The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-01-29
What a Man Did
BY WILL T. AMES

tragedy as well as its sunshine; that
comes to the happy ending or TO the
sorrowful one as the case may be,
and not as the narrator Wills. II It
Is not Just the kind OF story you
would wish II to be search through
ancestries, analyze prenatal influences
and place the blame where 1t belongs.
DO not blame me.
June Phillips was the daughter of
her mother. and she OF her mother;
and the mothers mother the daughter
of still another like mother. And
down that line OF motherhood had run
streak of lightsoneness, aud no
strain of eager willingness.
Easy. smiling, gay was June, beau
tful with the beauty of great tawny
yes. dark lashes and hair with the
lint Of mellow sunlight in It. She
VAS soft and warm and poutlng. En-
dowed at once with the lavish lure
Of womanhood and with the pink and
creamy freshness OF her scant seven
| teen years, she drove John Halliday
half mad.
John was twenty-three and might
have been ten years more than that,
by the settled, strong way of him. In
stead of school he had chosen TO take
his education from an architect, af-
ter sixteen. Already he was a fin
ished draughtsman and on his way
to a place I'm his profession. under
Holly. his watchful employer.
To June fiuttering breathlessly on
the margin of a never ending millen-
mum OF grown-up good times" the
attentions of the responsible. we'll
groomed young architect combined
the virtues of a continual social tri-
umph with limitless opportunity; for
John delighted to take the girl about.
A year of this and then, because John
was insIstent and the girl was the
daughter of that particular race Of
mothers and possessed keen instinct
for the easy road to easy circum-
stances, they were married.
Two years later John Halliday,
knew. In the lottery that is marriage,
what sort of prize be had drawn
What depth Of stormy petulence hid
beneath the winsome poutlng. he
could have told; but did not.
What greed for admiration what
| lmpish thirst to dabble In the shall
lows along the shores Of the sea OF
passion, what eternal restlessness ant
hunger for excitement lay behind the
tawny eyes had been revealed to hin
, in long months Of disilluslonment
But he was strong, and as patient n
he was strong, and he bore with man,
, things
, Then, coming home after tw'
weeks business trip, he found he
, gone. She had left, the maid said
I the day after his departure, only In
/ structing the girl tc remain and keel
the house going till Mr.. Halliday
return.
, John maintained the home until hi
lease expired. then sold the effects L
. new tenant and went to live at
hotel. There were no babies. God
\ 1 thank you" said John, "for that.
When John Halliday was thirty
three his professional opportunit.
: came. 1t took him to great city ant
[ to a profitable partnership. Still
, young, enjoying reputation and es
tabllshed position. his earnings wei
7 in excess of his needs, life held mucl
a Of promise for him.
I Then II was that, walking home 70
exercise through a sparkling avenu
| In the orange sunshine of late Oc
4 tober afternoon, he met her-squarel
I face to face.
I A single glance was sufficient I
'erify the conclusion John Hallida
z ong ago had arrived at concernin
I mis- wife. Everything about her--i
1 the character of hsr clothes, I'm tn
4 manner of her coiffure, in the degre
e In which she had insulted with pil
1 ment the God-given splendor of he
] eyes and skin, In her carriage. In tn
d way she held her head--was the mar
{, of the woman who has traded hersel
u for the thing she calls "life;" an
q who is satisfied with the transactio
y and has no regrets.
- She was quite unabashed. He'll
D john" she remarked, easily and wit
l. her ever ready smile. "Have you CON
r to life enough TO visit tie city? Your
r looking so prosperousl !"
"So, II may say So" replied Joh
n "are you"
Il "Oh, Pm having u perfectly love
u time. There's no place like the b
y town. you know. You'll like 1t II yc
' ever come here to live"
"I live here now"
"Reallyl Well. you might con
and see me some time-if you'll tel
!. phone ahead. The name is Spencer
:, Miss Spencer; Selkirk apartmen
:. Flfty-first street. Now l must RI
" along-Good-by
:. With that she was gone; and Jof
~ Halliday. mistaken, master OF his ov
:. nerves, proceeded on his way. U
" convincing? Improbable? l thin
=. SO myself. But, remember, j told yt
:. this was story from real life.
- f,,I N flor this th