The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-08-17

SWELL" he said when bed got his
pipe alight, "It's the first question
asked you after-after got my eyes
open: What are we going TO do1"
~ told Alice Peroslnl," she said
"the day before we left 10 come up
here. that I'd come back in a month,
and that I'd stay until I'd finished all
the work that we were contracted for.
l felt had to do that. You under
stand, don't your
'Of course" he said. ''You couldn't
consider anything else. But then
whRtT -,.r. IL,
"Then," she said after a little ~
lence, then, II it's what you want ms
to do, Roddy, I'll come back to CHI
cago for good" rr
"Glve up your business, you meanr"
he asked quickly.
She nodded. "It can't be done out
there" she said. "All the big produc-
lions that there's any money in are
made In New York. I'll come back
and just be your wife. I'll keep your
house and mother the children, and
maintain your status. II you don't
think I'm spoiled for that"
That last phrase, though, was said
with smile, which he answered with
one OF his own. But with an instant
return to seriousness, he said: "rvs
not asked that, Rose. I wouldn't dream
of asking It."
There's real Job there" she per-
sisted, "Just in being successfully the
wife Of a successful man. / can see
that now. ! never saw 1t when 1t was
my JOB. Hardly caught a glimpse OF 1t.
! didn't even see my bills; let you
pay them down at the office, with all
your own work that you had to do"
ut wasn't me-" he said. ut was
Miss Beach,"
She stared at that and gave a short
laugh. "If I'd known that -
she said. Then she came back to the
point. "It is real Job, and I think
could learn to do II pretty well.
And of course wife's the only person
who can do 1t properly"
Still he shook his head. But he
hadn't, as yet, any reasoned answer to
make, except as before, that It
wouldn't work.
"What will work, thenT she asked.
And this he couldn't answer.
We've Just got to go ahead" he
said at last, "and see what happens.
Perhaps you can work 1t out so that
you can do part of your work at home.
We could move the nursery and give
you Florence's old studio. And then
1t would do If you only came down
here for your two big seasons-fall
and spring."
"That doesn't seem fair to you" she
protested. "You deserve a real wife,
Roddy; not somebody dashing in and
dashing out"
Il don't deserve anything can't
get" he said. "Td rather have a part
interest In you than to possess, lock,
stock and barrel, any other woman
can think Of"
She came back to him again and
settled in his arms. "a man told me-"
she said, "John Galbraith told me that
he couldn't be wOman's friend and
her lover at the same time, any more
than steel spring could be made soft
so that 1t would bend in your fingers,
like copper, and still be a spring. He
said that was true of him, anyway, and
he felt sure it was true Of nine men out
of q dn1an M AfnIy
Have we got to decide which Wen
be?
"We can't decide" he said with an
impatient laugh. That's just what
I've been telling you. We've got to
take what we can get. We've got to
work out the relation between our
selves that is our relation-the Rose
and Rodney relation. It'll probably
be little different from any other.
There'll be friendship In 1t, and therell |
be love in 1t. Imagine our deciding
that we wouldn't be lovers! But I |
guess that what Galbraith said was
true to this extent: that each of those
will be more or less at the expense |
If the other. It won't spring quite so
veil. and it will bend little"
After a while he said: Here's what
we've got to build on: Whatever else
t may or may not be, this relation be-
ween us is permanent thing. We've
ived with each other and without each
,ther, and we know which we want.
f we find 1t has its limitations and
we needn't worry. Just go
head and make the best of 1t we
an. There's no law that DEGREES
we've got to be happy. When we are
lappy it'll be so much to the good.
md when we aren't :"
She gave a contented little laugh
nd cuddled closer down against him.
You talk like Solomon In all his so
emnity," she said. But you can't
imagine that we're going to be un-
appy. Really?"
His answer was that perhaps he
ouldn't imagine 1t, but that he knew
!, just the same. "Even an ordinary
larriage isn't any too easy; a mar
lage, mean, where It's quite well un-
erStood which of the parties to 1t
hall always submit to the other, and
'hich of them is the important one
hos always to have the right of way.
here's generally something perfectly
nescapable that decides that ques-
on. But with us there isn't. So the
uestion who's got to give in will have
} be decided on its merits every time
difference arises" She burlesqued
'ok of extreme apprehension. She
as deeply and utterly content with
fe just then. But he wouldn't be di-