Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-06-26
Copyright lsls The BObbs- Merrill Compan
CHAPTER VI-continued.

Rose acted on this reQuest-told about
her life before and since her marriage
to Rodney, about her friends, her
usements-anything that came into
her mind. But she fingered before
getting out of the car, to say:
u hope I haven't forgotten a single
word Of your preaching. You said
$50 many things want to think about"
Don't trouble your soul with that,
child" said the actress. "All the
sermon you need can be boiled down
Into a sentence, and until you have
found 1t out yourself, you won't be-
lheve it."
'Try me-" said Rose.
Then attend. How shall 1 say tit
Nothing worth having comes as a gift,
NOR even can be bought-cheap.
Everything of value in your life will
cost you dear, and sometime or other
you'll have to nay the price of it."
1t was with very thoughtful, per-
picked face that Rose watched the car
drive away, and then walked slowly
unto the hOuse-the ideal house-and
wraps by the perfect maid.
There was still an hour before she
need begin dressing for the Randolph
dinner; when Rodney came home this
vague, scary, nightmarish sort Of feel
5ng which for no reasonable reason
seemed to be clutching at her, would
be forgotten. She wished he would
ho Ina hn 1ofo nd
finally sat down before the telephone
with a half-fOrmed idea of calling him
up.
Just as she laid her hand upon the
receiver, the telephone bell rang. II
was Rodney calling her.
/ ooh, that you, Rose" he said. 81
sha'n't be out till late tonight. I've
got to work"
But Roddy, dearest" she protested,
'''you have to come home. You've got
the Randolphs' dinner"
"OhI" he said. Il forgot all about
1t. But it doesn't make bit OF differ
,ence, anyway. I wouldn't leave the
office before 1 have finished this job
for anybody short of the Angel Ga
briel"
Butt was absurd that her eyes
should be filling up and her throat
getting lumpy over a thing like this
But what shall / do? Shall I tell
Eleanor we can't come, or shall l offer
ITO come without your"
81 don't care! Do whichever you
like. I've got enough to think about
without deciding that. Now do hang
up and run along"
But Rodney, what's happened2 Has
something gone wrongT
Heavens. mol" he said. what is
there to go wrong2 I've got a big
day in court tomorrow and I've struck
a snag, and I've got to wrlggle out of
It somehow, before l quit. It's moth
ing for you to worry about. Go to
your dinner and have a good time.
iGOod-by" The click in the receiver
told her he had hung up.
The difficulty about the Randolphs
was managed easily enough. Eleanor
was perfectly gracious about it and
insisted that Rose should come by her
self.
She was completely dressed a good
ithree-quarters of an hour before 1t
was time to start, and if she drove
straight downtown she would have a
ten-minute visit with Rodney and still
not be late for the dinner.
She found single elevator In COM
mission in the great, gloomy rotunda
of the office building, and the watch
man who ran her up made q terrible
noise shutting the gate after he had
let her out on the fifteenth floor. The
dim marble corridor echoed her foot
falls OminOusly, and when she reached
the door of his outer office and tried
1t, she found it locked. The next door
down the corridor was the one that led
directly into his private office. and here
the light shone through the ground
glass.
She stole up to IT as softly as she
could. tried 1t and found it locked.
too, so she Knocked. Through the
open transom above it, she heard him
softly swear In a heartfelt sort of way,
and heard his chair thrust back. The
next moment he opened the door win
a Jerk.
His glare OF annoyance changed TO
bewilderment at the sight of her, and
he said: Rose! Has anything
happened7 What's the matter7" And.
catching her by the arm, he led Der
into the office. Here, sit down and
get your breath and tell me about 1t !"
She smiled and took his face In both
her hands. "But it's the other way"
she said. There's nothing the matter
with me. I came down. you poor old
boy, to see what was the matter with
you"
lie frowned and took her hands
away and stepped back out of her
reach. Had it not been for the sheer
incredibllity of 1t. she'd have thought
that her touch was actually distaste-
full To him.
"Oh." he said. "I thought l told
you over the phone there was nothing
the matter Won't you be awfully
late 20 the RandolphsT"
II had ten minutes" she said. "an9
] thought :" She broke OF the
sentence when she saw him snap
out his watch and look at II. 81 know
there's something" she said. Il can
tell Just by the way your eyes look
and the way you're so tight and -
strained. II you'd just tell me about
&c. and then sit down and let me
try 10 take the strain away. ="
Beyond a doubt the strain was there.
The laugh ne meant for q good-humor-
ed dismissal of her fears didn't sound
at all as il was intended TO. Good
heavens!" he said. There's nothing
10 tell I've got an argument before
the court Of appeals tomorrow and
there's a ruling decision against me.
1t is against me, and its bad law.
But that isn't what want to tell them.
! want some way OF making 4 diStinc-