The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-01

know what it means to me?"
"No," returned Dick Robinson cold
ly, "what does it mean to you?"
"The the end, Dick!"
"End of WHAT"
Life, love, hope every
thing" Her voice as she said it was
sunken to a whisper
IL told you long time ago that
dramatics always disguised me,
Mibb."
"Dick! Pm in earnest, Dick, 1t
isn't dramatics. | mean it, Dick !
I've reached the end"
"And l believe you had reached ths
end also with Herb Truman, Pea
body and Young Ezekial and various
other male satellites who have had
more OF less bearing on your mum
dane orbit, Mibb."
"Dick! my Gawd, Dick!
don't say that; don't talk that way
about things. It's burning bis
tering acid on my naked heart"
ooh rot, Mibb! If your hearts so
nude, pull something over it. l don't
want to be brutal and you're a good
sport, Mibb, . but make fight and
get your balance"
cts what you have just said,
the most cruel thing I've ever
heard, I. and I've had lots of
a1,I1ol tbiYOe coil mn
"Mibb, you'll have me saying lots
worse things in a moment. You're
making scene, you've"
"No l haven't taken too much, and
l will make a scene if it means"
"Now look here, Nib, we've
got to have an understanding and
we'll have it right here and now,
you're provoking it. I'm sorry,-for
you, . although not in just the way
you think, can see exactly how
you feel and if l could l would help
you. :"
"You can help mel"
"But not by marrying you"
eyes, by marrying me! Why not?
What's the past few years meant
all the times we've had together
and the trips and the talks and
the suppers and the parties what
have they meant if not matrimony :.
what could woman think?
Dick! Dick! don't go back on me
now! Gawd, Dick don't tell
mo it,r oil
"Well, WHAT"
Entertainment and nothing
more, Dick. I've had a hard row to
hoe. I've been unfortunate it
seems, in everything I've taken up,
everything I've tried to do. And
I'm on the level in this, on the
level with you, I've been on the
level all along, and l thought at
last | was coming into little peace
and rest after it all. What have |
done to get this-what have l done.
The tears that came up in her
tired and burned out eyes only caused
the man to tap off more cigar-ash
calmly and look at her in vivisectional
interest-cold interest-as he would
consider the impropcrly-timing func-
lions of machine that was suddenly
doing strange and inexplicable things.
81 never thought it was in you,
Mibb," he said finally. az thought
you were more sensible"
Sensible? Amt I sensible, Dick?
Amt it the most sensible thing in
the world for me to want YOU?
After what I've gone through and
suffered and been cheated out Of"
"Mibb, let's discuss this thing like
sane man and sane woman. Look
ing backward for a moment l can re-
member night twenty-eight years
ago when you and l with a lot of
other young folks up home sat around
fire in little shack up in the noun
tains."
Don't 1 remember it, haven't
thought of it thousands of times,
Dick? wished l could go back to
that night and live the years over
again"
The man frowned at the interrup-
ton. But he went on:
and Herb Truman, poor
old Herb! got sentimental and
proposed an extraordinary thing"
eyes, poor old HERBERT Look