The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-17

He had-once. He showed me-
the letter. Well, you know, old
man. every fox knows what foxes
smell like; and / smelt a dear
brother solicitors smell in that
letter. Asking him to make a home
possible for her to return to sc
they might resume their life to-
gether.
Il handed it back. L said, Hin
again. 1 said, HIN. you remember
old man, there was that remark
that remark that perhaps the girl
might have claim on you. Re-
member that, don't you"
BY Jove, thought for a minute
he was going to flare up and let me
have it. But he laughed as If / was
a fool and said, oh, good Lord
man, that's utterly ridiculous. Man
alive, with all my faults, my wife
knows me-
CHAPTER III.
On day month later-in May
-Hapgood said:
Nov, I'll tell you. Old Sabre
by Jove, it's frightfuI. He's
crashed.
Look here, it's in two parts, this
sudden development Two parts
morning and afternoon yesterday
and bit today. And Of all extraor-
binary places to happen at
Brighton.
Yes, Brighton. 1 was down
there for a Saturday to Monday
with my Missus Monday morning
we were summing on the pier, she
and I,
Well all of a sudden she began,
oh, what frightfully interesting
face that mans got.'
Il looked across. Old Sabrei
II went over to him. His face was
like shout on a sunny morning.
Yes, he was pleased. like to think
how jolly pleased the old chap was.
Il got old Sabre on to a secluded
bench and started in on him. What
on earth was he doing down at
Brighton, and how were things?
HE said Things =? Things
are happening with me, Hapgood.
Not to me-with me. l had TO get
away from them for a bit. I'm 60
ing back tomorrow. Effie was
rigkt-with her baby. She was
glad l should go-glad for me, 1
mean. Top of her own misery,
Hapgood, she's miserable at what
she says she's let me in for. She's
always crying about it. She's torn
between knowing my house is the
only place where she can have her
baby, between that and seeing what
her coming into the place has
caused. She spends her time try
ing to do any little thing she can
to make me comfortable. It's pa
thetic, you know Jumped at this
sudden idea CT mine of getting
away for a couple of days. Fused
over me packing up and all that,
you know. Look. just to show you
how she hunts about for anything
to do for me-said my old straw hat
was much too shabby for Brighton
and wCulG I get her some stuff,
oxalic acid, ana let her clean it up
for me. as q matter Of fact she
made such a shocking mess of the
hat that l hardly li6td to wear it.
Couldn't hurt her feelings, though.
Chucked in into the sea when l got
here and bought this one. Make &
funny story for her when | get
back about how it blew off. That's
Hapgood. Give you another ex-
ample. Just when l had brought
her the stuff for my hat Met me
with. had l lost anything? Said I
was to guess Guessed at last that
it must be my cigaret case. 1t was
Shed found it lying about and took
me to show where she'd put it fol-
the back of the clock in
my room. Said | was always 10
look there for any little valuable I
might miss, and wanted me to know
how she liked to be careful of my
things like that. Fussing over me,
d'you see?
That's the sort of life we lead
together. Hapgood-together; but
the life I'm caught up in. the
things that are happening with me,
that I'm right in the middle Of, that
1 felt l had to get away from for
a bit-astounding, Hapgood, as
founding, amazing
'Hapgood, if l kept 40 women
in different parts or London anu
made no secret of it, nothing
would be said. People would know
| was rather a shameless lot, my
little ways would be an open secret,
but nothing would be said. should
be received everywhere. But I'm
thought to have brought one wom-
an into my house and I'm banned.
I'm uuSpeakable
do you see, Hapgood? Do you
see? The conventions are all right,
moral, sound, excellent admirable,
but to save their own face there's a
blind side to them, shut-eye side.
Keep thas tide of them and you're
all right. They'll let you alone.
They'll pretend they don't see you.
But come out and stand in front
Of them and they'll devour you.
They'll smash and grind and de-
YOUR you, Hapgood. They're de-
me.
That's where they've got me in
their jaws. Hapgood; and where
they've got Effie in their jaws is
Just precisely again on a blind,
shut-eye side They're rightly
based, they're absolutely just, you
can't gainsay them. but to save