The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-07-13


this was her room, room where any
one lacking her specific invitation to
enter would be- an intruder--a condi-
lion which had not obtained either La
her mothers house or In Rodney's.
She smiled widely over the absurdity
of INDUCING In pleasurable feeling Of
possession In squalid little cubbyhole
like this. The wall paper was stained
aud faded there was an iron bed-the
mattress on the bed was lumpy. There
wns dIngy-looking oak bureau with a
small mirror; a handicapped black
walnut washstand and a pitcher stand
Ing In bowl on top Of 1t.
| AS for the hurrying life she looked
out upon from her grImy window, the
difference between II and that which
she had been wont to contemplate
through Florence McCrea's exquisltely
loaded easements was simply planet
airy.
And yet, queeriy enough, In terms OF
literal llneal measurement, the dis
lance between the windows themselves
was less than q thousand yards. And,
such is the enormous social and spir-
itual distance between North Clark
street and The Drive, she was as safely
hidden here, as completely out of the
orbit Of any OF her friends, or even OF
her friends servants. as she could
have been In New York or San Fran
cisco.
OF course, wherever she went, what
ever she did, there'd always be the risk
that someone who could carry back
news to Rodney's friends would rec
ognlze her. II was risk that had to
be taken. At the same time she'd
protect the secret as well as she could.
There We're two people. though, 1t
couldn't be kept from--Portia and her
mother. The story given out to Rod
ney's friends being that Rose was in
California with her mother and Portia,
left the chance always open for some
contretemps which would lead to her
mothers discovering the truth In sur
prising and shocking way.
But the truth itself, confidently stat
ed. not as tragic ending. but as the
splendid. hopeful beginning of life Of
truer happiness for Rose and her hus-
band, needn't be shock. SO this was
what Rose had borne down upon her
in her letter to Portia.
/ ..I have found the big thing couldn'i
be had without fght," she wrote. ''Yor
| shouldn't be surprised, because you've
probably found out for yourself that moth
ing worth having comes very easily, Blu
you're not 10 worry about me. nor b.
afraid for me, because I'm going to win
I'm making the fight, somehow, for yol
as well as for myself. want you 4
know that. / think that realizing wal
living your life as we'll as mine. Is wha
has given me the courage TO start. ~.
"I've got some plans. but I'm not going
to tell you what they are. But I'll write
10 you every week and tell you what Nv,
DONE and want you to write TO Rodney
want 20 be sure that you understand
this; Rodney isn't to blame for whats
happened. We haven't quarreled. and
believe we're farther In love with eacl
other than we've ever been before.
know am with him. :. Break THU
thing TO mother as gently as YOU like. bu
tell her everything before you stop. -.
This letter written and dispatched
she had worked out the details of hel
departure with good deal of care
In her own house, before the servants
she had tried to act just as she woult
have done had her pretended Telegram
really come from Portla. Her bag was
packed, her trunk was gone, her motor
waiting Mt the door to take her to the
station, when the maid Doris brought
the twins home from their airing. Thi.
wasn't chance. but prearrangement.
"Give them to me-" Rose said, zane
then you may go up and tell Mrs
Ruston she may have them In a few
minutes"
she took them into her bedroom nnt
laid them side by side ON her bed
They had thriyen finely--justitied. 81
far as that went, Harriet's decision
in favor of bottle feeding. Had sh,
died back there In that bed of pain
never come out of the ether ut all
they'd stlll be just like this--plump
placid, methodlcal. Rose had though
of that hundred times, but IL WASH
what she was thinking of now.
The thing that caught her as sh,
WIS luuklnE uoWn Ou littu, WAS
wave of sudden pity. She saw then
SUDDENLY ms persons with the long roa,
all ahead of them, as boy and u girl
a youth and maid, man and /,
woman.
She'd never thought of them lIk,
that before. The baby she had locke,
} forward to--the baby she hadn't had
} had never been thought of that way
; either. 1t was to be something to pro
vide her, Rose, with an occupation; t
: make an alchemic change in the yer.
substance of her life. The transnuta
, tion hadn't taken place. She surmise'
now, dimly, that she hadn't deserve
) it should.
you've never had a mother a
all, you poor little mites" she sait
''But you're going to have one som
$ day. You're going to be able to com
to her with your troubles, becaus
t she'll have had troubles herself. She
/ L. q.