The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-09-07
a desk and typewriter, and filing cabi.

desk and typewriter, and filing cabi.
nets around the walls. Rubber floor"
Randolph pointed out, felt ceiling; abb
solutely sound-proof. Here's where
, my stenographer sits all day, ready
like fireman. And this" he conclud-
ed, leading the way to the other room,
sis the holy of holies."
1t had rubber floor, too, and, Rod
ney supposed, felt ceiling. But its
n only furniture was One chair and a
canvas cot.
"Sound-proof too," said Randolph.
"But sounding boards or something in
all the walls. press this button, start
dictaphone, and talk in any direc-
ton, anywhere. It's all taken down.
Here's where I'm supposed to thinks
make discoveries and things. I tried it
for a WHILE"
They went back into the study.
"Clever beasts, though-poodles," he
remarked, as he nodded Rodney to his
chair and poured himself another
drink. Learn their tricks very nicely.
But, good heavens, Aldrich, think of
him as mani Think what our Amer
lean married women are up against,
when they want somebody to play off
against their husbands and have to fall
| back on tired little beasts like that.
Eleanor doesn't mean anything She's
| trying to make me jealous. That's her
newest experiment. But it's downright
pitiful, say"
Rodney got up out Of his chair. 1t
wasn't a possible conversation. "I'll
be running along, I think" he said.
'I've a lot of proof to correct tonight,
expect"
"Sit down again." said Randolph
sharply. 'Tm just getting drunk. But
that can wait. I'm going to talk. I've
got to talk. And if you go, swear
I'll call up Eleanor's butler and talk
to him. You'll keep it to yourself,
anyway" He added, as Rodney hest
tated, 81 want to tell you about Rose.
I saw her in New York, you know"
Rodney sat down again. "Yes," he
said, $50 she wrote. Tell me how she
looked. She's been working tremen-
dously hard, and I'm a little afraid
she's OVERRIDING it."
"She looks" Randolph said very de-
liberately, "a thousand years DID," He |
laughed at the sharp contraction of |
Rodney's brows. "Oh, not like that |
She's as beautiful as ever. Her skins |
still got that bloom on it, and she still |
flushes up when she smiles. She's lost
five pounds, perhaps, but that's just
condition. And vitality! But thou
sand years old, just the same"
"I'd like to know what you mean by
that" said Rodney.
"Why, look here" Randolph said.
"You know what a kid she was when
you married her. Schoolgirl I used
to tell her things and she'd listen, all
eyes-holding her breath! Until felt
almost as wise as she thought I was.
She was always game, even then. If
she started thing, she saw it through.
If she said, Tell it to me straight
why, she took it, whatever it might
be, standing up. She wasn't afraid of
anything. Courage of innocence. Be
cause she didn't know. Well, she's
now, because she knows.
BIC uuueISIduuS- tcil yOu-eNery- |
thing.
"Why, look herei We all but ran
into each other on the corner, there,
If Broadway and Forty-second street;
shook hands, said howdy-do. If I had
1 spare half-hour, would I come and
nave tea with her here at the Knicker-
,ocker? She'd nodded at two or three
And then somebody said, Hello, Dane,'
md stopped. A miserable, shabby,
;hivering little painted thing. Rose
laid Hello and asked how she was
,etting along. Was she working now?
She said no; did Rose know of any
hing? Rose said, Give me your adj /
lress, and if I can find anything I'll l
ct you know The horrible little beast
old her where she lived and went
way. Rose didn't say anything to me. n
kept that she was somebody who'd s
een out in a road company with her. i,
But there was look in her eyes -. r
III, she knew-everything. Knew O
7hat the kid was headed for. Knew f.
here was nothing to be done about it. T
he had no futters about it, didn't
ull long face, didn't, as I told you, q
ay a word. But there was look in Il
er eyes, somehow, that understood 81
nd faced-everything And then we h
yent in and had our tea. q,
IT had a thousand curiosities about
er. I'd have found out anything r
ould. But it was she who did the find -
lg out. Beyond inquiring about you,
ow lately I'd seen you, and so on, she
ardly asked a question; but pretty
BON I saw that she understood me.
he knew what was the matter with
e; knew what I'd made of myself.
nd she didn't even despise me! ~
81 came back here to kick this 20
ling to pieces, give myself "a fresh ~
art. And when got here, l hadn't
lie sand. I got drunk instead" He PC
oured himself another long drink and % ',
pped slowly. =.
Everybody knows" he said at last, u
hat down-and-outs almost invariably - -
Ike to drugs or drink. But I know -,