The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-03-21

ment:
"Rod's been trying to get me to go
TO Rose and say tnat IL was ell his
fault, and ! won't"
"Why notf" said Harriet. "what
earthly thing does II matter whose
fault II ISL lie can have IL his fault
II he likes"
"You know II isn't" Frederick nut.
tered rebelliously.
Harriet seated herself delicately ana
deliberately in one Of the curving ends
OF n little Victorian sofa, and stretched
her slim legs out In front of her.
"Certninly | don't rare whose fault
II Is" she said. "You never get any.
where by trying to decide n question
like that. What I'm Interested In Is
what can be done about it. It's not "a
very nice situation. Nobody likes it
ut least | should think Rose would
be pretty sick of IL by now. She may
have been crazy for a stnge career, but
shes probably seen that the chorus of
n third-rntc musical comedy won't take
her anywhere. The things simply "A
mess, and the only thing to do Is to
clear IL up as quickly and as deccntly
M we can-and 1t can be cleared up If
we 20 at II right. or course the thing
to 10 Is TO get her out OF that horrible
place as soon as we IAN. And I sup
pose the best way OF doing IL will be
to get her into something clse-takc
her down TO New York and work her
into II small part In some good com
pany. Almost anything, IL IL came ia
that, so long as II wasn't music. Oh.
and have her use her Own name. and
let us make as much of II as wa can.
Face It out. Pretend we like 1t. |
don't say it's ideal, but it's better than
this"
Her w namc?" he echoed blank.
ly. "Do you mean she made one up?'
Harriet nodded. Constance men.
toned it," she said, but that was be.
fore l knew what she was talking
about. And OF course l couldn't 60
back and ask. Daphne something, ]
think. II sounded exactly like a chorus
name, anyhow" And then: "Wcll.
how about it7 VIII you play the
gamef"
"Oh, yes" he said, with n docility
that surprised Frederick. "Il play It.
1t comes to exactly the same thing
what we both want done, and our rea-
sons for doing 1t are important to no.
body but ourselves"
She turned to Frederick. you, too
Freddy" she asked. "Will you give
your moral principles n vacation and
take Rods message to Rose, even
though you may think it's Quixotic
~nonsense?"
"I1l see Rose myself" said Rodney
quietly.
He was standing near the foot Of the
stairs when she came down. with q
r%nincoat on and n newspaper twisted
up In his hand, and mt sight of her, he
took on his soft, wet hat, and crushed
1t UP along with the newspaper. HC
moved over toward her. but stopped
two or three feet away. ITS very
good of you to Gene" he said, his
voice lacking n little of the ridiculous
stiffness of his words, not much. as
there some place where we can talk q
little more-privatcly than here?
shan't keep you long"
There's II room here somewhere
she said.
The she led him to was an ap
propriately pr"pOStcrOus setting fol
the altogether prcpOstcrOus talk that
onSued between them. 1t had Il mosaic
floor with a red plush carpet on 1t, two
Stained-glaSS windows in yellow and
green, flnnking an oak mantcl which
framed nm enormous cXpanse of mot,
tied purple tile, with Il d%iminutivc gas
log in the middle. A glnssy.lookinG
oak table occupied most OF the roOm
and the chairs that We're crowded in
around II were upholstered in highly
polished c~ofrce.colored horse hide, with
very ornate nails.
"lt's dreadfully hot in here" Rose
said. you'd better take of your coat
She squeezed in between the table and
II of the chairs and seated herself.
Rodney threw down his wet hat, his
newspaper, and then his raincoat, or
the table, and slid into Il chair oppo
site her.
II want to tell you first" Rodney
said, and his manner was that of O
sChoolboy rcCitlng to his teacher NJ
apology which has been rehcurSod al
home under the sanction of pntcrnaI
author!ty-"I want 10 tell you how
deeply sorry | am for . :"
lie had his newspaper In his hand,
again and was twisting it up. His eyes
didn't once seek her face. But they
might have done so In perfect safety
because her own were fixed on hi,
hands and the newspaper they crum'
pied.
He didn't presume 10 ask her for,
eivcucsS, he told her. He couldn't tx
poet that at least not at present. lie
went on lamcly, in broken sentences
repeating what he'd said already IL
still more inadequate words. He wa,
unable 10 stop talking until she should
say something, II hardly mattcrct
what. And She was unable TO say any.
thing.
The Formally OF his phrases got
sitter and finally CONCEALED into q
blank silence.
Finally sbp SpiJ with a rnen. eel