Tombstone epitaph., 1917-12-09

II WuS 00tufal, or cOurse, tuut tuc relation between them. after that. should not prove quite so simple and manageable. There were breathless days when the storm visibly hung in the sky: there were strained. stiff. self conscious moments of rigidly enforced politeness. Things got said despite his resolute repression that had. as resO- lutely, to be ignored. But in the inter- vals of these failures there emerged a new thing-genuine friendliness. partnership.
 It was just after Christmas that Abe Shuman took her away from Galbraith and put her to work exclusively on costumes. And the swift sequence of events within month thereafter launched her in m independent busi- ness: the new partnership. with the details of which. through Jimmy Wal lace, you are already sufficiently ac- Quainted.
 Her partner was Alice Perosini. She was the daughter of a rich Italian Jew. a beautiful-really O wond .rful- person to look at. but a little unac- countable, especially with the gorgeous clothes she wore. In the circle of wom- cn who did things" of which Rose had become a part. Rose took her time about deciding that she liked her. but ended by preferring her to all the rest. But the fact that they had become partners served, somehow, to divert relation between them which might otherwise have developed into a irst- class friendship. Not that they quar- reled. 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 aS 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 walk or a ferry-ride some | where.
 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 n specimen. He was Rodney, sui generis, and it had never occurred to her either to general ize 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 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 dearest things they had. an unaccountable vein of childiShness. She'd never been willing to call'it by that name in Rodney. But when she saw 1t in Galbraith too, she wondered. Was that just the man of it? Did man. as long as he lived, need some body in the role of-mother? The | thought Gll but sufocated her. One Saturday morning, toward the end of thay, Galbraith called up and wanted to know if she wouldn't come ! oree to his Long Island farm the fol- lowing morning and spend the day. She had visited the place two or three tir.ps. and had always enjoyed ii i'm messely there. It wasn't much ot fa,m. but there was q delightful old | Revolutionary farmhouse on 1t, 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 q dogcart and a fat pony, and when they had
 logged their way to their destination 1 they spent what was left of the morn ! ing looking over the farm. Then there
 was 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. Galbraith suS-
 gested that they go for walk. Two
 hours later. having swung her legs over
 a stone wall which had a comfortably
 inviting fiat top. she remained sitting
 there and let her gaze rest, unlicensed.
 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 her hand on his nearer shoulder. After
 all these months of friendship 1t was
 the first approach to a caress that had passed between them. You're good
 friend" she said; and then the hand
 that had rested on him so lightly sud-
 denly gripped hard. And I guess l
 need one"
 He went on filling his pipe. Any
 thing special you need one for? he
 asked.
 She gave a ragged little laugh. T guess not. Just somebody strong and
 steady to hold on to like this"
 "well," he said. very deliberately.
 "you want to realize this: You say