The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-11-23
THE FOOL
BY Charming Pollock.


he said cheerlessly.
Anger stormed and swept her.
''You fanatic" she sneered. "You
Blind fanatic"
II love you," he said simply.
"Love," she cried contemptuously.
"You don't know what love means.
You're only half man."
"And I'm praying to God with all
! my strength he returned, ITO save
| us from the other half"
! For what ?" she demanded RESENT
fully.
'For you-and him-and for my
people,"
Family there came the voice of
Mary Margaret singing to the cay
dence Of her crutch-steps. "For the
little girl out there"
I And for them you'd send me back
to degradation ?" she Knocked.
THAT little girls known degrade
ton that you and will never know"
he said. "And she's singing. Her
constant companions are poverty
and pain--and she's singing. She's
crippled. She may never walk again.
And she can say Gods will be done
She believes in me. can't disap-
point her and the rest. I'm going on
with my job-and you're going back
to yours"
"You mean Jerry?" she asked
"Yes," was the answer.
"You think that's Gods will?" She
was helpless and hopeless now.
II know it's your job" he said
firmly, "You took it with your eyes
open. It's up to you to see it
through"
Must 60 on forever paying for
one mistake ?"
4 Somebody must pay for our mis-
takes. That it was wrong to make q
bargain doesn't make it right to
break the bargain when we get tir-
ed of it,"
II don't know what to do,p she
moaned.
"Play the game" Cilchrist said
convincingly. "Go back to that poor,
mistaken man lying across the foot>
of your bed-his mind going and his
health gone. Bear your punishment
{; and help him to bear his. That's
your duty"
DUTY, duty, duty" she echoed
mechanically. "What about happi-
r ness"
There is no other happiness" he
returned. ooh, don't you see, my
dear, that's been your greatest mis-
take! You're always crying-you and
the world1,T want to be happy
Happiness is service. Happiness is
clean living and clean thinking and
self-forgetfulness and self-respect."
s "And love?" She asked like child.
Love isn't all" he said. "Not the
n love you mean. You said Take me,
i and we'll both forget, Could we
e have forgotten promises unkept,
;. faith disappointed, aspirations un-
. realized?" He smiled tenderly. "No,
: lhy. dear, love isn't all. nor even hap
RI piness. There's something bigger,
n and better, and more important, and
p? that something is-duty."
: "The world doesn't think that"
:. she said doubtingly.
"That's what's wrong with the
i world"
Q "You want me to go back?" She
: was calm now-very calm.
81 want you to be right" he said.
u, She paused undecisively. Then
she flung her head back and looked
e. lat him.
t "Well then" she said, "-I'm 60
81 ing through. I'm going back and
: play the game-with you in my
$ heart always. You don't forbid that;
= do you?"
e "You are in mine always he told
e her.
o "And this isn't goodby." She look
n ed at him wistfully. Sometime
e somewhere-in this world or out of
d it-there must be q moment-and b
place-to retrieve mistakes. Good
Il night"
He opened the door for her and
], held out his hand.
e Glare" he said. She knew what
= it meant. "Good night" he added.
"And-" she looked back at him
], thank you"
CHAPTER Xxx
"A Pitiful Confession
le Wearied by the sheer effort of
" renunciation, Gilchrist sank into
;" chair. There was no smile on his
d wan. face now. There was agony
J. written in its fine lines. Savai for
|e his eyes, there was something of de-
t, ISOLATION there. The eyes, though,
h still held the spark of q. fire that
:" seemed to have burned itself out in
le the rest of him.
tx Mary Margaret found him huddled
there, his face in his hands, motion
n less.
m Play copyrighted, 1922, in the
d, United States and England. Novel;
lied version by special permission Of
A. the author, and Of Brentano's pub