The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-01-05

] ~ VIA EtSdIl ElJCE a moment GU
| have offered me PREPARATION, or what
/ You called by that name. You can't
| deny that have a right to be salts
| fed with that PREPARATION.
Certainly; anything in reason. It
! is for you to name the terms; ex-
/ pect you to make them-adequate."
Let us go back a moment" she
! began, smiling at the care with which
he had chosen his last word. Last
night I fought out for myself the
whole matter of your scoundrely,
cOwardly treatment Of my mother. You
can make no PREPARATION to her The
time passed long ago for that. And
there is absolutely nothing you can
do for me, will accept nothing from
! YOU, neither the name you denied to
her nor money, now or later. So there
( IS only one other person whose inter
/ est or whose happiness we need con-
slider"
He stared at her frowning, not un-
Outstanding. Once more, as on that
I DAY when she had laughed at him,
or again when she had taken the
affairs of his own household into her
hands, he was conscious of the
strength that lay IN her, of her power
/ 10 drive him back upon himself Some
thing Of his own masterful spirit had
/ entered into her, but with a differ
ence. Her self-control, her patient
/ persistence, her sobriety OF judge
I ment, her reasoning mind, were like
/ his own. She was as keen and re.
/ sourceful as he. and he was eager for
! q To- 80. -.
/ though, knowing that she had driven
/ in his piCkets he awaited the charge
Of her lines. He bent toward her.
/ feeling her charm. yielding to the fas.
/ cination she had for him.
[ No" he said gently and kindly. I
+ don't see; I don't understand YOU"
/ She saw and felt the change in him;
/ but she was on guard against a re-
/ action. He could not know how her
: heart throbhed, or how IT had seemed
1 FOR a moment that words would not
come to her lips.
TT is to you; f. is 20 yourself that
+ YOU must make the PREPARATION. And
YOU must make It now. There may
never be a time Ike this; it is your
great opportunity"
You think you ask" he be-
( gan warily; and she was quick to see
| that the precise moment for the full
/ stroke had not come; that the ground
required preparation.
II think" she interrupted, smiling
/ sravely, that you want me to be
/ your friend. More than that. we
have long been friends. And deep
/ down IN your heart believe You want
+ my regard; you want me to think we'll
/ If YOU. And 1 must tell YOU that
/ there's kind OF happiness-for It
must be hapDiness-that comes to me
/ at the thought Of It. Something there
is between you and me that IS differ
ent; somehow We understand each
other"
! His response was beyond anything
she had hoped for; a light shone sud
/ denly in his face. There was no doubt
/ OF the sincerity Of the feeling with
I which he replied:
/ Yes; have felt II: ] felt !t the first
! day we met"
And because there IS this under
/ standing, this tie. dare TO be frank
/ with you; I mean to make your rep
/ araiOn difficult. But you will not re-
/ fuse it; you viii not disappoint me.
/ mean, that you must throw away the
/ victory you are prepared to win"
He shook his head slowly. but he
/ could not evade the pleading Of her
eyes.
Il can't do #; it's too much" ho
/ muttered. It's the goal have sought
/ for ten years. Il would be like throw
/ ing away life Itself"
! Yes; It would be bitter but Il would
/ be the first sacrifice you ever made in
your life. You have buift- your life
/ on lies. You have lurlced IN shadows
/ hating the Hight. You have done your
work in the dark creeping, hiding.
4 hooking, vanishing. What you pro
I pose doing tonight in anticipating the
( blow Of your enemy IS only an act Of
/ hravado. There IS no real courage in
/ that You are the unhappiest man in
/ the world. But there's a real power
! in you, or you could never have done
/ the things you have done-the mean
I and vile things. You have brains and
/ o genius for organizing and managing
/ men. You could never have lasted so
long without the personal qualities
/ that a man must have to lead men.
/ And you have led them, down and
I down"
To all appearances she had spoken
/ to duh ears. Occasionally their eyes
/ had met, but his gaze had wandered
/ away to range the walls. When she
! ceased he moved restless1y about the
! room.
You think an as bad as THAR"
/ he asked, pausing by the table and
/ locking down at her.
You are as bad-and as cood-as
that" she replied the hope that
stirred in her heart lighting her face.
/ Ee shrugged his shoulders and sat
down.
you have the wit to see that the
/ old order Of things is passing; the old
/ apparatus you have learned TO on
/ crate with a turn Of the hand 10 out
/ Of date. Now IS your chance to leave
! the shadow life and begin again. It's
| rot TOO late to win the confidence
/ the gratitude even-of the people who
now distrust and fear you. The day
| Of reckoning is coming fast for men
| like YOU, who have made a mystery
/ Of politics, playing it as a game in
/ the dark. I don't pretend 70 know
much Of these things. but I can see
/ that men Of your type are passing
/ out; there would be no great glory
/ for You in waiting to be the last to
| 80. And there are things enough
/ for you to do. If you ally yourself