The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-02-21

this was her room, n room where any
n lacking her specific invitation to
enter would he mn intrudcr-a condi-
ton which had not obtained either In
her mothers house or In Rodncy'a
She smiled widely over the nbsurdity
Of INDUCING In n plcnsurublc feeling Of
possession In n sQualid little c%ubbyhole
like this. The wall paper was stained
and faded there was an iron bed-thc
mattress IN the bed was lumpy. There
was n dlngy.lookinG oak bureau with n
small mirror; n handicapped black
walnut wnshstand and n pitcher stand
Ing In n bowl on top of II.
As for the hurrying life she looked
out upon from her grimy window, the
difference between Il and that which
she had been wont TO contemplate
through Florence McCrpa's eSqulsitely
loaded easements was simply planet
ary.
And yet. quecrly enough. In terms OF
literal llneal measurement, the dis
lance between the windows themselves
was less than n thousand yards. And.
such Is the social and splr-
itual distance between North Clark
street and Tho Drive, she was rs safely
hidden here, Us completely out OF the
orbit Of my of her friends, or even OF
her friends servants, ny she could
have been In New York or San Frnn-
cisco.
OF course, wherever she went, what
ever she did. there'd always be the risk
that someone who could carry back
news to Rodney's friends would rec
ognise her. Il was u risk that had to
DO tnkcn. At the same time she'd
protect the secret Us we'll us she could.
There were two people, though, It
couldn't be kept from-Portia and her
mother. The story given out to Rod
ney's friends being that Rose was In
California with her mother and Portia,
left the chance always open for some
contretemps which would lead to her
mothers discovering the truth In n sur
prislng and shocking way.
But the truth itself, confidently stat.
ed, not as Il trngic ending. but MS the
splendid, hopeful beginning Of II life Of
truer happiness for Rose and her hus.
band. needn't be IL shock. so this was
what Rose had borne down upon her
In her letter To Portla.
-. I rave found tho big thing couldn't
be had without u lght,' she wrote. You
shouldn't DO surprised. because you've
probably found out for yourself that moth
Loo. ---sL ..N. -z.n. .sA.. -A.N1, ma
you're not TO worry about me. nor be-
afraid for mo. because I'm going to win.
I'm making tho fight. somehow. for you
as well rs for myself. / wan you to
know that. I think that realizing / was
living your life as well as mine. IL what
has given me the courage to start.
i've got some plans. but I'm not going
to tell you what they are. But III write
to you every week and toll you what I've
done. ana I want you to write to Rodney.
| want to DO sure that you understand
this: Rodney isn't to blanc for what's
happened. We haven't qunrreled. and l
believe we're farther In love with each
other than we've ever been before. !
snow / am with him, . . Break this
thing 10 mother as gently as you like, but
tell her everything before you stop. ....
This letter written and dispatched.
she had worked out the details of her
| htIui Nuic Win "a kOou utui VI Nule.
In her own house, before the servants,
she had tried to act just as she would
have done had her pretended telegram
really come from Portla. Her bag was
packed, her trunk was gone. her motor
waiting ut the door to take her To the
station. when the maid Doris brought
the twins home from their airing. This
wasn't chance, but Encouragement.
"Give them to me-" Rose said. land
then you may go up and tell Mrs.
Ruston she may have them In u few
minutes"
She took them into her bedroom and
laid them side by side on her bed.
They had thriven nnely-justifed, 50
fur as that went. Harriet's decision
In favor Of bottle feeding. Had she
died back there In that bed Of pain,
never come out Of the ether at all.
they'd still be just like this-rlump,
placid, %methodical. Rose had thought
OF that a hundred times. but It wasn't
what she was thinking Of now.
The thing that caught her as she
was looking down on them. was n
wave Of sudden pity. She saw them
SUDDENLY as persons with the long road
nll ahead OF them, as a boy and n girl.
a youth and n maid, a nan and n
woman.
She'd never thought of them like
TINT before. The baby she had looked
forward to-the baby she hadn't had
had never been thought OF that way.
eitSer. II was 10 be something to pro-
vide her. Rose. with an occupation 10
make nm nlchemic change In the very
substance OF her life. Tho transmuta-
tion hadn't taken place. She surmised
now. dlmly, that she hadn't deserved
Il should.
"You'vc never had n mother nj
all, you poor little mites" she said.
But you're going to have one some
day. You're going 10 he able to come
to her with your troubles, because
she'll have had troubles herself. She'l
help you bear your hurts, because
she's Ind hurts of her oW-n. And