The Dolores star., 1917-06-01
By MARY
ROBERTS
RINEHART

stayed at home with her, he was 30
discontented that he drove her almost
to distraction. Although she was con-
vinced that he was seeing nothing Of
the girl who had been with him the
night of the accident, she did not trust
him. Not that girl. perhaps, but there
were others. There would always be
Others.
Into Christine's little parlor, then,
X. turned, one spring evening. She
was reading by the lamp, and the door
into the hall stood open. The little
room always cheered X. Its warmth
and light appealed to his esthetic
sense; after the baroness Of his bed
room, It spelled luxury. And perhaps,
to be entirely frank, her evident pleas
ure in his society gratified him. Chris
tines small cOQuetries were not lost on
him. The evenings with her did some
thing to reinstate him in his own SELF
esteem. 1t was subtle, psychological,
but also 1t was very human.
"Come and sit down." said Christine.
"Here's a chair, and here are ciga-
rettes and there are matches. Now! I"
Behind him, Christine stood watch
ing his head In the light of the desk
lamp. "What a strong. quiet face 1t
is" she thought. Why did she get the
impression Of such q tremendous re-
serve power In this man who was q
clerk, and a clerk only? Behind him
she made q quick, unconscious gesture
Of appeal. both hands out for an in
stant. She dropped them guiltily as
X. turned to her.
II wonder II you know, K.," she said,
what lucky woman the woman will
be who marries your"
He laughed good-humoredly.
II wonder how long l could hypno-
tie her into thinking that"
ing lately" she said, without bitter.
ness. Palmer Is away SO much now.
I've been looking back, wondering If !
ever thought that about him. I don't
believe ever did. I wonder"
She checked herself abruptly and
sat down. After a moment: "Has 1t
ever occurred to you how terribly
mixed up things are? Take this
Street, for instance. Can you think Of
anybody on it that-that things have
gone entirely right with?"
"It's little world of Its own, Of
course" said K, land it has plenty
Of contact points with life. But wher
ever one finds people. many or few
one finds all the elements that make
up life-jOy and sorrow, birth and
death. and even tragedy. That's rath
er trite, isn't it,"
Christine was still pursuing hel
thoughts.
Men are different" she said. "Tt
a certain extent they make their OWL
fates. But when you think of tht
women on the Street-Harriet Ken
nedy. Sidney Page, myself, even Mrs
Rosenfeld back in the alley-some
body else molds things for US, and al
we can do is to sit back and suffer
I am beginning to think the world II
terrible place, K. Why do peopl,
so often marry the wrong people? VIII!
can't a man care for one woman ant
only one all his life? Why-why Is i
all so cOmplicated?"
'There are men who care for onl,
one woman all their lives"
you're that sort, aren't you?"
II don't want to put myself on an,
pinnacle. II cared enough for a WON
dn toy marry her, I'd hope to Blu
we are being very tragic. Christine"
II feel tragic. There's going to b.
another mistake, K, unless you stol
it."
He tried to leaven the conversation
with a little fun.
"If you're going to ask me to inter
fere between Mrs. Mckee and tn
deaf-andadumb book and insuranc
agent, shall do nothing of the sort
She can both speak and hear enougl
for both of them"
II mean Sidney and Max Wilson
He's mad about her, X. and, becaus
she's the sort she is, he'll probably b
mad about her all his life, even If b
marries her. But he'll not be true t
her; I know the type now."
X. leaned back with a flicker o
pain in his eyes.
"What can do about it?"
Astute as he was, he did not suspec
that Christine was using this metho'
to fathom his feeling for Sidney. PEI
haps she hardly knew it herself.
"You might marry her yourself, &.
But he had himself in hand by thi
time, and she learned nothing from el
ther his voice or his eyes.
ION twenty dollars a week? An
without so much as asking her cor
sent?" He dropped his light tone. sTr
not in a position to marry anybody
Even If Sidney cared for me. whicl
she doesn't, of course"
"Then you don't intend to interfere
You're going to let the Street see an
other failure?"