The Monticellonian., 1919-05-09

wicked for people to live together If they don't love each other"
 It's love. then. that makes mar riage saered?" "Yes. Yes, indeed Of course i'
 "Is 1t all right for two people who are not Christians to live together ac. cording to their creeds?"
 How do you meanf" Well, the people who lived before there were any Christians-or people who never heard of Christianity-was 1t all right for them to marry?"
 of course"
 Its not any one formula. then. that makes marriage all right2"
 "Of course not, it's the-tbe-"
 "The love2"
 'I think so. It's hard to explain" 1 Everything is, isn't it?" "Terrihly"
 There was more silence He took cigar from his pocket. held 1t be fore her for permission She said Please" He struck match. She glanced at his face in the little lime. l light of the match. It was very hand some. pearl of drowsy luster gleamed in the soft folds of his tie The hands sheltering the match were l splendid hands.
 She watched the cigar fire glow and 1 fade and the little turbulent smoke yeils foat into the air and die. One of them formed wreath a strange, frail writhing circlet of blue fflaments. It drifted past her and she put her fin ger into it-her ring finger by sone womanly instinct.
 Now you're married to me" said Duane.
 There was a sudden movement of his hands as if to seize upon her. She recoiled a little; his hands did not pursue her. They went back to tie steering wheel and clung to 1t fierce 1 ly. She turned from hIs eyes, but he gazed at her cheek, and she could feel the blood stirring there in q blush.
 If you loved me. would you marry me?" he said.
 1T love I'm going to marry somebody else"
 Whenf"
 "Same day"
 "If you're not happy with him, will you leave him?'
 "Oh, but I'll be happy with him. "So many people have said that You've seen how seldom 1t worked 1 If you ceased 10 love him. or he you would you leave himT'
 "If' is large order. Maybe"
 Wouldn't it be wiser If two people who thought they loved could live to- gether for while before they mar ried?"
 She felt her muscles set as if she would rise and run away from such words. Mfr Duane l don't think it's nice even to be talking of such things. Besides, it's growing late" , Its not so late as 1t would be if you married man and found that your marriage was a ghastly mistake"
 Hadn't We better start baek2'
 Please don't leave me just yet This is very solemn to me. I've been studying you q long time, trying to get you out of my mind, and only get ting you deeper in my heart. love you"
 q don't believe it."
 'I know it.' Then you oughtn't to tell me"
 Not tell woman you love her? Not try to save her from wrecking her life and my ownY
 How wrecking my-her life?'
 T believe that if you marry Clay Wimburn you'll be unhappy. He can't give you q home. He can't buy you clothes. He can't support you"
 That's not his fault. just now with the hard times and the war. Please let's go home."
 "To my home?"
 That insolence was too appalling to answer, or even to gasp at, or protest against. II stunned her. He took nd vantage of her daze to explain. hur riedly:
 You're not going to be one of those silly, old-fashioned idiot girls that 4 man can't talk to earnestly and frank i ly, are you now? Of course you're not. You're not one of those poor things whose virtue consists in being insulted every time anyone appeals to their intelligence, are you? No, you're fine, brave soul, and you want to know the truth about truth, and so do l l.
 I'm a decent enough fellow at heart want to do the right thing and live squarely as well as the next fellow. I've got sense of honor, toe, of sort. and take life pretty seri- ously.
 "I tell you the world is all turned topsy-turvy the last few years The old rules don't rule. They never did. but people pretended to believe in 'em Now we're not so afraid of the truth in science or history or religion or anything. We want to know the truth and live by it. (TO BE CONTINUED GRANT REFUSED TO ANSWER