Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-08-28

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matter-things that any woman would
be on another woman's side, as you
say, about"
But she contradicted this statement
at once. "Oh, / did love herr she said
fiercely. ''Not just because she loved
you, but because I 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 thing like this to
you"
"All right" ne said. "Never mind
about that. This is what want you to
do. want you to go to see her, and 1
want you to ask her, in the first place,
to try to forgive me-"
What forY Frederick demanded.
Il want you to tell her." he went on,
that it's impossible that she should be
more Mortified at the thing 1 did, than
am 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. l don't ask anything
else but that. She can 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 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
said gently. "You haven't done any
thing to Rose to be forgiven for"
you'll just have to take my word
for It," he said shortly. "Pm 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
she'd done? And when she'd left you
to find it out like that?"
81 tell you, you don't know the first
thing about it."
81 don't suppose you-beat her, did
you?"
1t was too infuriating, having him
meek like this!
His reply was barely audible: 81
might better have done it."
Frederick sprang to her feet. "Well,
then, I'll tell your she said. Il won't
go to her. I'll go if you'll give me a
free hand. If you'll let me tell her
what 1 think of what she's done and
the way she's done it-not letting you
know-not giving you q chance. But
go and beg her to forgive you, I
won't"
"All right" he said duly. you're
within your rights, of course"
The miserable scene dragged on a
little longer. Frederick cried and
pleaded and stormed without moving
him at all. He seemed distressed at
her grief, urged her to treat his re-
quest as if he hadn't made it; but he
explained nothing, answered none of
her questions.
1t was an enormous relief to her,
and, she fancied, to him, for that mat
ter, when, after a premonitory knock
at the door, Harriet walked in upon
them.
The situation didn't need much ex-
planning, but Frederick summed it up
while the others exchanged their cool
ly friendly greetings, with the state
mert:
"Rod's been trying to get me to go
to Rose and say that it was all his
fault, and 1 won't"
"Why not?" said Harriet. "What
earthly thing does it matter whose
fault it Is? He can have it his fault
if he likes"
"You know it isn't" Frederick NUT
tered rebelliously.
Harriet seated herself delicately and
deliberately in one of the curving ends
of little Victorian sofa, and stretched
her slim legs out in front of her.
Certainly 1 don't care whose fault
it u.s." she said. "You never get any
where by trying to decide a question
like that. What I'm interested in is
what can be done about it. It's not a
very nice situation. Nobody likes it
at least 1 should think Rose would
be pretty sick of it by now. She may
have been crazy for stage career, but
she's probably seen that the chorus of
a third-rate musical comedy won't take
her anywhere. The things simply a
mess, and the only thing to do is to
clear 1t up as quickly and as decently
as we can-and it can be cleared up If
we 60 at 1t right. OF course the thing
to do is to get her out of that horrible
place as soon as we can. And l sup
pose the best way Of doing 1t will be
to get her into something else-take
her down to New York and work her
into small part in some good com.
pany. Almost anything, if it came to
that, so long as 1t wasn't music. Oh.
and have her use her own name, and
let us make as much of it as we can.
Face 1t out. Pretend we like it. I
don't say it's ideal, but it's better than
this"
Her own name?" he echoed blank
ly. do you mean she made one up"
Harriet nodded. Constance men
toned it," she said, "but that was be-
fore l knew what she was talking
about. And of course couldn't go
back and ask. Daphne something,
think. 1t sounded exactly like chorus
name, anyhow" And then: well,
how about it? Will you play the
gamer"
"Oh, yes" he said, with a docility
that surprised Frederick. 'T'll play it.
1t comes to exactly the same thing,
what we both want done, and our rea-
sons for doing it arr important to no.
body but ourselves"
She turned to Frederick. you, too,