Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-05-08
AS a Man
StriVeth
II
By HARRY F. BOWLING
(Copyright)

81 wonder what finally became OF
Adrian Hope?"
Isabelle spoke lstlessly; there was
no infection in her voice; her tone
was negative.
Poor Adrian he was one Of the I'M
At. Nothing ever becomes of such
men. They simply cease"
tilted back my bamboo chair and
smiled indulgently at Isabelle. We
had been celebrating the fifth ami
versary of our wedding day, we had
dlned comfortably, and now, Longing
on the terrace of our Monterey villa,
we were enjoying the restful hour Of
twilight
A delicious sOmnolence was steal
ing over me, the issue of an easy con-
science and n good digestion.
Isabelle reused me from my dream
ings; there was tenseness In her
voice out Of keeping with her former
apathy.
Tell me, Marius, is it divine or
only n human law, that no one woman
at one time may make more than one
man happy"
Sounds like problem in geome-
try or an algebralcal equation. Send
It TO the puzzle department" ! OBJ
served laZily.
She paid no attention to me but con-
tinued in the same strain.
81 would never be the cause of suf-
fering to any man-never willingly. II
have been 50, 1t was through an mex
orable law"
"Oh, as to Adrian Hope" ! re-
marked airily, tracing her thought to
It's germ cell, ait was part of his unfit
ness. You couldn't help It,"
"Yet he was in earnest"
"Too much in earnest for other poo
| pies comfort. He and his fiddle be-
came a neighborhoOd nuisance; he had
no more music in him than a-er-a
| bumblebee!"
"Bumbehees are rather melodious, =
| she corrected me. "And l think You
hardly do justice TO Adrian Hope"
"What! Did you enjoy his muslc?'
| mo, but he tried so hard. ! was
sorry for him, and it worries me some
| times"
worries your" l was growing n
little impatient. "What worries your
adrian Hope left California the
very day of our marriage and has
never been heard Of since"
"He went to the East Indies. have
told you so many times-partly for
business, partly for pleasure"
And wholly for pain. My dear
Marius," she continued quickly. "Caa
l help remembering he was desperate.
ly in love with me- and could never
reciprocate his feelings. and he went
away broken-hearted, do you call that
going for pleasure, and are you Jealous
because l feel sorry for him?"
81 am not Jealous" / answered qui,
city. "Why should be? Adrian never
had the ghost of show"
Isabelle leaned her elbow on the
stone balustrade which separated the
terrace from the garden below, and
rested her chin in her open palm.
1.-THE Goddess of Refiection'-what a
picture! If could put you on canvas
just as you look now" murmured.
She shook her head and smiled
sadly.
"You abandoned your brush and pal.
cite long ago, Marius. I'm afraid you
couldn't do IT,"
Her last remarks caused me some
pin-pricks of conscience. Since, Just
one year after our marriage Isabelle
had inherited a comfortable compe
tence. l had entirely neglected my
studio on which I had formerly had
to rely for a living. My art had moi
been art for arts sake.
ooh, we'll, it's never too late to
mend" | limited. you see fate some
| times seems to point in one direc
ton and then the unexpected"
''But fate and the unexpected are
| twin brothers," deep voice broke in
with the boom of an ocean breaker.
/ jumped to my feet.
| HuIItll iIcpS was Oiliy q
few feet from me. had heard nc
sound of his approach.
AS I stepped forward to greet
Adrian she retreated into the shadow
of the porch.
Il have been away long time
haven't II" Adrian began apoogetical
ly. 81 trust my sudden return hasn',
startled YOU. It's hardly conventional
! fear"
Adrian shook my hand heartily, bui
seemed utterly obliyious of my wife's
| presence.
'YOur present life, Marius," hi
asked, presently, "is it happy, as mer
call it?"
''Perfcctly happy" assented. lisa
| belle will tell YOU"
"Ah, yes! and five years ago l imag
ined myself perfectly unhappy"
Isabelle stepped forward into tn,
moonlight, and I saw that her cheeks
were crimson. Adrian addressed him
self to me: