The circle banner., 1917-07-27


He thought he was ready for any
thing. But just the way she spoke his
name startled-almost frightened him
she said it so quietly, so-tenderly.
"Roddy," she said, 81 want you to
come over here and kiss me, and then
go back and sit down in that chair
| again."
He went little pale at that. The
| swing Of his foot was arrested sud-
denly. But, for moment, he made no
move-just looked wonderingly into
her great, grave eyes.
Something's going to happen" she
went ON, "and before it's over, I'm
afraid it's going to hurt you terribly
and me. And I want the kiss for us
to remember. So that We'll always
know, whatever happens afterward,
that we loved each other" She held
out her arms to him. won't you
Gomez"
He came-a man bewildered, bent
down over her, and found her lips; but
almost absently, out of daze.
"No, not like that" she murmured.
"In the old way"
There was long embrace.
81 don't believe I'd have the courage
to do it," she said, 'if it were just me.
But there's someone else-Ive made
someone a promise. I can't tell you
about that. Now please go back and
sit over there where you were, where
we can talk quietly. Oh, Roddy, love
you so mo, please go back, old man
And-and light your pipe. Oh, don't
tremble like that 1t isn't a tragedy.
It's-for us, it's the greatest hope in
the world"
He went back to his chair. He even
lighted his pipe as she asked him to,
and waited as steadily as he could for
her to begin.
"Do you remember :" she be-
gan, and 1t was remarkable how quiet
and steady her voice was. There was
even the trace of smile about her
wonderful mouth. "Do you remember
that afternoon of ours, the very first
of them, when you brought home my
notebooks and found me asleep on the
couch in our old back parlor? Do you
remember how you told me that ones
desires were the only motive power
he had? Well, it was funny thing
1 got to wondering afterward what
my desires were, and it seemed
hadn't any. Everything had, somehow,
come to me before knew I wanted it.
Everything in the world, even your
love for me, came like that.
"But I've got passion now, Rodney.
I've had it for a long while. It's a
desire I can't satisfy. The thing I
there's nothing in the world |
I wouldn't give to get it's, we'll, your
Roddy; that's way of say
ing it,"
Rodney started and stared at her.
The thing struck him, it seemed, as a
sort of grotesquely irritating anticli-
max.
Gracious heaven" he said. "My
Why, I'm in love with you'll
That's certainly a bigger thing"
81 don't know whether it's bigger
hing or not" she said. "But it doesn't
include the other"
He was tramping up and down the
Dom by now. you've got my friend
hip!" he cried out. "Its grotesque
of the facts to say you
laven't.'
She smiled at him as she shook her
lead. "Ive spent too many months
rying to get 1t and seeing myself fail
oh, so ridiculously mot to know
What I'm talking about, Roddy."
And then, still smiling rather sadly,
he told him what some of the expert
nents had been-some of her attempts
o break into the life he kept locked
way from her. II was angry at first
vhen I found you keeping me out"
he said, "angry and hurt. I used to
ry about it. And then saw it wasn't ,
our fault. That's how I discovered
had to be earned"
But her power to maintain that atti-
1de Of grave detachment was about =,
pent. The passion mounted in her ,
oice and in her eyes as she went on. =
You thought my mind had got full of !.
lid ideas-the wild idea was pulling
)u down from something free and fine
lat you had been, to something that
ou despised yourself for being and :
I'd to try to deny you were. You =
ere wrong about that, Roddy.
T did have an obsession, but 1t =
asn't the thing you thought. 1t was r
1 obsession that kept me quiet, and q
and happy, and willing to r
ait in spite of everything. The OBJ
ssion was that none of those things
altered because big miracle was :,
ming that was going to change it all. :.
was going to have job at last-a :,
b that was just as real as yours :,
e job of being a mother" =
Her voice broke in q fierce, sharp
tie laugh over the word, but she got :,
back in control again. h
1 was going to have baby to keep r.
I've with my own care. There was vi
ing to be responsibility and hard Fl
,rk, things that demanded courage 7
d endurance and sacrifice. I could Sc
rn your friendship with that, said. NJ
lat was the real obsession, Roddy, r.
d it never really died until tonight. n
all 7 cy,nyaca nopJf noup1o}u It,c