New-York tribune., 1919-05-18
tcooyr,xh, 1919. New York Tribune Inc,

4 "a where the tall buildings, and
the amazing crowds always
seemed such commentary on the
power and force and wealth of Amer
lea and the world, and was on his
way to the railway station to take
q train for C, his home city, his
thoughts turned with peculiar emphasis
and hope, if not actually pleasure
and yet it was a pleasure, of sad,
distressed kind-to 1delle Where was
she now? What was she doing at thSs
particular moment-it wa after oa
gray November afternoon; just the
time, as he well knew, winter or sum-
fner. when she SO much preferred to
be glowing at an afternoon reception,
"the dansant," or a hotel grill where
there was dancing, and always, as he
we'll knew, in company with those vivid
young sports" or pleasure lovers OF
the town who were always following
her. Idelle, to do her no injustice, had
about her that something, even after
three years of marriage, that drew
them, some Of the worst or best
mainly the worst, he thought at times
of those who made his home city, the
great far-fung C, interesting and
in the forefront socially and in every
other way.
What girl, What history. And
attracted to her at all, he with his
forty-eight years, his superior Ooh,
very much) social position, his con-
servative friends and equally con-
servative manners. Idelle was so diff
ferent, SO hoyden, almost coarse, in her
ways at times, actually gross and vul-
gar derived from her French tanner
father, no doubt, not her sweet, re-
'tiring Polish mother), and yet how at
tractivc. too, in so many ways, with
that rich russet- -brown-g gold hair of
hers, her brown-black eyes. almost
pupil-less, the iris and pupil being of
the same color. and that trig, vigorous
figure, always tailored in the smartest
way' She was a paragon-to him at
least-or had been to begin with.
Hon. tinglin9 and dusty these streets
OF K acre, so vitol alUaysl Ho,o
sharply the taris of this mid Western
city turned cornerst
But what period he had endured
since he had married her, three years
before! What tortures, what despairs!
If only he could make over Idelle to
suit him. But what q wonderful thing
that destroying something called
beauty was, especially to one, like him
self, who found life tiresome in so
many ways-something to possess, a
showpiece against the certain inroads
of time, something wherewith to arouse
envy in other persons.
At last they ware reaching the
stetlonl
She did not deserve that he should
love her. 1t was the most unfortunate
thing for him that he did, but how
could he help it now? How overcome
1t? How punish her for her misdeeds to
him without Furnishing himself more
Love was such an inscrutable thing; sc
often one lavshed it where it was not
even wanted, God, he could testify to
thatl He was a fine example, really
She cared about as much COR him as she
aid for the lamppost on the corner, OF
an old discarded pair OF shoes. Anc
yet He was never tired Of look
ing at her, for one thing, Of thinking
of her ways, her moods, her secrets
She had not done and was not doing as
she should-it was impossible, he was
beginning to suspect, for her so to do
and still
He must stop and send her a tele
gram before the train left! What
pleasure it was, indeed, anywhere ant
at all times, to have her hanging OIL
his arm, to. walk into a restaurant o
drawing room and to know that Of al
those present none had a more at
'sactive wife than he, not one. For al
ldelle's commonplace birth and lack o
position to begin with, she was tn
smartest, the best dressed, the mos
alluring, by far-at least, he though
so-of all the set in which he ha
placed her. Those eyes, That hair
That graceful figure, always so slnartl
arrayed, To be sure, she was a littl
young for him. Their figures side b
side were somewhat incongruous-h
with his dignity and years ard almos
military bearing, as so many told min
she with that air of extreme youthful
ness and lure which always brought $
many OF the younger set to her sid
wherever they happened to be. Onl
there was the other CALLING thought
That she did not wholly belong to hin
and never had. She was too intereste
n other men, and always had bee,
Her youth, that wretched past Of her
\ had been little more than luri
streak of bad, even evl-yes, evil
conduct. She had, to tell the trutl
been vile girl, sensuous, selfish, il
.onsiderate, unrepentant, and was still
nd yet he had married her in spite ,
that, knowing it really. Only
at he had not known quite all
"Yss, Ill three Of theasi And ,oo
III get my sleeper ticket"