Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-05-27
"rr CANNOT BE-

Cn9Dle 50.
"Can we be friends and only friends.
after all that has happened David
repeated her question. looking past
Alice and far down the shining silver
surface of the river.
can we?" Alice asked again.
The man turned to her. his gray
eyes steady and compelling.
we can. We have to be-" he an.
swered.
They sat for a long time. saying
nothing. The embers OF the fire blew
about a bit. David mechanically broke
dry stick into short pieces and tossed
It on the bed of glowing ashes. Ine
cold river wind blew sparks and smoke
about, and gusts OF heat occasionally
over the two people who sat on the nat
rock. mother party out for a
winters walk tramped past and were
lost along the winding path.
The sun was as bright and as GOA
as the eyes of a heartless But
neither Alice nor David noticed such
external things.
There's nothing else to do" David
said, expressing aloud the
they had both been busy with. II m
tied hand and foot to Lois. She's my
wife whether she lives with me or not
She wouldn't free me-even III you.
would ask me to be free, even II you
believed in that sort of thing.
"Divorce?" Alice asked. g" don't.
That is. l didn't. l d~ont-know what
/ believe in. any more. Everything is
so mixed up" Her tone ounde
dreary enough.
II deserve 1t, it's my W punish
ment," David aid I've thought that
all along. After all. / was no child
that she kidnapped. And IL | was
enough of a fool TO be blinded by her
surface prettiness so that l no longer
--..u.s.4~ .s1tr x-aIaa Whv / dpSPTE-
ed to spend the rest of my life paying
for 1t. I thought o would forget
and be happy
II tried to forget. I'm afraid never
could"
But now I've seer you again, | can't
get along without YOU" David cried.
1t was. Alice felt deep in her mind. an
expression of David's weakness. Mere
friendship, after the love that had
been them, must be a sacrl-
fee on her part as we'll as his. lie
was ready to make the Sacrlflce De-
cause he had to see her. and he was
ready to ask her to make 1t too. But
this weakness endeared MN 10 her
still more. For Alice was very much
n woman. And to a woman, a sacrl-
flee for the man she loves is a sacred
privilege.
YOU did so much for me-" Alice
said drcamily after a time.
'I? I never did anything-except
hurt you" David answered.
you gave me an ideal" Alice Went
on, as though he had not spoken. Il
never had one before. I'd been too
busy baking and cooking and
and doing garden work. knew
there were people and things didn't
like, but never knew why. l never
knew anything better. | never saw the
way to better my own condition. Then
I'D NnY WaTl dIfe1GnI.
You were my ideal of a man.. Inc
man stirred at this. and started to pro-
test.
Being an overworked slave would
never help me. / had TO open up my
mind, to learn things, to educate my
self so l could command what l
wanted. From the time they talked of
that Model Farm I knew what | want
ed-to work there, to learn now 10
turn barren earth mo productive SOIL
TO teach other over-worked people
who toiled for a starvation living now
to get more for less labor by using
efficient methods
.gTben your books came and i had
the key to all the knowledge needed
right there. I would never have been
able TO afford them. and would not
have known which ones to buy anyway
II was the greatest consolation Tor ios-
ing you ~
Then YOU rightly took a chance
with your little sum of money ana
came here to finish your educatioh'
David ended the story for her. "And
so we met again and opened up the
old problem. DO you think we can
be friends again. Alice? need you so
much. You've been my ideal, too, but
a real ideal. I've always kept me
idea of your courage and your unfall-
ing sweetness and good temper pc
fore me whenever things went wrong
I don't deserve to have you now as d
friend"
Alice smiled at him.
at will be a sweet and wonderful
friendship. she said.
$50 we will be friends?' David cried
tovously. Alice nodded.
.Wili you shake hands on it, lie
pulled his hand from his overcoat
rocket and held 1t out. Alice extend
cd her own. warmly protected by a
wool glove. And they shook hands.
sitting there on the rock. Their HANDS
dropped apart. But ever as David re
leased her hand. he caught 1t pack
again and pulled off the thick glove.
" - boI1 ~ In both of his tightly,