Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-25
West Wind Drift
BY GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON
oopvrIoht, 1850. bv George Borr Moc,to,.or

" be magnanimously. 1T may have
go, tho result OF an honest, uncon-
."o,,ob,e impulse But doubt IT,"
nNen do queer, strange things when
,o- the influence of strong emo
- she said, a hopeful note In her
| voice.
.,o.,, hasa things. You don't for an hi-
s,ant suspect Perclval of being re-
Ieious fanatic, do your
"p,ease don't sneer. And what, pray,
hss religion to do with III"
"r dare say Morris Shine is again
,onenting the absence of n motion-pic-
,ura camera. He Is always complaining
hut the chances he has missed To-"
stop"
"Why, Ruth dear, i
1--WE have no right to judge him, Mr..
Landovsr." ,,,,, ,,,,,on
uI don't believe he had the faintest
| ,o,ion that he was being--theatrical, as
wou cali II. am sure he did 1t because
he was moved by an oVerpowerlnB de-
sire TO make all of US happy. ne
souIdn't bear the thought of that evil
,pinS out there, pointing at us while
~" ,.a 1yorshiped and tried to sing with
wladness in our hearts. No He did 1t
sor YOU, and for me, and for all the
rest of us-and he made every near!
lighter when that thing toppled over and
fell. saa tho change that came
over every one when they realized that
Il was destroyed? There were smiles on
avery face, and every voice was cheer
mi. The look of uneasy dread was
CINE Oh you must have seen.
e"I can only ray that 1t ought TO nave
been done before. Ruth-not during inc
exercises" ,,,,,,,,-
ba was wrong In Insisting that 1t should
"He had his way with that weak
Ineed committee, as usual. the tactlcs
of that Copperhead Camp he talks so
much about are hardly applicable to
ambitions here. We are not law-defying
ruffians, you know--and these are wom-
en- of quite another order"
"No, one-not even you, Mr.. Land
over-can say that he has been any
thing but kind and confederate and sym
nathetic," she flashed. He Is fir,n-but
isn't that what we want? And the peo-
ME worship him--they will do anything
for him. Even Manuel Crust respects
hm-and obsys him. And YOU down & IN
kind Of man. Mr.. Landover. He does
things. He Is like Theodore Roosevelt
He does things" ,,
Landover smiled srimly. "ferhap'
that iS why L ulSllRc
"Recause he is like Roosevelt?''
"My dear, let's not start an argu-
ment about Roosevelt"
"Just the same, I've heard you say
over and over again that you wish
Roosevelt were President now" she per-
sisted. "Why Go you say that If YOU are
SO down OH him
Landover shrugged his shoulders ex'
pressly. .u,
II can wish that, my dear, and stu
20 Mr pnngaunlt ~ hi
replied but to return to PercivRl, ism Y
Il quite PLAIN to you that he was pout-
inr like a schcolboy because he had not
been asked to take part in todaE's ex'
ercises?" &c.
"He was asked to take part in them
asked him myself"
He glanced at her SHARPLY. You neVe
told me you had asked him, Ruth:
"rhe night the crime was committed,
she said briefly. HE was very nice an"u
it. He promised to sing In the choi
and-and to help me with the decora
tons. After our unpleasant experience
the next day. he had the-shail we say
tact or kindness?-to reconsider hi'
promise" !,
Openly advertising the fact that III
preferred 10 have no part in any enter
tainment you were arranging. was
Lardover's comment. II don't believe |
was because of any particu'or helicac!
Of feeling on his part, my dear. In any
case, the fact remains that he let you e.
ahead with the affair, and then, bang
rght in the middle of 1t he stages nj
cheap, melodramatic moving-plcture act
Bosh !" ,. $500.
you will not see anything good II
him, will you? You can't be tair, car
you? Well, can bc-and ] am. He ma
been fair with both of us-and ! an
ashamed Of the way / have treated nm, Y
and he did not hesitate to turn US bacl
although he realized what 1t Woult
mean. He loves me, Abel LandoVer-h'
loves mo a thousand times more thai
YOU do, in spite Of all your pr'testatons
He"
"Why, Ruth-I-I-"
Yer know Il know you ar
shocked. And don't care-do you un
derstand? don't care that
You want your answer, Mr.. LandoVer
Well, you shall have it now. l cannot
marry you. This is final
The blood left his face. You don
know what you are saying, Ruth ne ne
exc exclaimed; Anne had G9a ti%s to~ are e"s'" ''
i've had all the time ! need" she IN, n,
disagreeable-but it's no use, Mr., Land
il have misIed you into hoping. There
is nothing more TO be said.
you have misled me-" he cried ou
bitterly. o,
Il am TO nlame, buppost' ~, ~
trick-and a norrid one, I'll admit
have never even thought of marryint
Are you in love with PercIval?" HI
"Yes~i think ! am" she replied
looking him straight in the eye: Sh'
spoke with a sort of gasp, as II releasing
confession that surprised even herself
my God, Ruth can't believe IT, NJ
groaned.
"I have denied it to myself-oh, J.;
thousand times-lVe toueht asa'nsI ~ ~
everything In my power to make hin
believe that | desplse him. But It's m
use, IL can't think OF anything else
! cant think OF any one else, On,
sometimes find myself praying that W
may never be rescued. 1t might mean
we'll, you can see what 1t might mean
Thank God, you have driven me TO I'M
confession 1t Is the first time haV
heen really honest with myself, j hay
lied TO myself over and over again a6ou
my feeling toward him, have lRi
awake for hours at night lying :" my
self-teling myself that hate him an
always viii hate him. Now, It's out =
Il the truth is out, have never hate
him have cared for him from tn
very beginning"
N forth like food suddenly released atte
breaking through the dam, sweepin
everything before it-resistless, devas
tating, cruelty rapturous. She though
nothing Of the hurt she was infiictin
upon the mann beside her; he was a
atom in the path Of the torrent thin
that went down and was left behind q
me Hood swept over and by MN a
suddenly as 1t began she torrent wa
checked, a hot flush scared her necl
Ier cheeks, her brow.
What a fool YOU must think me
she cried in dire chagrin. What st'
pid fool %
lie had not taken his eyes from he