The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-07-04
CHAPTER XVII.

Gone, without even saying good.

All through the long night she lay
awake, struggling with the incredible
fact that Bill had left her; trying to
absolve herself from blame; flaring up
in anger ut his unyielding attitude,
even while she was sorely conscious
that she herself had been stubbornly
unyielding. If he had truly loved her,
she reiterated, he would never have
made 1t an issue between them. But
that was like a man-tO insist on his
own desires being made paramount;
to blunder on headlong, no matter
what antagonisms he aroused. And
he was completely In the wrong, she
reasserted.
She recapitulated 1t all. Through
the winter he had consistently with
drawn into his shell. For her friends
and for most of her pleasures he had
at best exhibited only tolerance. And
he had ended by Outraging both them
and her, and on top of that demanded
that she turn her back at twenty-four
hours notice, on Granville and all its
associations and follow him into will
derness that she dreaded. She had
full right to her resentment. AS his
partner In the clancy enterprise of
marriage were not her feelings and de-
sireS entitled to equal consideration?
He had assumed the role of dictator.
And she had revolted. That was all.
She was justified.
Eventually she slept. At ten o'clock,
heavy-eyed, suffering an intolerable
headache. she rose and dressed.
Beside her plate lay a thick letter
addressed in Bill's handwriting. She
drank her coffee and went back to the
bedroom before she opened the en-
velope. BY the postmark she saw
that it had been mailed on a train.
Dear Girl: | have caught my
breath, so to speak, but doubt If ever
more forlorn cuss listened to the
interminable clicking Of car wheels.
| am tempted ut each station to turn
back and try again. 1t seems so un-
real, this parting in hot anger, so mis-
erably unnecessary. But when stop
to sum it up again, 1 see no use in
another appeal. l could come back
yes. Only the certain knowledge that
giving In like that would send us spin.
ming once more in u vicious circle pre-
vents me. l didn't believe it possible
that we could get so far apart. Nor
that succession OF little things could
cut so weighty u figure in our lives.
And perhaps you are very sore and
resentful at me this morning for be-
ing so precipitate
81 couldn't help 1t, Hazel. 1t seemed
the only way. 1t seems so yet to me.
There was nothing more to keep me
in Granville-everything to make me
hurry away. II l had weakened and
temporized with you it would only
mean the deferring of just what has
happened. When you declared your
self fatty and repeatedly it seemed
hopeless to argue further. am a poor
pleader, perhaps; and do not believe
In cOMulsion between us. Whatever
you do you must do Of your own voll-
tion, without pressure from me. We
couldn't be happy otherwise. If
compelled you to follow me against
your desire we should only drag mis-
cry In our train.
II couldn't even say good-by. l
didn't even want II to be good-by. l
didn't know If ] could stick to my
determination to go unless / went as
l did. And my reason told me that if
there must be break II would better
come now than after long-drawn-out
chickering's and bitterness. If we are
so Numerically opposed where we
thought we stood together we have
made u mistake that no amount Of ad-