The Glenwood post., 1924-01-31

anu sue ueiSHteu IN Ine STIRRING OF
it-and then as must happen, being
in love with love, she imagined her
self in love with Firth. Which is ex-
actly as bad as the real thing. Or
perhaps 1t is the same thing. And,
too. there was the element of adven-
ture, 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 where
by a husband would incur risk in see
ing his wife, or the wife have to plan
and evade 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.
On Friday night Mcdonald took
an earlier train than usual, arriving at
his home shortly after ten o'clock. He
was at the end of his rope The worst
had happened. He was smashed,
beaten down, obliterated AS he alight-
ed 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 HIM
GOLF 10 boI
hope, and about his neck was no mill
stone of responsibility. He could make
or break and no damage done to any
but himself. 1t was different tonight.
When his creditors finished with him
he would not have two nickels to jim
| gle together Even the house toward
which he walked so slowly and heav-
| the ordeal Of breaking the news to
| Jane.
Usually he rode home in q jitney-
| tonight he walked, walked to save the
quarter it would have cost to ride He
took the short cut through vacant
lot to his back door The soft lawn
deadened his footsteps as he rounded
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. i.
John Firth was making love to his
wife.
Mcdonald hesitated. He did not
think clearly; was incapable of sharp
decision
"You must love me-" he heard Firth
say. "You must You must. l
can't get along without you. Jane J..
Jane - There was brief silence.
"Tel me you love me. Say you'll 90
away with me. Nobody, nothing
has the right to keep us apart If we
love. It's a sin to keep us apart"
"I-oh, let me think. let me think"
said Jane.
'Think! You've had time for think.
ing. Weeks and months of 1t. You
must know. You do know. Oh,
Jane nobody ever loved you as do"
'1t's sweet to be loved" said Jane.
"But-oh, a woman has SO much to
think Of"
"Just think of you and me-of the
happiness we have right to have.
Tell me, Jane, tell me you love me-"
mot now, John" Mcdonald heard
his wife say, mot tonight. Let me
have just this night to think. Tomor-
row Tll-Tll tell you-how 1t is to be-"
"You1l tell me you love me? You'll
tell me you will go away with me?'
Jane paused, while Mcdonald wait
ed dumbly, unable to speak, unable to
move. I'll hope so," she said, soft
| ly.
Mcdonald turned slowly. Stealthily
he walked away. He did not want to
be seen or heard. He wanted to get
away and to face this new disaster, to
stare into Its eyes and to demand its
meaning He tramped. Hour after
hour he tramped, his head seething
with incoherent thoughts. So he had
lost everything. business. wife, home
all in one debacle! he tried to realize
it, to peer ahead and to picture his fu-
ture. He could not He groped for
some plan to follow, for some action to
take-but there was no light to follow.
only the murk of bewilderment. One
thing he knew, one fact stood out. He
did not want to lose his wife and his
home. Perhaps his wife might be a
better wife and his home happier
home-but they were his and he want
ed them. The thought of losing what
lay yonder was intolerable to him.
There were savage thoughts. too
violent thoughts, but he fought them
down. Somehow he did not blame
Firth. and he could not blame his
wife. Circumstances. cursed circum-
stances, were at fault. 1t was Just the
way things had happened. And
then, as dawn broke over the eastern
tree tops fatallsm came to his succor.
I'm at my blackest hour" he said