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

III W. aih "iliII''' INi uiibui
toned ulster about but she did not
cover under it, nor turn ~away-stood
there. finely erect, confronting 1t.
There was something alert about her
TJse-he couldn't see her face distinct
ly-that suggested she was expecting
somebody. And then, not aloud, but
very distinctly:
"~ltoddy," she said.
He tried to spenk her name, but his
dry throat denied 1t utterance. He
began suddenly to tremble. He came
forward out of the shadow and she
snw him and came to meet him, and
spoke his name again.
81 saw you when you went out" she
said, 81 was. afraid You mightn't
"ait. I hurried AS fast AS | could.
Tyc-w-waited 81 long. Longer than
You"
He managed at last to speak, and.
ms he did So, reached out and took her
ny the shoulders, "Come home" he
said. "You must come home"
At that she stepped back and shook
her head. But he had discovered,
while his hands held her, TINT she
was trembling too.
The stage door opened again to emit
a group of three of the ponies"
They stared c%uriously at Dane and
the big man who stood there with her.
then Scurri"d away down the alley.
1--WE can't talk here" he said, 1--WE
must 90 somewhere"
Si" nodded assent. and they moved
off sid" by side after the three little
girls. but slower. In an accumulation
of shadows, half way down the alley,
he grlpprd her arm tight and they both
stood StiIl. The next moment, and
without II word, they moved N again.
FinaIly-"Are You all right Roddyr
And the habies" she managed to say.
ITS a good many days since I've
heard from Portin." And then, sud
denly; "Wns it because anything had
gone wrong hat you came?"
81 didn't know you were here until
] saw you on the stage" he said.
This was all, in words, that passed
until he looked about him in 1t sort of
dazed bcwilderment when she stopped,
at last, at the stoop before her door.
"Hcre's where | live" she said.
"Where you liver he echoed
blnnkly.
Ever since I went nway-to Cali
fOrnia. I've been right here-where l
could almost soc the smoke of your
chimneys. I've a queer little room-
| only pay three dollars "A week for IL
-but-it's big enough to be alone in
Rose :" he said, hoarsely.
A drunken maj came lurching pitt
ably down the street. She shrank into
the angle of the steps. and Rodney fol-
lowed her, found her with his hands,
and heard her voice speaking breath
lesSIy, in gasps. He hardly knew what
she was saying.
ITS been wonderful . ! know
we haven't talked: Wen do that some
other time, somewhere where we can
. But tonight, walking along
like that, just as . . Tomorrow,
! shall think it was all Il dream"
'ltOSt :.
The only sound that came in IN
swcr vas a long, TREMENDOUSLY indrawn
But presently her hand took
the one of his that had been clutching
opened the door with II latchkey.
and then, behind her, he made his
way up two flights of narrow stairs,
whose faint creak made all the sound
there was. In the black little corridor
ut the top she unlocked another door.
brenthed.
She turned and looked into his face,
eyes searching it as his were
hers, LUMINOSITY and with II
swiftly kindlinG fire. Her lips parted
I little, trembling. There was II sort
If bloom on her skin that became
more visible as the blood. wave on
came flushing in behind it.
As for Rodney, he was the same
nan who, an hour ago, in the theater,
lad ragged and writhed under what he
elt to be an invasion of his proprI-
'tary rights in her.
He wouldn't have defined it that I
way, 10 be sure, in Il talk with Barry
AXE; would have denied. with the =
of them, hat n husband had any .
proprietary rights in his wife. But
he intolerable sense of having be-
om an object of dcrision or con
eniptuous pity, Of being disgraccd
nd Of her being degraded. couldn't
from anything else but JUST
hat.
Have you anything here" he asked
er DULY. "besides what will go in
hat trunkT"
IT was the surliness of his tone.
lther han the words themselves.
nat startled her.
NO" she said, puzzled. "Of
purse not" p;
Then throw them into it quickly" Il
g said. "and well lock the thing I'D.
% o owe any rentT" II
~'Itoddy!" she said. "What do you al
Il mean you're going to get out of I'll
lis beastly place now-tonight. We're e,
ping home. We can leave an address
n the trunk. If it never comes, so %
UGH the better" o,
Again all she could do was to ask
m. with a bewildered stammer, what Il,
, meant. III
Because" she added, II can't go th
yet. rve-only started"
Started" he echoed. "DO you bi
ink Tn going TO let this beastly he
rec go any furtherr" 81
And with that he told her what br
ID happened In his Office that after to
old her of the atfitudo Of hin l.