The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-08-17

CHAPTER xxv-contInusd.


have sat there for two or three mOrta
hours arguing about stale ldeas-wheI
we might have been out here, beinl
alivel But 1t must have seemed nat
ural to you to hear me going on like
that" And then with a burst, before
she could speak:
"YOu must remember me as the mos
blindly opiniOnated fool in the world I
She caught her breath, then sait
very quietly, with a warm little laugh
In her voice: That's not how 1 re
member you, Roddy."
She declined to help him when he
tried to scramble back to the safe
shores of conventional conversation
That sort Of thing had lasted lOnl
enough. And when they stopped and
faced each other in the gray brick en-
trance to the building where Roses
apartment was, IL was at the end of a
mile or more Of absolutely unbrOken
silence. And facing each other there
all that was said between them was
her:
you'll come in, won't your" and his
eyes"
But the gravity with which she'd
uttered the invitation and the tense
ness of his acceptance Of 1t, the square
look that passed between them, marked
an end of something and the begin
ming Of something new.
She left him in her sitting room
while she went into her room to take
Off her hat and jacket and take a
glance into her mirror. When she
came back she found him. standing
at her window, looking out. He didn't
turn when she came in, but almost
Immediately he began speaking. She
went rather limp ut the sound of his
voice and dropped down on an otto
man in front Of the fireplace, and
squeezed her hands together between
her knees.
II don't know how much you will
have understood" he began; ''prob-
ably good deal. What l hope you
will have guessed is that I wouldn't
have come except that I'd something to
tell you-sOmething felt you were en-
titled to be told. But 1 felt-this is
what you won't have understood-I felt
that hadn't any right to speak to you
at all, about anything vital, until I'd
given you some sort Of guaranty until
I'd shown you that I was person 1t
was possible to deal reasonably with"
She smiled, then pressed her hands
suddenly to her eyes. 81 understood"
she said.
"Well then :" But he didn't
Mt once go on. Stood there a while
longer at the window, then crossed
the room and brought up before her
bookshelves, staring blindly at the IT,
ties. He hadn't looked at her even as
he crossed the room.
"Oh, it's presumptuous thing to try
to say" ne broke out at last, "a pitiful-
ly unnecessary thing to say, because
you must know 1t without my telling
you. But when you went away you said
you said 1t was because you hadn't
my-friendship! You said that was the
thing you wanted, and that you were
going TO try and earn it. And you told
me that I'd never be able to see that
the thing you were doing there was a
fine thing, worth doing, entitled to my
But what I've come down here
10 say isis that now, at last-I do
see it,"
She would have spoken then If she
could have commanded her voice, and
rs it was, the sound she made con-
Veyed her intention to him, for he
.urned upon her quickly as If to inter-
'upt the unspoken words, and went on
with an almost savage bitterness:
"Oh, I'm under no illusions about 1t.
had my chance to see, when seeing
N1Ald have meant something to you
Ielped you. When anyone but the
lllndest sort of fool would have seen.
didn't. Now, when the thing is pat
mt for the world to see-nOw that
you've won your fight without any
lelp from me Without any help |
n spite of every hlndrance that my
diocy could put in your wayI Now,
Ifter ALL come and tell you that |
'ou've earned the thing you've set out
o get"
There was little silence after that.
'he got up and took the post he had
at the window.
"Why did you do 1t, ROddy" she
sked. Il mean, why did you want to
ome and tell me?"
"Why, in the first place." he said,
1 wanted to get back a little of my
couldn't get that until
d told you"
This time the silence was longer.
what else did you want?" she
sked. "What-in the second placer"
Il want to earn your friendship.
t's the biggest thing can hope
or. But I've no idea that you can
and it out to me ready-made. be-
eve you'd do 1t If you could. But
Ou said once, yourself, that it wasn't
thing that could be given. 1t was a
hing that had to be earned. And you
ere right about that, as you were
bout so many other things. Well,
m going to try to earn It," II
''Is that-all you want?" she asked, [
nd then, hearing the little gasp he
I'VE, she swung around quickly and I
Oked at him. It was pretty dark In
10 room, but his face in the dusk .
'emed to have whitened.
"Is friendship all you want Of me,
oddy?" she asked again. She stood
ere waiting, full minute, in silence.
hen she said; "You don't have to
II me that. Because l know. OH
/. NV da.- AoVy well I lynowr d