The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-08-10


, attraction that james Randolph lOnl
r ago had told her about. Al, she'd &c
, complished In that bitter year since
, she left Rodney had been to make an
other man full In love with her!
II was natural. of course, that the
relation between them, after that
, should not prove quite 80 simple and
manageable. There were breathles'
days when the storm vlslbly hung IN
the sky; there were strained, stlff, self
conscious moments OF rigidly enforced
pollteness. Things got said despite his
resolute repression that had as reso,
lutely, TO be ignored. But In the inter
walls of these failures there emerged
a new thlng-genulne friendllness
partnership.
1t was just after Christmas that Abe
Shuman took her away from Galbralth
and put her to work exclusively on
costumes. And the swift sequence of
events within a month thereafter
launched her In an Independent bust
ness: the new partnership, with the
details of which, through Jimmy Wal
lace, you are already sufficiently ac-
quainted.
Her partner was Alice PerosInl. She
was the daughter OF rich Italian
Jew, beautlful-really wonderful
person to look at, but a little unac-
countable, especially with the gorgeous
clothes she wore, in the circle OF wOm-
en- who "dld things" of which Rose
had become part. Rose took her time
about deciding that she liked her, but
ended by preferring her to all the rest.
But the fact that they had become
partners served, somehow, to divert a
relation between them which might
otherwise have developed into a first
class friendship. Not that they quar-
relied, or even disappointed each other
in the close contacts Of the days work.
But at the end of the days work they
tended to fly apart rather than to stick
together. More and more Rose turned
to Galbraith for a friendship that real
ly understood; grlpped deep.
There were long stretches of days,
of course, when they saw nothing of
each other, and Rose, as long as she
had plenty to do, was never conscious
of missing him. But the prospect of
an empty Sunday morning, for in
stance, was always enormously bright
ened If he called up to say that 1t was
empty for him, too, and shouldn't they
go for a walk or a ferry-ride some
wherei
All told, she learned more about
men, as such, from him than ever she
had learned, consciously at least, from
Rodney. Shed never been able to re-
gard her husband as a specimen. He
was Rodney, sui generis, and it had
never occurred to her either to general
ize from him to other men or to ex-
plain anything about him on the mere
ground of his masculinity. She began
doing that now little, and the exer-
else opened her eyes.
In a good many ways Galbraith and
her husband were a good deal alike.
Both were rough, direct, little re-
mOrseless, and there was in both of
them, right alongside the best and
finest and clearest things they had, an
unaccountable vein of childishness. |
She'd never been willing to call it by |
that name in Rodney. But. when she |
saw it in Galbraith too, she wondered. |
Was that just the man of it? Did a |
man, as long as he lived, need some
body in the role of-mother? The |
thought all but suffocated her.
One Saturday morning, toward the |
end of May, Galbraith called up and
wanted to know If she wouldn't come
over to his Long Island farm the fol-
lowing morning and spend the, day:
She had visited the place two or three
times, and had always enjoyed 1t i'm
there. 1t wasn't much Of
farm, but there was delightful old
farmhouse on it, with
ceilings seven feet high, and easement
and the floors of all the rooms
on different levels; and Galbraith,
there was always quite at his best. His
sister and her husband, whom he had
brought over from England when he
bought the place, ran it for him. Rose
accepted eagerly.
Galbraith met her with a dogcart
and a fat pony, and when they had
logged their way to their destination,
hey spent what was left of the morn
ng looking over the farm. Then there
vas midday farm dinner, which Rose
lstonlshed herself by dealing with as ,
t deserved, and by feeling sleepy at {
he conclusion Of. /
Coming into the veranda about four |
''clock, and finding her, Galbraith sug- c
,ested that they go for walk. Two s
lours later, having swung her legs over
stone wall which had comfortably S
INVITING fiat top, she remained sitting |
here and let her gaze rest, unfocused, {
n the pleasant farm land below them.
After glance at her he leaned back 9
gainst the wall at her side and be- l
an filling his pipe. She dropped her @
and on his nearer shoulder After t
IL these months of friendship it was 4
he first approach to caress that had v
assed between them. you're a good h
riend," she said; and then the hand A
nat had rested ON him so lightly sud- n
enly gripped hard. "And I guess / -t
eed one."
He went on filling his pipe. "Any- "
ling special you need one for?" he
sked. +,
She gave a ragged little laugh. II Il
uess not. Just somebody strong and n
teady to hold on to like this" "
"Well," he said, very deliberately. a
Won want to realize this: You say n