Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-29
ro11,RE lots more difficult to man.
by LUCILLE VAN SLYKE

4
.dmi, his strength, his power over her.
.p,t there's something you're forget
NJ, That you armed me for this kind
~ encounter years and years ago. That
sr,. dsy that You found me crying
a." she interrupted herself to add,
(, ,,,,ishly. "Those weren't real tears,
CHARLES. never could cry. I took those
,.ors off the wet dish towels and hung
/, ,sm on my cheeks to get your sympathy
Tint very fret day you told me to buck
un and remember what Bill Shake
,nenre said about living.
"Bill says, All the worlds a stage,
vou told me. Whenever you're in a
5 tcht corner pretend you're an actor and
that there's an audience watching. It's
liable to make quite difference in the
voy you behave you said. And the
otber thing you taught me, that never,
never forgot. you didn't know you
taught me. You had shabby copy Of
Montaigne, you'd underlined, AS soon
as women become ours, we are no longer
theirs Well, think Il over, Charles.
You're going 10 be mine forever"
"You don't think I'm going to let
ron ret away with that sort Of thing?"
you're Bertha shirley's husband ~
,1ook out" he warned her. IT tell
,cu it's too late for you to pull this
hind Of stuff"
1kf H. r1uhA fTaA
"Bertha's husbandl Why. Bertha
hasn't meant anything to me for years
and years." He began to pace about.
eve had that all out this spring.
told you the first night we talked to-
ssther how I felt about her and that
knew she didn't give darn about me,
S 7 played fair from the start. So you
can't begin hedging at this stage Of the
game. Cad, II you do, you're worse
arafter than Bertha's been! She only
grabbed a house and lot and few
clothes, but you've deliberately snatched
.t everything I had that was worth
while to give" He strobe toward her
angrily. IT tell you I'll make you pay ~
His fingers bruised her arm. "Why
Imp dear, you can't mean that you've
been playing with me--that you don't
care about me!
Look here" he pulled a string oi
white corals from his pocket. eve beer
carrying these around like a sentimental
fool for the last two weeks. They're the
corals I forgot to get for you when you
were little. And-and-th feeling
have for you now is so big-that I was
afraid to try to give these-afraid t
try to give you anything-afraid t.
speak or breathe Almost, for fear II
offend you--"
She took them from him. She salt
a lovely thing as she pressed her lips
against their cool, pink feckcd sur.
faces.
They wouldn't offend the little CIR
] used to be! I'll let her wear then
always
You can't work on my sympathic
any longer" he retorted. "Iou pu
down your cards too soon. Give mt
back those beads
She hid them in her bosom.
Il love them too much,' she smiled
You let me moon around all sum
mcr thinking you cared, and now 20,
stand there in cold blood and make Gul
OF me-"
Il do care" Her voice was gentle
How much I care you can neve
understand. But it's thit way, ! low
you, shall always love you. low,
you the way Aunt Debs loved you.
love the boy in you and not the man
It's exactly the way you loved me once
lou loved the little girl in me and no
the woman.
Il love the woman now"
You only think you do.
You knew it that first day In tn
woods when l kissed your hair"
She blew him an airy kiss from he
iingertps.
Take 1t back, you stingy dear. l
was such a sketchy, scared little kis
that I won't miss it! Besides, 20,
didn't kiss me, you kissed spring. AM
you'll forget oil about it the very mex
time you kiss Bertha. Oh, don't lool
like thatl Before you know 1t you'll
be back again at her side. You'll fin
yourself tucking your fingers under he
chin, you'll hear yourself saying. Lo
old lady, feeling better?' Oh. you coul
no more desert her than could let you
Why, IL you did. the minute it raine
you'd find yourself worrying abou
whether she'd remembered to put o.
them on for her. I've watched you d
1t, | know how vain you are Of he
pretty feet. know, too, how much sh
needs you.
Poor Bertha! She's had very littl
In life! She's been cheated out G
oil the things that matter most--tie
6y the stupid tyranny of little thing
from the big gorgeous WORLD sh
hung out her arms. It's too late nov
TO teach her, but it's too late now
take away the little she has; sh
wouldn't know how to find anythin
else. And you needn't wax sentimentt
about your midsummer madness. You
feelings may have fooled you, old deal
nut they never fooled me.
Come now, sit down on this hair
cloth sofa minute. It's as shiny an
hard and secure as New Englant
conscience. It's good place to tax
inventory. You're admittedly forty
seven and you had let yourself q
oored with life, You were tired
yourself and everybody, so like Il
Dressed goose you were you blamed it c
your innocent wife and decided &c
We're tired because Of her.
Spring and had to come to 20,
rescue 1t was very lucky for you th
sspring and l came along when we di
pvt, oh, how bored you'd be, Charlie
boy If it stayed spring forever. f.
you really are almost forty eight AZ
there's years and years ahead when
viii be far pleasanter for you to sit
me lire than 1t would be to dash abo
with violent soul who wanted to rom
az day And who wanted heaps al
neaDS of nOisU ~ m, q 10 n nd k;dd los a ho