Evening star., 1924-01-13

NHE9 had driven homo from
the country club, utter silence
between them - that thick,
hard silence which can sep
arate two who had never before been
ut loss for words. The road
leapcd ahead of them. speeding from
their onrush like some live thing
eager to escape. The CLEAN Of wet
ness on its smooth surface. reflect
ing the green of overhanging
branches, might have been the coat
OF a serpent.
The eyes of the girl in the car had
They were very cool-quite different
from the mans; his were burning.
The car spun up the driveway to a
colonial house, dingy with futile age,
and pulled up at the steps in an
something of that wet greenness.
abrupt halt The man stepped down,
helped the girl, without looking at
her-lifted his cap.
"Tommy"-sno held to the hand
that would have dropped from hers
--"come in-just a moment. Please!
] don't want you to go from me with
bitterness"
He cut short the soft-spoken
words.
what 1 feel IS OF no consequence.
You've proved that
''There-you see! You are con-
demning me. And I can't let you do
that. Tom-please! This is the last
favor I'll ever ask of you"
AS If further discussion were too
much for him. he followed her into
the hall, into the library at one side,
where coal fire burned under the
dulled marble mantel.
The girl unwound the gray veil that
misted from her motor hat. She lift
ed the hat, tossing 1t on a chair, and
ran long, fine fingers through her
FURNISHED hair. There was such
mass of It that her head dropped, as
If it's weight were too heavy to carry.
Her figure was 50 frail, SO delicate
in outline. that her height, quite
above the average. was startling.
She started to pull a spindle-1egged
armchair toward the fireplace. The
arm came off in her hand. She stuck
1t back into place with jerk
viciously resentful.
There. you have my answer"
came on the heels OF sharp laugh.
You think I'm hard and calculating,
Tommy. But I'm merely honest.
Other girls would make all sorts Of
excuses for what I'm doing. I'm tell
ing you the truth
I'D have seen through excuses.
Evelyn. Two people-a man and a
woman--couldn't be as close as we've
been for so many years without
knowing each other pretty thor
oughly. Why, I can't remember the
time L haven't known you-loved
you"
The last words were barely spoken.
In them was kind OF wonder. His
raze centered on the unchanging
freight as IL to question It
'I know, Tommy. We've became
q. habit with each other. You don't
really love me as much as you think.
You-you're just used to me-"
Suppose we don't discuss tho ex-
tent or quality OF my affection. The
fact remains-you don't want It."
That's not fair! And please
don't be so abrupt
LIE moved to the other side OF the
room, stood staring out the win
dow at the trees, bright with early
autumn.
Look at that lawn, Tommy" She
followed him, glancing out. Look
at this room, Look at the condition
of this whole house. We're a wreck
Of u family-biuff1ng our way on the
strength of an old name. And in
debit If you knew how deep we're
in debit"
T do know! That was my sole
reason for letting our engagement
drag along. I didn't think I had the
right to marry you until I could pull
you out Of this hole into a sense Of
security. My mistake consisted in
thinking you cared enough to wait.
too"
Il did care-I dol But, dear-I got
so that hated living. I'm sick Of
aristocratio rags, Tommy! I'm sick OF
making clothes do from year to year
I want to have q perfect debauch Of
extravagance. of buying things was
made for and never had. I want to
reveI in them I can't explain. It's
a reaction from years Of self-deniaI. I
guess. But I've got to have them;
that's all!'
I'm other words, it's the fieshpots
time or another-in one form or an
other. Only some of us can't see a
good bargain in selling ourselves for
them.''
II said you wouldn't understand"
Her voice was low, hurt. I'm not
selling myself. I'm not foo1iNS Sam
about the way I feel towart him.
Any other girl would. But he R1ows
] don't love him and, frankly, don't
believe he loves me-"
She noted the wincing pain that
shot across his face, making muscles
quiver-then set hard.
mo, admit. don't understand.
IN fact--rd rather not, Evelyn. I've
made an ideal Of you SO long-like
any other fool man who thinks he's
found the one woman. Let's gently
close the book Of poems-and open
the ledger
That's beastly Of you! You're act
ing as IL you were the only one to
suffer through this break"
He laughed. He turned on her
then.
.All I wish you, Evelyn, is that
you'll get what you want-and that
when you get 1t, it will be all you
want"
She could not stir from the COM
pelling quality of his gaze.
They had planned so much to-
gether. There had never been any
proposal-Tom Hale had never actu-
ally asked her to be his wife. IT
had been an accepted fact, almost
since the days when two reddish pig
fof h~h