The Washington herald., 1922-10-08
The Beautiful
And Damned
By 2. Scott Fitzgerald ,
Continued from Yesterdoy.

any one in particular. but from their
culminatiye effect--that he did no.
want her to come South. curiously
repeated excuses that seemed 10
haunt him by their very Insufficiency
occurred with Freudian reeularitv
ne set them down in each letter as
thohgh he feared he had forgott an
them the last time, as though IL
were desperately necessary to I'M
press her with them. And the d.
lutions of his letters with affection
ate diminutfves began to be me-
chanical and unspontaneous-al
as though. having completed the ct
ter. he had looked it over and liter
ally stuck them in, like epigrams IN
an Oscar Wide play. She Jumpad
TO the so-ution. rejected IL, WAS
angry and depressed by turns-i,u.
ally she shut her mind TO IL proudIv
and allowed an Increasing GOODNESS
TO creep into her end of the CORE
spondence.
or late she had found a good deal
TO occupy her attention. Several
aVlators whom she had met through
Tudor Baird came into New York
10 see her and two other ancient
oeaux turned up, stationed at Camp
DIX. As these men were ordered
overseas they, SO to speak, handed
her down to their friends. But after
another rather disagreeable expert
ence with a potential Captain Coll
Inns she made IT plain that when
any one was introduced to her lie
sions as to her status and personal
intentions.
When summer came she learned.
IKE anthony TO watch the officers.
iasualty list. taking a sort OF melan-
choiy pleasure in hearing of the
oea'h OF some one with whom she
nad once danced a german and IN
Identifying by name the younger
day ned by scarcely noticed. Years
before 1t had frightened her when
she became twenty. TO some extent
when she reached twenty-six-but
now she loos.d in the glass with
calm self-approvsl seeing the Brit
lsh freshness of her complexion ana
her feure boyish and slim a, Of old
She tried not to think OF Anthoa,.
IL was as though she were writing
TO a stranger. She told her friends
that he had been made a corpo-lI
and was annoyed when they wee
politely unimpressed. On nIxbt
she wept because she was sorry for
him-hsd he been even slightly re-
sponsive she would have gone To-
MIN without hesitation on the first
'rain-whstever he WAS doing he
needed to be taken care of spirit-
cally. and she felt that now she
would be able to do even that. I;e-
Gently without his continual drain
upon her moral strength she found
herself wonderfully revived. Be-
fore he left she had been inclined
'hrough sheer association to brood
on her wasted opportunities-now
she returned to her, normal stat. Of
mind, strong, disdsinful, existing
each day for each days worth. sb.
bought a doll and dressed II. o,s
week she wept over Ethan From. :"
tne next she revelled in some novel
OF Galsworthy's. whom she liked
tor ms power OF recreating. 10y
spring in darkness, that illusion OF
young romantic love to which vor-
en- look toreVer forward and forever
back
In October Anthony's letters null
tiplied became almost frantic-then
suddenly ceased. For a worried
month II needed all her power. Of
control TO refrain from leaving !r-
medlately for Mississippi. Then a
TELEGRAM told her that he had been
In the hospital and that she cou,d
expect him in New York within 70,
days. Like a figure in a dream ba
came back into her life across the
ballroom on that November even
lng-and all through long hour,
mat held familiar gladness she took
MIN close to her breast, nursing IN
iilusion OF happiness and security
she had not thought that she wouid
know again
Discomfture of the GeperaI.
After a week Anthony's regiment
went oack to the Mississippi camp
10 ne discharged. The officers shut
themselves up in the compartments
on the Pollman cars and drank the
whisky they had bought in New
hork' and in the coaches the SOL
dlers got as drunk as possible aI.o
and pretended whenever the train
stopped at a village that they were
just returned from France. wher.
theE had practically put an end Il,
the German army. As they all wor.
overseas caps and claimed that thew
mad not had time TO have their gold
service stripes sewed on, the yokel-y
or the seaboard were much inn
pressed and asked them how rhcv
liked the trenches-to which th.y
replied oh, boy" with great SMACK
ing OF tongues and shaking Of heals.
some one took piece Of chalk md
scrawled on the side Of the train.
We won the war-now we're going
nome" and the officers laughed snI
let 1t stay. They were all getting
what swaGeer they could out OF his
ignominious return.
As they rumbled on toward c,mp
Anthony was uneasy lest he should
nnd Dot awaiting him patiently 81
the station. To his relief he neither
saw nor heard anything of her and
thinking that were she still in
town she would certainly attempt
TO communicate with him. he con-
cluded that she had gone-whither he
neither knew nor cared. He wan.ed
only to return to GIorIa-GIorIa re-
born and wonderfully alive. When
eventually he was discharged he Ierl
his company on the rear Of a great
truck with crowd who had given
tolerant. almost sentimental. cheers
Tor their officers, especially for Cart.
Dunning. The captain. on his part.
mad addressed them with tears in his
eyes as to the pleasure etc. and .hc
work, etc, and time not wasted.
etc. and duty, etc. II was very dull