New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-07-20

cred wing chair, an enormously dis
tended rug-cOvered pillow beside heI
knees waiting for him to drop down
on when he felt like it, he began
rather cautiously to tell her what he
wanted.
"Ill tell you the reason why I've
come to you" he began, "and then
you'll see. DO you remember nearly two
years ago, the night l got wet coming
here to dlnner-the night you were
going to marry me off to Her
mione Woodruff? We had a long talk
afterward, and you said, speaking of
the chances people took getting mar
ried, that 1t wasn't me you worried
about, but the girl, whoever she might
be, who married me-"
The little gesture she made admit
ted the recollection, but denied its
relevancy. She'd have said something
to that effect, but he prevented her.
"No," he insisted. ut wasn't just
talk. There was something in 1t. A.
terward, when we were engaged, two
or three times, you gave me tips about
things. And since we've been married
.. . Well. somehow, I've had the
feeling that you were on her side {;
that you saw things her way-things
that | didn't see"
Little things" she protested "lit-
tie tiny things that couldn't possibly
undertakings that any woman would
be on another wOmnn's side, as you
say, about"
But she contradicted this statement
Mt once. "Oh, l did love her" she said
fiercely. mot just because she loved
you, but because l thought she was al
together adorable. ! couldn't help it.
And of course that's what makes me
so perfectly furious now-that she
should have done u thing like this to
you"
"All right he said. "Never mind
about that. This is what l want you to
do. | want you to 60 to see her, and |
want you to ask her, in the first place,
to try to forgive me-"
"What for" Frederick demanded.
Il want you to tell her." he went on,
that it's impossible that she should be
Mortified ut the thing l did, than |
an myself. | want you to ask her, what
ever she thinks my deserts are, to do
just one thing for me, and that is to
let me take her out of that perfectly
hideous place. | don't ask anything
but that. She car make any terms
she likes. She can live where or how
she likes. Only-not like that. May
be it's a deserved punishment, but |
can't stand it !"
There was the crystallizatiOn of
what little thinking he had managed to
do in the two purgatorial days he'd
spent in a down-state hOtel-in the in
tervals of fighting off the memory of
the dull, frozen agony he'd seen in
Roses face as he left her.
Frederick, naturally, was mystified.
That's absurd, of course, Roddy," she
thing to Rose to be forgiven for"
you'll just have to take my word
for it," he said shortly. SIN not
eXaggerating."
but, Roddy!!" she persisted. "You
must be sensible. Oh, it's no wonder!
You're all worn out. You look as if
you hadn't slept for nights. What if
you were angry and lost your temper
and hurt her feelings? Heavens!
Weren't you entitled to, after what
done? And when she'd left you
to find it out like thatT
Il tell you, you don't know the first
thing about it,"
II don't suppose you-beat her, did
1t was too infuriating, having him
meek like this!
His reply was barely audible: &"
night better have done it,"
Frederick sprang to her feet. swell,
hen, I'll tell you !" she said. II won't
20 to her. I'll go if you'll give me a
rec hand. If you'll let me tell her
what l think Of what she's done and
he way she's done it-not letting you
lnow-nOt giving you a chance. But
~ anu DeS I'LL W ioiSiNe sou,
"All right" he said duly. "You're
your rights, of course"
The miserable scene dragged on a
title longer. Frederick cried and
'leaded and stormed without moving
at all. He seemed distressed at
Ier grief, urged her to treat his re-
.uest as If he hadn't made it; but he
Explained nothing, answered none of
er questions.
1t was an enormous relief to her,
nd, she fancied, to him, for that mat
or, when, after a premOnitOry knock
t the door, Harriet walked in upon
hem.
The situation didn't need much eX-
.laining, but Frederick summed it up
lille the Others exchanged their cool
, friendly greetings, with the state
lent: s
Rods been trying to get mt to go
Rose and say tnat it was all his
lult, and l won't" |
"Why not?" said Harriet. "What l
nrthly thing does it matter whose {
tult it is? He can have it his fault
he likes" ,
You know it isn't" Frederick NUT ,
red rebelliOusly. I
Harriet seated herself delicately and |
in n of the curving ends
a little Victorian sofa, and stretched t
ar slim legs ont i'm front of her I
Certainly l don't are whose fault t
is" she said. You never get any
here by trying to decide a question v
ke that. What I'm interested in Is S
hat car be done about it. It's not a h
Try nice situation. Nobody likes it q