The Benson signal., 1918-03-09

81 suppose so," she said absently.
"Perhaps If 1T were question Of
choosing between a love that hadn't
any friendship in it and friendship
. But it can't be like that! Can
it? Can't one have both? Can't man
love a woman and be her friend and
partner all at the same time?"
II can't answer for every man." he
said reflectively. "But I've a notion
that nine out of a dozen, if you
could get down to the actual bedrock
facts about them, would own up that if
they were in love with a woman
really, you knOw-they wouldn't want
her for a partner, and wouldn't be
able to see her as friend. That's Just
a guess, of course. But there's one
thing I know, and that is that I
couldn't"
She gave little shiver. ooh, what a
mess it is! she said. "What a per-
fectly hopeless blunder it is!' She slid
down from the wall. "Come, let's
walk"
He fell in beside her, and they
tramped sturdily along for a while in
silence. At last he said: II don't know
that can explain it, but don't think
I'd call it blunder that a strip Of spring
steel can't bend in your fingers like
copper, and still go on being a spring.
You see, man wants his work, and
then he wants something that's alto
gether apart from his work. Loves
about as far away as anything he can
| get. So that the notion of our work.
| ing ourselves half to death over the
same job, and then going home to-
gether-"
eyes," she admitted. II can see that.
But that doesn't cover friendship"
He owned that it didn't. "But when
| I'm in love with a wOman-this isn't
a fact I'm proud of, but it's true-I'm
jealous of her. want to be everything
to her. want her to think nobody else
could be right and be wrong. And I
want to be able to think the same Of
her." He thought it over a bit longer,
and then went on: "No, I've been in love
with women I thought were lying to
me, cheating me; women I've hated;
women I've known hated me. But I've
never been in love with a woman who
was my friend" He had been tramp
ing along, communing with his pipe,
thinking aloud. If he'd been watching
Roses face he wouldn't have gone so
far.
swell, if it's like that" she said,
and the quality of her voice drew his
full attention instantly-"if love has to
be like that, then the game doesn't
seem worth going on with. You can't
live with it, and you can't live-with-
out it." Her voice dropped little, but
gained in intensity. "At least can't.
I don't believe I can." She stopped
and faced him. "What can one dOW
she demanded. She turned away with
despairing gesture and stood gazing
out, tear-blinded, over the little valley
the hilltop they had reached COM
manded.
"You want to remember this" he
said at last. "Ive been talking about
myself. I might have been different
if my first love affair had been an al
together different thing. And I'm not,
thank God, fair sample"
"My love affair brought me a home
and-kids," she said. "There are two
Of them-twins-a year and half old
now; and I went off and left them;
left him. thought that by earning my
own way, building life that he didn't
surround, as you say, could win his
friendship. And have his love be-
sides. I don't suppose you would have
believed there could be such fool in
the world as was to do that"
He took while digesting this truly
amazing statement Of hers. But at
last he said: "No, wouldn't call you
fool. I call fool a person who
thinks he can get something for moth
ing. You didn't think that. You we're
willing to pay-a heavy price it must
have been, too-for what you wanted.
And I've an idea, you know, that you
never really pay without getting some
thing"
"I don't know" she said raggedly.
perhaps :"
AueIS WAS d S0VOu-LulrCy Train CO
town, and they finished their walk at
the station. She got back to her apart
ment about nine. Two corners of
white projected from under her door,
visiting card and a folded bit of
paper. It was Rodney's card, and on
it he'd written: "Sorry to have missed
you. I'll come back at eight"
Her shaking fingers fumbled pitt
fully over the folds Of the note, but
she got it open at last. It was from
him, too. It read:
Dear Rose: This is hard luck. sup
pose you're off for weekend some
| where. want very much to see you.
| When you come back and have leisure
| for me will you call me up? I know
how busy you are, so I'll wait until I
hear from you. RODNEY.
When the telephone girl switched
her to the information desk, and the
| information clerk said. ''Mr. Rodney