Grand Forks herald., 1917-01-29

SpeCulatOr VINO hopes Tor ralhhS m
with one of her own, dried her eyes,
and asked again, more collectedly:
We'll, can you tell me why?"
why, it seemed to me-" he said.
that it was you who were different.
And you have changed. of course,
down inside, more than have. You've
been through things in the last year
and half. found out things that
know nothing about, except as / have
read about them in books. I've never
had to ask stranger for a job. I've
never been brought to bay. the way
you were in that damned town of
Ccntropolis G'd like to burn it,. And
other things-horrible things, have
have come so near YOU. that il it
hadn't heen for that white fame of
yours, they'd have marked you. When
l think of those things, feel like a
schoolboy beside you. You've no idea
how-how innocent man can be,
Rose. That's not the tradition, but
it's true. So, when I remember how
things used to be between us, how
and how ] preached and spouted, I get
to feeling that the man you remember
must look to you now, like-well, like
a schoolboy showing off,"
She stared at him incredulously.
But that's downright morbid" she
said. You don't have to go into the
gutter to learn things. And what you
| say about innocence A man can't
keep his innocence by being ignorant,
Roddy. If he's kept it, he must have
fought for it. I know that" She was
still deeply disturbed. Its horrible
that l should make you feel like
that" she concluded
"1t isn't you" he told her. Its
iust the Sit uation. ! can't help feeling
that I'm taken on approval. Oh. it's
got to be l:lie that. There are things
that, with all the forgiveness IN the
world. YOU can't forget And until
you have seen that am different, that
I have made myself different. ;"
She gave a shaky laugh. "on ap-
proval" Her eyes filled again. Rod
dy, you can't mean that She came
over and sat down in his lap. and Slid
her arm around his neck. This is
where We'll begin!" she said. THAT
TIL never--whatever happcns-wallS
out on you again. Whether things
go we'll or badly with us. wen work it
out, somehow, together"
1t was not until she heard the long.
shudderng sigh he drew at that. and
felt him go limp under her. that she
realized how genuine his fear had
been--the perfectly prepcsterous fear
that if their new experiment didn't
come up 10 her anticipation. she'd tell
him so. and leave him once more
This time. for good.
1t was a good while before they
took up a rational discussion again.
but at last she said: '1t will take
working out though. We've been
shirking that. Hadn't we better be-
gin?"
| He assented. "Only, you'll have to
get up" he said, "and sit down some
where else. Out of reach"
She smiled as she obeyed him. IT'S
hard for woman to remember" she
said, that a man can't think about
other things when he's making love,
and can't think about the person he's
IN love with when he's doing other
things Because that's about the cas-
lest thing woman does"
She saw by the expression that
went over his face that her remark
had chilled him a little He didn't
like to think of her as "a woman"
nor of his relation to her as accounted
for by the fact that he was "a man."
He'd generalize fast enough about the
world at S2rge, but it would always be
hard for him to include her and him
self in his general:zations.
Well" he said when he'd got his
pipe alight, ''it's the first question I
asked you after-after I got my eyes
open: What are we going to do?"
Il told Alice Perosini," she said
the day before we left to 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.
! felt had to do that. You UNDER
stand. don't you?"
"of course he said. You couldn't
| ~ artI I~, NJ
what?"
Then" she said after a little s-
lence, then. if it's what you want me
to do, Roddy, III come hack to Chi
cago for good"
Give up your business, you mean?"
he asked quickly.
She nodded. ut can't be done out
there" she said. "All the big pro-
ductions that there's any money in are
and Just be your wife. TIL keep your
house and mother the children. and
maintain your status. if you don't
think I'm spoiled for that
That last phrase, though, was said
with a. smile. which he answered with
one Of his own. But with an instant
return to seriousness, he said: "Pve
dream of asking it."
II know" she said. "Its thing
I'm glad you let me give-unasked.
But mean it, Roddy I've meant
| it from the first. when I told you you
were all 1 wanted. There wasn't any
string tied to that"
Il know" he said. But all the
same. it wouldn't work Rose"
There's real Job there" she per-
sisted. ''iust in heirg successfully the
wife OF a successful man. can see
that now. never saw It when it was
my Job. Hardly caught a glimpse OF
tit, I didn't even see my bills; let you