Tombstone epitaph., 1918-03-10

1 beating in hcr brain was too insistent, too clamorous. Somewhere beyond that tangled mass of chimneys and telegraph poles. somewhere on the oth- CT side of the gray haze which hung about the myriad roofs, John and Louise were working out their destiny. speaking at last the naked truth to | each other.
 She started suddenly back into the room. There was a knocking at the door. something quite different from her landlady's summons. She wrapped her dressing-gown around her. pulled the curtains around the little bed on which she had striven to rest, and moved toward the door. She turned the handle softly.
 l "Who is thatr she asked. John almost pushed his way past her. She closed the door with nerve less fingers. Her eyes sought his face. her lips were parted She clung to the back of the chair.
 | "You have seen Louise" she ex- claimed breathlessly. T have seen Louise," he answered. 'It is all over!"
 She looked little helplessly around her. Then she selected the one chair in the tiny apartment that was likely to hold him, and led him to 1t.
 "Please sit down." she begged. land tell me about 1t. You musn't despair like this all at once. I wonder if I could helpw
 "No one cnn help" he told her grim ly. "It Is all finished and done with. I would rather not talk any more about it. I didn't come here. to talk about 1t I came to see you. So this is where you nver
 He looked around him. and for . mo- ment he almost forgot the pain which was gnawing at his heart. It was such simple. plainly furnished little room. so clean. % neat, % pathetically elo- quent of poverty. She drew closer to- gether the curtains which concealed the little chintscovered bed. and came and sat down by his side. She clasped her hands tighter around his arm. Her eyes sought his anxiously.
 "But you mustn't climb down, John." she insisted. "You are SO much nicer where you are, so much too good for the silly, ugly things. You must fight this in your own way. fight 1t according to your own standards. You are too good to come down"
 "Am I too good for you. SophyT Che lnaHaA hlv1 end hop vrhnlA face seemed to soften. The light in her blue eyes was sweet and wistful. A bewildering little smile curled her lips.
 Don't be stupidl" she begged "A few minutes ago was looking out of my window and thinking what . poor little morsel of humanity am, and what a useless. drifting life have led. But that's foolish. Come now! What I want to persuade you to do is to go back to Cumberland for c time, and try hard-very hard indeed-to realize what 1t means to be a woman like Louise, with her temperament. her intense intellectual curiosity, her charm. Nothing could make Louise different from what she is-a dear. sweet woman and a great artist. And. John, believe she loves you!"
 His face remained undisturbed even by the flicker of an eyelid.
 "Sophy." he said, 'T have decided to go abroad. Will you come with mer'
 She sat quite still. Again her face was momentarily transformed. All its pallor and fatigue seemed to have van ished. Her head had fallen . little back. She was looking through the ceiling into heaven. Then the light died away almost as quickly as 1t had come. Her lips shook tremulously. "You know you don't mean 1t, Johni You wouldn't take me. And If you dld. you'd hate me afterward-you'd want to send me backT
 He suddenly drew her to him, his arm went around her waist. She had lost all power of resistance. For the first time in his life of his own delib- ly, almost roughly.
 "Sophy," he declared, T have been . foolI I have come an awful cropper. but you might help me with what's left. am going to start afresh. I am going to get rid of some of these ideas of mine which have brought me nothing but misery and disappoinf- ment. I don't want to live up to them any longer. l want to just forget them. I want to live as other men uve-just the simple, ordinary life. Come with mel I'll take you to the places we've talked about together. I am always happy and contented with you. Let's try itr
 Her arms stole around his neck.
 "John," she whispered, hiding her face for . moment "What can sayf What could any pooe. weak little crea- ture like nc sayf You know I am fond of you-I haven't had the prids. even, to conceal itf
 | He stood up. held her faes for . moment betwesa his hands, cd k1Oed her foeshead.
 m ehatss an sstsjod," hs C. e1area T an e6lng baek ts " resms n0w. I want yo9 to eooe and 6lns with Ds tbsrs tsalohG st slehe 6eleek."
 Her syss sossAa haa psssdsd wssA 0sn, 0sasched th@.