The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-07-13

let us Help YOU W Sck Dtltcl poSi-
ton than this, that is, If you haven't
changed your mind about being on the
stage; position that will have more
hope and promise in it. l want you to
feel that we're-with you"
"Who are 'weT" She accompanied
that question with straight look into
his eyes.
"Why," he said, "the only two peo-
pie I've talked with about it-Fred-
erica and Harriet. thought you'd be
glad to know that they felt as 1 did,"
The first flash of real feeling she
had shown, was the one that broke
through on her repetition of the name
Harriet"
"Yes," he said, and he had, for about
ten seconds the misguided sense of di-
alectical triumph. 81 know a little
how you feel toward her. and maybe
she's justified it. But not in this case.
Because it was Harriet who made me
see that there wasn't anything-dis-
graceful about your going on the
stage. 1t was her own idea that you
ought to use your own name and give
us chance to help you. She'll be
only too glad to help"
During the short while she let elapse
before she spoke, his conviction-car-
rying power of this statement ebbed
somewhat, though he hadn't seen yet
what was wrong with it.
"Yes," she said at last, 81 think 1
can see Harriet's view of it. AS long
as Rose had run away and Joined a
fifth-rate musical comedy in order to
be on the stage, and as long as every
body knew it, the only thing to do was
to get her into something respectable
so that you could all pretend you liked
it. 1t was all pretty shabby, Of course,
for the Aldriches, and, in a way, what
you deserved for marrying a person
like that. Still, that was no reason for
not putting the best face on it you
could And that's why you came to
find me!'
mo, it isn't" he said furiously. His
elaborately assumed manner had brok-
en- down anyway. 81 wanted you to
know that I'd assent to anything, any
sort of terms you wanted to make that
didn't involve-this. If it's the stage,
all right. Or If you'd come home-to
the babies. 1 wouldn't ask anything
for myself. You could be as independ-
ent of me as you are here.
He'd have gone on celebrating this
program further, but that the look of
blank incredulity in her face stopped
him.
with q sudden humility that quenched
the spark of anger in her eyes. Il
was a fool to quote Harriet, and l
haven't done much better in speaking
for myself. / can't make you see.
"Oh, I can see plainly enough,
Roddy," she said with tired little
grimace that was sorry reminder of
her old smile. II guess I see too well.
I'm sorry to have hurt you and made
you miserable. l knew was going to
do that, of course, when 1 went away,
but 1 hoped that. after a while, you'd
come to see my side of it. You can't
at all. You couldn't believe that l was
happy, that l thought l was doing
something worth doing; something
that was making me more nearly
person you could respect and be
friends with.
$50 l guess" she concluded after q
silence, that the only thing for you
to do is to go home and forget about
me as we'll as you can and be as little
miserable about me as possible. I'll
tell you this, that may make it little
easier; you're not to think Of me as
starving or miserable, or even un-
comfortable for want of money. I'm
earning plenty to live on, and I've got
over two hundred dollars in the bank"
There was a long silence while he
sat there twisting the newspaper in
his hands, his eyes downcast, his face
dull with the look of defeat that had
settled over 1t.
In the security Of his averted gaze,
she took long look at him. Then,
with wrench, she looked away.
"YOu will let me go now, won't
us both, and it isn't getting us any
where. And-and I've got to ask you
not to come back. Because it's impOs
sible, guess, for you to see the thing
my way. You've done your best to, l
can see that"
He got up out of his chair, heavily,
put on his raincoat, and Stood for a
moment, crumpling his soft hat in his
hands, looking down at her. She
hadn't risen. She'd gone limp all at
once, and was leaning over the table.
"Good-by," he said at last.
"Good-by, Roddy." She watched him
walking out into the rain. He'd left
his newspaper. She took it, gripped
it in both hands, just as he'd done;
then, with an effort, got up and mount
ed the stairs to her room.
(TO BE CONTINUED)