Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-07-24

VINO doesn't cook, nor sew, nor spin,
nor even take care of her own chill
dren; the woman who uses her cnarm
to save her from having to do hard.
ugly things, and keep her in luxury.
Do you remember what you've called
her, Roddy?
Il didn't understand any of that
when You married me, Roddy; 1t was
just Ike dream to Ine-like s fairy
story come true. But / understand
now. How can you be sure, knowing
that my position in the world. my
friends, Oh the very clothes on my
back. and the roof over my head, are
dependent on your love-how are you
going to be sure that my love for you
is honest and disinterested? What's
to keep you from wondering asking
questions? Loves got to be free, Rod
dy. The only way to make it free
is to have friendship growing along
side it. So when / can be, your part
ner and your friend, I'll be your wife
too. But not-not, Roddy, till / can
find way. I'll have to find it for
myself. I'll have to 80 Off ;"
She broke down over word she
couldn't at first say, buried her face
in her arms, and let a deep, racking
sob or two have their way with her.
But presently she sat erect again
and, with a supreme effort of will,
forced her voice to utter the word:
1--WE got to go off alone-away from
you, and stay until find 1t. If ever
do, and you want me, I'll come back"
The struggle between them lasted a
week-a CHASTITY week, during which,
so far as the surface of things showed,
their life flowed along in it's accus-
toned channels. But at all serts of
times, and in all sorts of places, when
they were alone together, the great
battle was renewed.
The hardest thing about it all for
Rose-the thing that came nearest to
breaking down her courage-was to
see how slowly Rodney came to realize
1t at all. He was like a trapped ami
mai pacing the four sides of his cage,
confident that in a moment or two he
would find the way out, and then, in
credulously dazedly, coming to the sur
mise that there was no way out. She
really meant to go away and leave him
leave the babies; go somewhere
where his care and protection could
not reach herl She was actually plan
Oinu tho dofailc IF Soine IL Ru tho
end OF one of their long talks, it would
seem to her that he had grasped this
monstrous intention and accepted 1t.
But before the beginning of the next
one, he seemed to manage, somehow,
to dismiss the thing as a nightmare.
Somehow or other, during the calmer
moments toward the end, practical de-
tails managed to get talked about
settled after fashion, without the ad-
mission really being made on his part
that the thing was going to happen at
ALL
"rd do everything could, of course,
to make it easier" she said. 'We could
have a story for people that I'd gone
to California to make mother long
visit. We could bring Harriet home
from Washington to keep house while
I was gone. I'd take my trunks, you
see, and really go. People would sus-
pect, of course, after while, but
they'll always pretend to believe any
thing that's comfortable"
Where would you go, really?" he
dornandaI nIIauo voTr anv pIon OF
all?"
81 have a sort of plan" she said. 81
think know of way of earning a liv-
ing"
But she didn't offer to go on and tell
him what it was, and. after little ST.
leRce, he commented bitterly upon this
omission.