Arizona republican., 1920-10-28
THE BOOK OF DEBORAH.
Wonder If Van Actually Believe
 That He Fools Elm All

1 Wonder if Van Actually Believes
 That He Fools 'Em All Jim had been awfully subdued and i still ever since his return from the hos pital. We agreed that his mood was a | strange one for our cheerful Jimmy l boy and that it must be due, in part, to the slowness of his recovery. His l nurses suggested that his lethargy might be caused by his long con- finement to the sick room following so closely upon months of activity in the air service.
 l Our smiling Jim no longer spoke un- 1 less spoken to; he grew restless and | irritable and for the first time, critical of his bebe wife
 I heard the family reason about him, l but kept my own ideas about him to myself. From what Jim had said to me. concluded that he couldn't keep his mind from dwelling more than was good for him upon the strange drama of his delrium when he had reverted to his bachelorhood, had considered himself unmarried, had held Debs hand hour after hour, and had been soothed by her presence.
 I thought. too. that some hint of the gossip about Ann and Van had come to Jim's ears. Katherine Miller. next door neighbor for 20 years called on the invalid often. I could always feel the trail of the serpent after she had departed.
 Jim, who confided in no one but me, said one morning:
 sir. wish you'd ask Van to come over."
 'Tn phone him right away, Jimmy ,, Van surely is the most entertaining man we know"
 Ann likes him." said Jim. Know ing him will do her a lot of good. Why, Vans up in verything-football- ancient Greek and modern Russian [ drama, early Italian painting-musiC from Bach to Debussy- , And orchids-he's hunted 'em," exclaimed.
 Now Jimmy and I were good pals as children, chums in our school days and good friends forever. and I know I can venture far from the conven- tional boundaries of conversation and not shock him. l needed light on a confusing subject and since I couldn't talk to Jim about Bob I hitched the topic onto Van:
 T suppose we might call love the most glorious flower of human ex- perience. Jimmy"
 My brother in law looked interested so l went on:
 Then tell me why it is that Van. whC is sincerely devoted to elegance ana exclusiveness-who adores orchids how can he pick 57 varieties of com mon weeds?"
 You refer to his dozens of love af fairs?" Since Jim didn't shy at thu topic. I concluded he wasn't worrying about his wife and Van.
 Yes, Van belongs to the last brett, girl that beckons. Everybody knowi thati''
 v 'Egotisml It blinds him. What h . picks must be fine. he thinks. Wee' or orchid-look alke-in some of hi
 moods. I suppose" . T wonder if he actually believes tha t he fools 'em all?" I rambled on. I
 seemed good to talk to Jim freely i, had been a long time since Bob and - had exchanged opinions in our ol, ; way. When a man says darling t e several women the same week isn't h 8 --well-fooling himself as well a It them? Now Jim, don't protect you e sex. Give me the truth"
 Men who flatter themselves tha
 they cheat women in love-chea ' themselves eventually" Jim spol1
 grudgingly. as if he were handing m
 information woman ought not t possess.
 'e So our conversation ended abruptly