Evening star., 1922-09-10
BY James Hopper

He squirmed.
A drab life it was a drab streak
OF life. Poverty-to dullness-monot-
ony-smallness.
And loneliness Yes, very prob
ably loneliness.
He? He had been absorbed. He
had been combing and brushing and
Stocking and curling his soul He
had been q coxcomb of the soul,
He had cultivated it, enriched II.
He had colored it, chiseled it, cher
ished ii. Like diamond cutter alb
sorbed. without cease he had ground
1t to new iridescenoes.
He had climbed a hill. ceaselessly
climbed a hill carrying his soul. And
left hers down there like a stone
And time had worked its will upon
the abandoned soul. Duller and
duller it had become with layer upon
layer of dull time.
Peter did not go to the village.
When he rose after a while, it was
toward home he made his way, at
first on hesitant feet, which little
by little quickened their gait as a
foolish fear pricked him.
He found her lying across her
bed. her head face down. framed
within the intertwinement of her
arms and her long. loosened hair.
She was asleep; by the gentle slow
pulsing Of her, he knew she was
asleep.
Her cheek was flushed and bruised
she had been weeping.
nnn oil oh
the room. and he knew exactly what
had happened; saw it as though it
had happened before his eyes.
She had come in hurriedly; hur-
riedly she had bathed and begun to
dress. She had laid out fresh, best
things. Some already clothed her:
others were about. scattered on
chairs. across open drawers.
She had gone about doing this in
a trepidation of haste, as child
desperately hastens who has been
threatened by its parents with being
left behind. And hurrying. she had
been crying: sobs had sounded in
this lonely room as she hurried.
Finally. to a larger burst of woe,
coming probably from some last
small straw tperhaps one Of her
shoes had refused to button, or some
hook had been found without an eye,
or some ribbon had slipped back
into its sheath) she had thrown her
self across the bed to give way, alto
gether uncontrolled. And weeping
thus, had fallen asleep.
CTANDING here. his eyes upon this
past scene which he saw SO well,
Peter remembered that which he ever
promised himself to remember and
which ever he forgot-that she was a
child; after all, but a child.
AS in the days when she had waited
for him at the stile, SO now she was
child. The rest-the robust
matron's ready. almost rough assur-
ance; its firm contempt for all that
which was haze and halo and opales-
cence and not core-all that was
mere front. She was a child.
He should remember that always.
OF course, he should always remem-
Der it.
Peter lay down by his wife, and
found her hot lips and awakened her.
She clutched at him convulsively.
They murmured together I'm
sorry. Peter: I'm sorry"
Then later: Peter, you do so
madden me at times, dear. With your
airs-no, I don't mean that. But you
do shut the door upon me. Peter
you do shut me out so much"
Still later: And. Peter, you are of
those that like the flowers but not the
gardening. Polished floors, but not
the polishing"
Il know, dear. I know"
Peter, listen: l am of the earth. l
accept. You're always somewhere up
above"
"I know, dear. Not far above.
either. A fool place, in between. !
know"
II accept. I am getting old.