The Pulaskian., 1917-07-13
By MARY
 ROBERTS RINEHART

stayed at home with her, he was so 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, K. turned, one spring evening. She was reading by the lamp, and the door into the hall stood open. The little room always cheered K. 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. It was subtle, psychological, but also it was very human.
 Come and sit down." said Christine, l Here's a chair, and here are ciga- rettes and there are matches. Now l"
 Behind him, Christine stood watch ing his head in the light of the desk lamp. What strong, quiet face it is, she thought. Why did she get the l impression of such a tremendous re- serve power in this man who was a 1 clerk, and a clerk only? Behind him she made quick, unconscious gesture of appeal, both hands out for an in- stant. She dropped them guiltily as K. turned to her.
 l "I wonder if you know, K" she said, 'swhat lucky woman the woman will be who marries youf"
 1 He laughed spontaneously.
 T wonder how long I could hypno. tize her into thinking that
 I've had time to do a little think 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. wonder"
 She checked herself abruptly and sat down. After a moment: Has it ever occurred to you how terribly l Street, for instance. Can you think of anybody on it that-that things have gone entirely right with?"
 Its a little world of it's 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 clements that make up life-joy and sorrow, birth and death, and even tragedy. That's rath- CT trite, isn't it?'
 Christine was still pursuing her thoughts.
 Men are different" she said. "To certain extent they make their own fates. But when you think of the 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 all we can do is to sit back and suffer. am beginning to think the world is terrible place, K. Why do people so often marry the wrong people? Why can't man care for one woman and only one all his life? Why-why is it all so complicated"
 There are men who care for only one woman all their lives." You're that sort, aren't you?"
 Il don't want to put myself on any pinnacle. If cared enough for a wom- an to marry her, I'd hope to- But we are being very tragic, Christine" T feel tragic. There's going to be another mistake, K, unless you stop | 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 the deaf-and-dumb book and insurance agent, shall do nothing of the sort. She can both speak and hear enough 1 for both of them"
 Il mean Sidney and Max Wilson. He's mad about her, K.; and, because she's the sort she is, he'll probably be mad about her all his life, even if he marries her. But he'll not be true to her; l know the type now"
 K. leaned back with a flicker of pain in his eyes.
 What can do about it?" Astute as he was, he did not suspect that Christine was using this method to fathom his feeling for Sidney. Per- haps she hardly knew 1t herself. You might marry her yourself, K." But he had himself in hand by this time, and she learned nothing from ei- ther his voice or his eyes.
 "on twenty dollars a week? And without so much as asking her con- sent?' He dropped his light tone. I'm not in position to marry anybody. Even if Sidney cared for me, which she doesn't, of course"
 Then you don't intend to interfere2 You're going to let the Street see an- other failure?"
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