The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-06-08

CHAPTER vI--contInusd.

Rose acted on this request--told abou
her life before and since her marrlag,
TO Rodney. about her friends, he
nsements-anythIng that came int,
her mind. But she fingered befor,
getting out OF the car. 10 say:
II hope haven't forgotten single
word Of your preaching. You saic
40 many things want 10 think about
Don't trouble your soul with that
child" said the actress. "Ail the
sermon you need can be boiled down
into a sentence, and until you have
found Il out yourself, you won't be,
lleve IT,"
TRY me- said Rose.
Then attend. How shall l say it,
Nothing worth having comes as a gift,
nor even can be bought--cheap.
Everything OF value IN your life will
cost You dear, and sometime or other
wou'Il have 10 pay the price OF IT."
II was with very thoughtful, per-
picked face that Rose watched the car
drive away, aud then walked slowly
into the house--the ideal h0use--and
allowed herself 10 be relieved of her
wraps by the perfect maid.
There was stIll an hour before she
need begin dressing for the Randolph
dinner; when Rodney came home this
vague, scary, nlghtfnarish sort Of feel
Ing which for no reasonable reason
seemed 10 be clutching at her, would
be forgotten. She wished he would
eome--hoped he wouldn't be late, and
finally sat down before the telephone
with a half.formed Idea OF calling him
up.
Just as she laid her hand upon the
receiver, the telephone bell rang. IL
was Rodney calling her.
"oh, that you. Rosef" he said. II
shn'n't be out TIL late tonight. I've
got TO work"
"But Roddy. dearest she protested,
''you have TO come home. You've got
the Randolphs' dinner"
"oh." he said. II forgot all about
~, But Il doesn't make Bit OF differ
ence, anyway. wouldn't leave the
office before l have finished this Job
Tor anybody short OF the Angel Ca
brielH
'But"--lt was absurd that her eyes
should be filling up and her throat
getting lumpy over a thing like this
''Hut what shall / dor Shall tell
Eleanor we can't come. or shall offer
TO come without your
II don't care DO whichever you
like. I've got enough TO think about
without deciding that Now do hang
up and run along"
"Isut Rodney, what's happenedf Has
omething gone wrongl"
Heavens. nor he said. swhat Is
there to 20 wrong7 i've got big
day In court tomorrow and I've struck
snag, and I've got TO wrlggle out of
u somehow, before l quit. It's moth
Ing for you 20 worry about. Go 10
your dinner and have u good time.
s6iood.by." The click In the receiver
told her he had hung up.
The difficulty about the Randolphs
was managed easily enough. Eleanor
was perfectly gracious about II and
insisted that Rose should come by her
self.
She was completely dressed good
three-quarters of am hour before 1t
was time TO start, aud II she drove
straight downtown she would have a
tcn-minuie visit with Rodney and stlll
not be late for the dinner.
She found a single elevator In com.
mission In the great gloomy rotunda
~ the office building, and the watch
man who ran her up made terrible
noise shutting the gate after he had
let her ont ON the fifteenth floor. The
dim marble corridor echoed her foot
falls ominously, and when she reached
the door OF his outer Office and tried
Il. she found II locked. The next door
down the corridor was the one that led
directly into his private office, and here
the Light shone through the ground
glass.
She stole up TO 1t as softly as she
could, tried 1t aud found ii locked,
too, so she knocked. Through the
open transom above it. she heard him
softly swear In heartfelt sort OF way,
and heard his chair thrust back. The
next moment he opened the door with
a Jerk.
His glare of annoyance changed to
tbewilderment at the sight of her, and
he said: sRosel Has anything
happened7 What's the matter?" Aud,
catching her by the arm, he led her
into the Office. Here. sit down and
get your breath and tell me about it !"
She smiled and took his face in both
her hands. "But it's the other way"
she said. There's nothing the matter
with me. came down, you poor old
boy. to see what was the matter with
YOU"
He frowned and took her hands
away and stepped back out of her
reach. Had it not been for the sheer
incredibility of it, she'd have thought
that her touch was actually distaste
full TO him.
"Oh," he said. 81 thought 1 told
you over the phone there was nothing