Shoshone journal., 1923-07-27

!. | quired, and Eipped her head. a.
turned her fsce bit without turnln
her eyes and ran her hand up owe
her bobbed hair at the back She wa
so utterly charming when she wa
silent-and agreeing. She was 8
utterly different when, now, gh
wheeled toward him:
Look here, Mr.. Clauson," she sal
briskly, why did you come to see m
tonightT
She was looking at him aggres
sively. And abruptly-perhaps It wa
because he Just noted the thirnes
Of her wrists-Clauson was swept b,
strong pity. Poor little thing, h'
thought, suspecting everybody, quite
on her own In this big town Pool
little thing, In this fearful boarding
house. just working ahead on the
chance that some bookkeeper or other
would marry her out Of things. A
lonely, sordid existence. Common
little thing. he now saw. he leaned
forward.
Miss Rickson," he said, my wife
and l have been married for fifteen
years. We have only ourselves to
look after. Sitting with her tonight
In our comfort and security and-and
companionship, lin fact, as 1 told
you, I couldn't get you out Of my
mind. And 1 resolved to see II I
couldn't brighten up Life a little for
you as sort of -er-thank Offering
for the brightness Of my ownI"
For the first time that evening, Miss
back to her face, her head dropped,
her eyes were liquid.
'AThere isn't thing you can do," she
told him. But my, what prince
you are"
On a spontaneous word from him
about a raise, they parted. Under the
eye Of the accursed dog he took her
hand In a friendly, though formal
The boarding house
with the measles facade he left In
high though impromptu sense Of hav-
Ing played the benefactor. Clauson
hadn't much humor Not enough to
laugh at himself. With q measure
ess proclivity for self justification he
almost thought, now, that 1t was ex-
Dressly In order to make this propo- |
sition that he had escaped to Miss |
Rickson.
All the same he entered his own
apartment quietly and rather as If he
hoped-that Jep might be
lsleep.
She was not asleep. She came fly
ng to meet him, her face radiant;
nd he saw that something had hap
ened. Something that she liked;
hat they would like.
20 dearest" she cried, "what do
ou think? It's all a mistake-Mr.
)ibble called up to say they aren't
ding to tear down the building this
ear at all. And we don't have to
love-"
"Sayl" said Clauson. "Sayw
ipe. The fireplace that drew so well,
le book shelves near enough to be
cached from his chair and the old
-own familiar tile were theirs for a
ng time to come He looked round
1 these things. He liked them; he
as used to them. He looked across =,
Jep and smiled. He was used to .
lem as he was used to her.
That held him. He stared at her,
$ pipe suspended. He was not likely
think things out-but gently, a GER
in satisfied sense of her very accus-
medness assailed him. OF her IA
lliarity as of a well-loved home. He
red and she cared and they always
ould care. 1t had always been and
would always be- An eternity of =
ing accustomed to each other. So
customed that each hardly knew S
g other to be there at all. p
He had no idea how to voice what I
was feeling. So he got up and Il
und the clock. q
It's got to be regulated, that y
ng," he heard himself mutter.
Tep smiled up at him lazily. ~, ~
II you didn't say that every night,
r." she observed, 'I'd miss It" -,
Ie stood looking down at her. And o,
n he said In a vast content: ho
We certainly are used to each 10
er, dearest-arent weT A,