Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-02
e bu the Best american Fiction Writers

''6ne ii SUCK. II not, Sne IL so'
there he rested, hoping for the best.
THESE things happened in those un.
L pleasant days .of nineteen hundred
and twenty, when business was Ill with
that epidemic which decimated the
financial population, as the flu had dec
imated the human population OF the
country, and now, when Mcdonald $
mind and heart were full of the dan
ger which threatened his home, his
business took sick Of It, and lay at the
point of death. He dealt in silks, and
everybody knows what happened to silk
In that unhappy year.
For weeks at a time his presence
was required in the city day and night.
For weeks at a stretch he carried his
load of worry into his home after mid
night, there to lay tossing, brain vexed
almost to madness. unable to sleep. 1t
was during these weeks Of what Jane
was pleased to call neglect that her in
cipient affair with John Firth began to
assume clear outlines. He was bringing
into her life again that thing she craved
romance, the eagerness Of those first
days of her marriage. He loved her.
vehemently be told her Of his love, and
she delighted in the stirring of it--and
then as must happen, being in love with
love, she imagined herself in love with
Firth. Which is exactly as bad as the
real thing. Or perhaps 1t is the same
thing. And, too, there was the element
Of adventure, secrecy, apprehension.
Love flowers best in such conditions.
Here lies the chief defect of marriage
ease of access to the loved one. There
are no difficulties, no obstacles. If some
method could be invented whereby a
husband would incur risk In seeing his
wife, or the wife have to plan and evadc
and dare in order to see her husband,
divorce would disappear from the earth.
For weeks now Jane had been hold
ing Firth at arms length, reluctantly
and more reluctantly, with difficulty
and with greater difficulty. She was
happy again. clandestinely happy,
thrilled. poised on the brink of the
precipice.
OF a Friday night Mcdonald took an
earlier train than usual. arriving at
his home shortly after 10 o'clock. lie
had happened. He was smashed. beat
en- down, obliterated. AS he alighted
from the train he was just where he
had started fifteen years ago--no, he
was in worse case than he had been
then. Fifteen years ago he had dared
to embark in business for himself. He
had possessed youth and hope. and
about his neck was no milestone of re-
sponsibility. He could make or break
| and no damage done to any but him
self. 1t was different tonight.
When his creditors finished with him
he would not have two nickels to jim
gle together. zen the house toward
which he walk. so slowly and heavily
. that would be gone. lie
dreaded the ordeal of breaking the news
to Jane.
Usually he rode home in a jitney-
tonight he walked, walked to save the
quarter it would have cost to ride. lie
took the short cut through vacant
| lot TO his back door. The soft lawn
u'auNhVh iAS AoOtStVpo Us ue IOuIlucu
the house to the low porch. and he ar
rived unheard. So lost was he in his
apprehension of the coming interview
with his wife that he was unconscious
Of his Surroundings until he stood at
| the corner of the porch. Then the
sound Of mans voice arrested him
He paused, not intending to spy, and
the mans words came to his ears, We.
| hement words. impassioned words
:. .. John Firth was making love to
his wife.
| Mcdonald hesitated. He did not
think clearly; was incapable of sharr
decision.
You must love me-" he heard FIRTH
say. You must. You must. / can,
get along without you. Jane. Jane
There was brief silence. TELL mt
you love me. Say you'll 90 away wit!
me. Nobody, nothing has the RI ght tc