The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-08-08

! too clamorous. Somewhere beyond
that tangled mass of chimneys and
/ telegraph poles, somewhere on the 9th
er 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 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.
"Who is that?' 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 chung to the
back of the chair
"You have seen Louise?" she ex-
claimed breathlessly.
81 have seen Louise" he answered.
at is sll over"
She looked a little helplessly around
her. Then she selected the one chair
in the tiny apartment that was likely
to hold him, and led him to it.
"Please sit down." she begged, "and
tell me about it. You mustn't despair
like this all at once. 1 wonder If l
could helpr
"No one can help" he told her grim
L. to with
would rather not talk any more about
it. I didn't come here to talk about
it. / came to see you. So this is
where you live"
He looked around him, and for mo-
ment he almost forgot the pain which
was gnawing at his heart. 1t was such
simple plainly furnished little room,
so clean, so neat, so pathetically elo-
quent of poverty. She drew closer to-
gether the curtains which concealed
the little undiscovered 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 it according to
your own standards. You are too good
to come down"
"Am 1 too good for you, SOphy?"
She looked at him, and her whole
face seemed to soften. The light in
her blue eyes was sweet and wistful
, A bewildering little smile curled her
lips.
"Don't be stupid I" she begged. "a
; few minutes ago / was looking out OF
my window and thinking what poor
7 little morsel of humanity am, and
what useless, drifting life have led
But that's foolish. Come now! What
want to persuade you to do is t
go back to Cumberland for a time
and try hard-very hard indeed-tC
, realize what it means to be woman
like Louise, with her temperament
her intense intellectual curiosity, hel
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 undlsturbed ever
| by the flicker of an eyelid.
"Sophy," he said 81 have decided
to go abroad. win you come witt
| me?"
She sat quite still. Again her fac
was momentarily transformed. All it
| 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 ava!
| almost as quickly as it had come. He
| lips shook TREMENDOUSLY.
| "You know you don't mean it, John
You wouldn't take me. And if you did
| you'd hate me afterward-you'd wan
| to send me backw
He suddenly drew her to him, hi
| arm went around her waist. She hat
| lost all power of resistance. For tn
| first time in his life of his own DELHI
| crate accord, he kissed her-feverish
| ly, almost roughly.
| "Sophy," he declared, 81 have been
| fool! 1 have come an awful cropper
but you might help me with what
left. l am going to start afresh. :,
am going TO get rid or some OF theS
II ideas of mine which have brought m
II nothing but misery and disappoint
& ment. l don't want TO live up to then
t any longer. want to just forge
l. them I want to live as other mel
live-just the simple, ordinary life
Is Come with me! I'll take you to tn
e places we've talked about together.
L Il 4 -
e you. Let's try it,"
Her arms stole around his neck.
=. "John," she whispered hiding he
n face for moment. 'What can say
e What could any poor, weak little crea
(. ture like me say? You know / an
C fond of you'll haven't had the pride
d even, to conceal it,"
He stood up, held her face for
e moment between his hands, and kisse
her forehead.