The Washington times., 1920-11-28
O. loutI.

IA O1 -
Your father. Tony. on that little
paper. was a big man-a great
mani"
What could he reply7 Could he
tell her OF Wilma! OF his misery.
his disappointment, his vain quest!
II only he could tell her! But that
was impossible. Adela seemed to
him a creature OF another world.
ethereal. fame-like. and SO pure
that to reveal such a past to her
would be to lose her forever. He
realized suddenly that to lose her
now would spell disaster for him.
She was the embodiment OF all that
made life worth living-she was
hope, aspiration. fineness. Yet she
was now engaged In charging him.
and rightly. with worse than futil-
ity, with drabness, with common
place aims-and It was true!
II only he had realized before
how much Adela meant to him!
But growing up with a girl from
childhood Is monstrously confusing.
One can hardly tell whether she Is
sister or sweetheart. II only she
had been in New York In those
early day before he had met Wilma!
The morality of the thing did not
now occupy him, but only the bitter
law OF compensation. With poig-
nant suffering he was paying the
price OF the past, and yet he had
thought he had paid II all before
by the hideous nightmare OF pain
that eliminated in his journey to
London. How long and how often
must he continue to pay? That Is
the unanswerable riddle Of the
Sphinx.
Listen, Addie," he began sud
denly with a gesture as though
about to take her hand. Then he
quickly drew back. What do you
advise me to do? he said.
Adela noted the gesture and a
look Of pain came into her eyes.
She ignored his question.
What is 1t that has come be.
tween us?" she cried. with out
stretched hands and the tears start.
ing to her eyes. "Oh, tell me, An
thony, dear, what It is! We were
such-friends! You kissed me once"
her voice broke-"and now you're
afraid to touch my hand.
might be a leper, the way you act!
Oh, what have done" She wept
piteously, covering her face. What
has happened-what have I done?"
"Done!" he exclaimed, and he
leaned toward her and took hold
OF her white, tremulous wrists. ITS
not what you've done, Addie. It's
what 2 haven't done" His impulse
was to take her in his arms and to
strain her to him.
"Oh, Addie don't you see?
You're so ine-so-miles and miles
above me-and IL am nothing at
ALL" He was at a loss what further
to say as he clung to her wrists.
"He doesn't care" was the bitter
thought in Adela's mind, and she
kept her face covered now in sheer
humiliation, in fear Of revealing her
misery.
Life near you," she heard him
say, would be a glory-if only
deserved it. But wait. Addie-wait
a little. I feel as though I must
begin over again-in so many
things! With you here-your help
and sympathy and understanding
l could begin to live again every
thing is different already"
Then she realized that the bar
rier, whatever it was, was still
there and impossible. Whatever it
was, she had a conviction he was
exaggerating it. What, after all,
could he have done?
With a little sob she lifted her
head and bravely met his eyes. She
saw in them pain, genuine an
guish OF regret or remorse, that
stabbed and chilled her. But why
did he not tell her everything!
Why had he grown so cruelty COM
plex that he could not tell her, pour
everything out to her as a child
might cry out to mother when
her heart was so full Of him? This
l. ~, ch I1pDaI 70 COW hnf could