The Glenwood post., 1922-11-23
By
Zona Gale
illustrations by Irwin Myers

1ou mustn't tell that! You Won't2
You won't"
mo. Course not" He mulled it.
You tell me this: Do they know? l
mean about your going after herr"
mo"
you never told!"
"They don't know she went"
"That's funny thing" he blurted
out. "for you not to tell her folks-I
mean, right off. Before last night. :"
"You don't know them. Dwlghtd
never let up on that-he'd Joke her
about it after while"
"But it seems"
'Ina'd talk about disgracing her.
They wouldn't know what to do.
There's no sense in telling them. They
aren't mother and father" Lulu
said.
Cornish was not accustomed to deal
with so much reality. But Lulu's
reality he could grasp.
you're trump anyhow" he af-
tirmed
"Oh. no." said Lulu modestly.
Yes, she was. He insisted upon It.
all right" said Cornish "I bet they'll
miss you If you do CO."
''They'll miss my cooking" Lulu said
without bitterness
They'll miss more than that. /
know. I've often watched you
there"
you have" 1t was not so much
nlao cr,ra &c posciopota tjtu6a U,bicb
lighted her eyes.
you made the whole place." said
Cornish.
"You don't mean just the cOoklng?"
"No. no. mean-well, that first
night when you played croquet. felt
at home when you came out"
That look of hers, rarely seen, which
was no less than a look of loveliness,
came now to Lulu's face. After
pause she said "Well, must be 60
ing now. I wanted to say good-by to
you-and there's Gne or two other
places
II hate to have you CO." said Cor
nish and tried to add something. ~
hate to have you CO." was all that he
could find to add.
Lulu rose. "Oh, we'll" was all that
she could find.
They shook hands, Lulu laughing
little. Cornish followed her to the
door. He had begun on Look here,
wish -" when Lulu said
"good-by," and paused, wishing in
tensely to know what he would have
said. But all that he said was:
"Good-by. l wish you weren't going"
$50 do l." said Lulu, and went, still
laughing.
Cornish saw her red dress vanish
from his door. flash by his window,
her head averted And there settled
upon him a depression out Of all pro-
portion to the slow depression of his
days. This was more-it assailed him,
absorbed him.
He came back to his table. and sat
down before his lawbook. But he sat,
chin on chest, regarding 1t. No E.
no escape that way.
A step at the door and he sprang
up. It was Lulu, coming toward him,
her face unsmiling but somehow quite
lighted. In her hand was letter.
"see." she said "At the office was
this. :"
She thrust in his hand the single
sheet. He read
just wanted you to know
you're actually rid Of me. I've heard
from her in Brazil. She ran out of
meney and thought Of me, and her
lawyer wrote to me. I've nev-
er been any good-Dwight would tell
you that If his pride would let him tell
the truth once in while. But there
amt anything in my life makes me
feel as bad as this. s'pose
you couldn't understand and don't
myself. Only the sixteen years
keeping still made me think she was
gone sure but you were so
downright good, that's what was the
worst do you see what want
TO say
Cornish read 1t all and looked at
Lulu. She was grave and in her eyes
there was n look of dignity such as he
had never seen them wear, Incredible
dignity.
"He didn't lie to get rid Of me-and
she was alive. just as he thought she
might be-" she said.
'rm glad" said Cornish.
YES" said Lulu. "He isn't quite
40 bad as Dwight tried to make him
out"
It was not Of this that Cornish had
been thinking.
'Now you're free" he said.
"Oh. that :" said Lulu.
She replaced her letter in It's en-
velope. "Now I'm really going" she
said. GO0d-by for sure this time. -
Her words trailed away. Cornish
had laid his hand on her arm.