Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-15
The Lighted Flame

WHEN we reached home that night
! w Norman and Edith were not on the
porch. In fact. they were nowhere tc
be found, and Herbert and I took ur
our position in the cool darkness OF
the porch, ostensibly to wait for their
return, although both of us were care.
full not to mention this fact. A dis
turbing little thought crcpt into nv
heart as we sat there in silence. Her.
bert with a cigarette, and / with nv
fingers twisted nervously together in
my lap.
suppose Herbert were being kind to
me because he had noticed Norman's
neglect! The more I thought of il the
more certain ] was that this might be
the case, and If I needed anything more
to rob me of the last shred of self-con
tidcnce that I possessed this thought
did 1t.
tortured myself because had not
realized the. truth Of the situation long
ago, and was bitterly ashamed be.
cause ! had been fool enough to believe
that Herbert still cared
Suddenly in the darkness I was star.
tied by the warm touch of Herbert, !,
| fingers on mine.
Joan, what are you thinking OFF,
His tone was husky.
In desperation I blurted out the
truth. Ae
Il was thinking of how kind you
have hnan fn tn, L. r..
and blaming myself for accepting your
PITY
The minute the words had left nv
mouth I was sorry had spoken them
nov. indeed, my last defense was gone,
for | could no longer keep up the game
of bluff even with Herbert. But almost
before this thought had occurred TO
me, Herbert had left the chair where
he had been sitting and had come over
to me.
PITY ~ he ground out, still with
that husky note in his voice. "My
God, Joan, you're woman, don't Won
know haven't you been able TO see the
true state Of affairs? I'm mad about
you, ! love you 80 much that-that its
agony to be with you knowing that
you belong to another man. And vet
I'd rather be with you knowing that
you accept me as friend, than not 10
be able TO see you at all"
He sat down beside me in the swing.
and before / realized what he Intended
to do, had gathered me close in his
arms. | felt his lips on my hair, and
again that recklessness that I had felt
earlier in the evening swept over me.
1t was sweet to be wanted; It was
perlliously sweet to know that I could
Ia
bert, when for so long Norman's atti-
tude toward me had been anything but
that Of an ardent lover. Herbert
wanted me, he wanted me terribly, and,
although ! was not in love with him.
the temptation came to me to surrender
to him just for moment | think
must have been half mad, for, as his
arms frightened around me and ne
breathed against my hair, kiss me.
Joan, kiss me just once every instinct
In me impelled me to do az he asked. I
was woman eager to give and Nor
man wanted nothing ] could give him.
Here was n man liked more than
little, man who trembled at the
slightest touch of mine, and all he asked
was kiss. After all, why not? What
was kiss! My brain was spinning
around wildly as these thoughts darted
through It, and then suddenly as I felt
Herbert hand under my chin forcing
my head back to his shoulder, sick
revulsion swept over me. | couldn' :
do 1t, ] couldn't let Herbert kiss rne
What had ! been thinking Of? Wbv,
/ wasn't the slightest bit in love win
him, even though that fact in ItseIf
would have been small enough justifica :
tion.
"No, mol" ! gasped. "Don,, L,..