The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-07-06
VALUES
BY CAROL FARMER.

Alice swayed unresistingly with
every movement of the elevated train,l
too weary even to try to protect her
self from the jolts caused by the prox-
unity of her fellow sufferers. Despite
her pallor and evident exhaustion. her
face shone flower-like above her shah
by furs.
'Tired, Alice?"
Her companion clumsily tried to
steady her as she was almost swept
off her feet between the human mael-
strom, those fighting to get off and
those getting on, like two mighty
streams, each determined to have the
right of way.
The girl felt that if he touched her
again she would scream. Tonight
more than ever he seemed to typify
all the things she hated with every
fiber of her being, all the sordidness
which so far had made up her life
All about her was the same apathy;
the self-evident signs of struggle for
roof over ones head and enough to
cover ones nakedness of body if not
won philosophy into play.
She had her health and Joe, and
momentary pang of compunction
smote her In all the world he was
the only one who really cared any
thing about her. To all the hustling,
pushing throng she was nothing but
mere atom.
In the deep recesses of her soul she
knew that in marrying Joe she was not
being true to her higher self. She
knew it would mean the end of all her
striving for some of the beauty and
JOY of life. No matter how hard she
tried she could never take him up
ward and onward with her; she would
have to come down to his level. While
he secretly admired and stood in awe
of her motions" as he called them,
they We're entirely beyond his compre-
henson.
When she allowed herself to think,
Alice despised herself for giving up
the struggle so ignobiy. But she was
SO tired of the eternal loneliness, the
terrifying abysmal loneliness of her
ness and single gas jet, of the bargain
basement with its tight-skirted. gum
chewing, rouged prisoners, with whom
she felt so inadequate to cope And
Joe seemed to offer her the only escape.
her only surcease. Dull, plodding, yet
he could give her physical companions
ship, a home better than she could win
MI tn ho
present spacter of the wolf on hei
horizon.
But her dreams: they could never
be anything else but dreams, and she
would have to dream alone. So the,
were to he married the next day.
Suddenly. she locked down straigh
into the eyes of woman who was III,
very essence II all her visions. Svelte
| beautifully gowned, with the pride o
race in every line, she looked as on
of place in that throng as a lily in ;
potato patch. And as their eyes clun.
for one long moment. Alice envict
with an envy that was as poignant a.
knife in an open wound.
Leila had dropped breathlessly int
seat, her pulses tingling with new
excitement. rather childishly proud o,
the fact that she. among all that aw
full crush. had secured a seat. MOI
that she was tired, for she had beer
At Il matinee all afternoon ana as
usual had stepped directly into her
luxurious limousine, waiting for her at
the close of the performance. But
,if q
she had taken a sudden fancy to go
home on the ears The experience at
this hour was a unique one, sometlhng
beyond her ken.
What lay behind all this struggle
for seat, even for a foothold, meant
nothing to her. She could not even
sense the crushing weariness of the
tired-eyed women and perspiring men
For Leila had had ease and beauty
and luxury all her life and she had
married for more ease and luxury.
But she had had her dreams, too
such wonderful dreams of gallant
.over. tender comrade and laughing
iiftIe chiidren-a life above the selfish,
indolent life a worldly mother had
forced on her. And she, too. had had
to give up her dreams; had watched
them drift away day by day like little
erranf silver clouds overpowercd by
gold and might.
For instead of a gallant lover she
had married power; instead of a
comrade, a money-making machine !;
and instead of encircling little arms
and childish prattle, there was a oir
house whose rooms seemed filed with
haunting quiet that thrilled her
soul.
For the first time in many weeks
she felt exhilarated she forgot her
boredom; forgot that she was going
home TO a silent dinner to sit opposite
husband who thought that women
were only dolls to be bought and paid
for and looked upon as a symbol of
mans material success. These peo-
pie all about her--what interests they
must have. What strivings for dreams
not yer fulfilled what glorious hopes.
She watched hunprifv the tender