was his manner, she felt sure,
that had created it; his rather formal
attitude; the way he held his hat. 1t
was the slightly anxious, very deter
mined attitude Of an estimable and
rather shy young man making his first
call on a young lady upon whom he is
desperately DESTROYS of making ia.
vorable impression.
And he was Rodney, and she was
Rose. It'was like IN absurd dream
"Won't you smoker" she asked sud-
denly, and hurried on when he hest
tated. II don't do it myself, but most
of my friends do, and 1 keep the
things" From a drawer in her writing
desk she produced tin box of ciga'
rettes. "They're your kind-unless
you've changed" she commented. and
went over to the mantel-shelf for an
ash tray and match safe. The match
safe was empty and she left the room
to get a fresh supply from her kitchen.
On the inner face of her front door
was big mirror, and in it, as she
came back through the unlighted pas
sage, she saw her husband. He was
sitting just as she'd left him, and as
his face was partly turned away from
her, it could not have been from the
expression of it that she got her revela-
ton. But she stopped there in the
dark and caught her breath and leaned
back against the wall and squeezed
the tears out Of her eyes.
He stayed that first evening little
less than an hour, and when he got
up to go she made no effort to detain
him. The thing had been, as its un-
broken surface could satisfy, highly
successful first call. Before she let
him go, thc1gh, she asked him how
long he was going to be in New York,
and on getting q very tndeterminate
answer which offered minimum of
two or three days" and maximum
that could not even be guessed at, she
said:
II hope you're not going. to be too
dreadfully busy for us to see lot of
each other. I wish we might manage
it once every day."
That shook him; for moment,
she thought the lightning was going
to strike, and stood very still holding
her breath, waiting for it.
But he steadied himself, said he
could certainly manage that If she
could, and, as the elevator came up in
response to her ring, said that he would
call her up in the morning at her office.
AS she cuddled her cheek into the pill
low that night, Rose smiled her old,
wide smile. She was the happiest per-
son in the world.
That manner of Rodney's lasted-re'
CURED, at least, whenever Rose and
he were together-almost unaltered, fol
two whole days. There was visit
Of his to her workshop, where he lis
tened intently to her explanations OF
her tools and her working methods
There was luncheon, at which, un'
wincing, he made her tell him the
whole story Of her success; and 9
dinner and theater, after which hi
brought her home in taxi, and, hav
ing told the chauffeur to wait, formal
ly escorted her to the elevator. But
with the last of the next days light
the ice broke up and the floods came
She had taken him to a studio ties
in the upper sixties just off West Enc
avenue, the proprietors Of the studio
being a tousled, bearded, blond an
archist of painter and his exceed
ingly pretty, smart, frivolous-looki0s
wife.
The two men had instinctively drawn
controversial swords almost at sigh
Of each other, and for the hour and {
half that they were together the com
bat ragged nightly, to the unmixet
satisfaction Of both participants. Thu
feelings Of the bystanders were per
haps more diverse, but Rose, at least
enjoyed herself thoroughly, over seeing
her husbands big, formidable, finel!
poised mind in action again. The talk
Of course, ranged everywhere: social
ism, feminism, law and its crimes
art, and the social mind.
It was half-past six or thereabout
when they left the studio. and the lat
May afternoon was at its loveliest. 7"
want to walk" said Rose, "after tina
tea, If Tn ever to want any dinner
He nodded little absently, sh'
thought, and fell in step beside her
There was no mention at any time o
their destination.
(TO BE CoNTINUED)
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