Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-16
By Samuel Merwin

what gay young socialists We ~srs.'
The debate with the state university fellows.
Arthur.
.How you spoke that night. Robi sopho-
morie. yes. but you had seen the svsl OF money
a. none Of the rest Of us had, You knew.
Every word had the ring Of true metal But
never could quite share your enthusiasm Tor
Henry George. Now. whatever they may say
about Karl MARI"
"a good brain. Arthur. but biiShtsd by logic.
There 10 no sadder death for . brain. Logic
"But fundamentally. and you can't get around
Il. ~ logic isn't"
There never was a scheme OF actual life that
could be encompassed within . structure OF
purely logical thought! Why IL England great.
even YETI Because she never bolhers 70 bo
logical, She's for limited monarchy In Britain.
absoluiism In Arabia, democracy In Aus
trsiia. she's for monogsmy In Britain. poygamy
In the Orient. poyandry In Thibet Germany
Was for logic first. last and aiways and now
look at tho damn thing."
"Bu, why isn't your single tai stuff losicai7"
Because It's only a premise. ], leaves the
development TO history. Now you socialists
start with q conciusion."
Great stuff Give me a cigarette. Rob.
Thanks. This IL the old days. We're sopho-
moresl"
"But your book. here. Arthur Let's have
Q look st Il. What do you say about father7"
"only the truth. knew you wouldn't mind
that And only the truth about you.
At this Tim turned and marched down on
them.
"The truth. eh! Did you tell the truth about
what he done 10 me?"
'Why really In 20 far a. the most ex.
haustivs research could"
Tim banged the table with an iron fist.
II tell you he robbed me. and he lied TO me!
He broke me. that's what he did! Ran mo into
the ground! And I've bided my timc-watched
my chance. It's come now! I've got him where
pitch. "see-he's white! He can't do thing
Just stare at me! Because he's coward! l tell
you I've got HIM"
With astonishing celebrity he tore off his coat
and rushed around the table so violently that
one Of the telephone instruments fell Gathering
to the floor.
Arthur. himself white with amazemcnt and
with the fear Of the gentle man to whom vo-
lence is painful. intercepted him, crying:
"You shall not say these things! You shall
not strike my frend!
They wrestled together. the wiry little Tim
and the taller but less muscular Arthur. The
effort Of It distorted their faces. They were
breathing heavily. Sweat gathered In beads on
their foreheads and ran down into their eyes.
Mr.. Robert. also. was breathing heavily: and
struggling. oddly. in his chair.
"As soon as can get out Of here, Arthur"
he muttered.
A door creaked family. in tho dim corner
beyond the fireplace, and a slender woman
moved easily owed the threshold.
II thought heard voices" she murmured, and
paused. rs there someone here with you?"
Hes voice quieted the man in the chair. And
his eyes softened they rested on her fresh
skin that exhibited hardly wrinkle beneath the
graying hair.
mo. DEAR" he replied. I'm just sitting here
alone"
Working. Robert"
"Why-I was
II wouldn't work too late And IL they annoy
you"
'well. little sweetheart. we can't help that.
you know. It's just life"
II know" she sighed.
'Sit here by me, Mary. Will your"
Like the old days. Robert"
Arthur replaced the telephone instrument on
the table. saying in low voice, as he put the
receiver on the hook, mo one must hear" And
then he stumbled over the coat and stopped to
pick 1t up The shamefaced Tim received it in
silence.
IT'S his wife," Arthur explained in a whisper.
Tim nodded curtly. For time the two men
stood near window looking at the silent couple
before the fire.
Il confess to sense of intrusion" said
Arthur. "Of course she knows me. in a way"
"You wouldn't say she knew me?"
Almost certainly All the threads in the
fabric Of his life. In, % years Of marriage. a
woman. an unselfish woman, traces them all out.
Nothing can escape, II she is fairly observant"
then?" -
Arthur compressed his sensitive lips and slow
y. very thoughtfully, shook his head. "she
would spare him. You heard him tell her that
he was alone"
"Umhuh And didn't get it. Say, it's queer
"a couple O. minutes ago you and me was
scrapping. And now look at us!''
THAT Is because she came in OF course"
Il hadn't thought O. that. Look-theyre
holding hands! Why can't stay mad?"
1T would be difficult"
Mary's fingers tightened on Roberts.
He glanced up and smiled YEARLY but as his
gaze followed hers to the further side of the
room the faint smile faded.
girl sat there stiffly against the wall in an
armless chair. She wore plain suit of serge.
with a simply embroidered white shirtwaist, a
plain straw hat. and little slippers planted side
by side before her that had very high heels.
Robert" Mary's voice was hardly more than
breath, II didn't mean to look"
How could you help 1t, dear? There"-it was
difficult for him to speak-"there she is" And
he added, brokenly-"things thought had
forgotten"
Over by the window Arthur murmured:
There are many threads in life! Threads
Of 50 many colors'
Tim looked UP at him with the quick sus-
p:cion Of the rough man Of limited understand
Ing; then his weather-beaten face contracted
into puzzled frown.
MARY" Robert could make himself heard
now only with the greatest effort, "its the way
you change that bewiders YOU"
II know DEAR"
'"The people I've been-that's what's so hard
to understand"
"She was very pretty, Robert"
Every. And natural as a wood fairy"
Eyes. I can see that. It vast was before
I-before we were" .
TO- my dearest, yes"
Il know. or course I always sensed her.
wondered sometimes what she could have been
like After all, Robert, we didn't make so bad t
a job Of it. You never fnched. I liked the