New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-07-20

Z uO hSiP you " 6Ct u DCttCh Poos
ton than this, that Is. II you haven't
changed your mind about being on the
stage; a position that will have more
hope and promise In 1t. l want you to
feel that we're-with you"
"WhO are 'we?'" She accompanied
that question with a straight look into
his eyes.
why" he said, 'the only two PEG.
pie I've talked with about it-Fred-
erica and Harriet. / thought you'd be
glad to know that they felt as l did,"
The first flash of real feeling she
had shown, was the II that broke
through on her repetition of the name
Harriet !"
YES" he said, and he had, for about
ten seconds. the misguided sense Of d.
alectical triumph. II know q little
how you feel toward her. and maybe
she's justified it. But not in this case.
Because it was Harriet who made me
see that there wasn't anything--dis-
graceful about your going on the
stage. 1t was her own idea that you
ought to use your own name and give
us a chance to help you. She'll be
only too glad to help"
During the short while she let elapse
before she spoke, his cOnvictiOn-car-
rying power of this statement ebbed
somewhat, though he hadn't seen yet
what was wrong with it.
"Yes," she said at last, II think !
car see Harriet's view of it. AS long
as Rose had run away and Joined a
fifth-rate musical comedy in order to
be on the stage, and as long as every
body knew it, the only thing to do was
to get her into something respectable
so that you could all pretend you liked
it. 1t was all pretty shabby, Of course,
for the Aldriches, and, In a way, what
you deserved for marrying a person
like that. Still, that was no reason for
not putting the best face ON it you
could And that's why you came to
find mel"
"NO, it isn't" he said f~uriously. His
deliberately assumed manner had brOk-
en- down anyway. II wanted you to
know that I'd assent to anything, any
sort of terms you wanted to make that
didn't invOlve-this. If it's the stage,
all right. Or if you'd come home-tO
the babies. l wouldn't ask anything
for myself. You could be as independ-
ent of me as you are here. . . :"
He'd have gone on celebrating this
~, -, -, r,,.,tI1, L,% &J,t %La 1aaly nc
blank %incredulity in her face stopped
him.
II say things wrong" he concluded
with a sudden humility that quenched
the spark of anger in her eyes. Il
was a fool to quote Harriet, and l
haven't done much better in speaking
for myself. l can't make you see
"Oh, l can see plainly enough,
ROddy," she said with a tired little
grimace that was a sorry reminder of
her old smile. Il guess l see too well.
sorry to have hurt you and made
you miserable. l knew | was going to
do that, of course, when l went away,
L hopCu tidl, ullSl u WHIT, SOu
to see my side Of II. You can't
Mt all. You couldn't believe that l was
happy, that l thought l was doing
something worth doing; something
was making me more nearly q
you could respect and be
with.
$50 l guess" she concluded after q
that the only thing for you
10 do is to go home and forget about
ne as well as you can and be as little
miserable about me as possible. I'll
ell you this, that may make it a little
you're not to think of me as
or miserable, or even un-
comfortable for want of money. I'm
plenty to live on, and I've got
two hundred dollars in the bank"
There was a long silence while he
sat there twisting the newspaper in
lis hands, his eyes dOwncast, his face
lull with the look of defeat that had
over it.
In the security of his averted gaze,
The took a long look at him. Then,
With a wrench, she looked away.
"YOu will let me go now, won't
'Ou?" she asked. This is-hard for
IS both, and it isn't getting us any
where. And-and I've got to ask you
lot to come back. Because it's impOs-
ible, l guess, for you to see the thing
ny way. You've done your best to, !
an see that"
He got up out of his chair, heavily,
tut on his raincoat, and stood, for a
moment, c%rumpling his soft hat in his
Iands, looking down at her. She
Iadn't risen. Shed gone limp all at
nee. and was leaning over the table.
"GOOd-by," he said at last.
"GOOd-by, ROddy." She watched him
out into the rain. He'd left
is newspaper. She took it, gripped
IN both hands, just as he'd done;
len, with an effort, got up and mount.
d the stairs to her room.
CTO BE CONTINUED.)