Evening star., 1924-09-28

/ Gust at this time, she went on
brokenly now, Il need you. L neet
your strength and your health anc
your arms around me. And If you
If you just give 1t to every one, it's
spread SO when it reaches me-"
He knelt by her side. moving hel
tired young head until it lay against
his shoulder.
I'm sorry. Jaqueiine," he said
humbly. "I'll be more careful.
didn't realize what ! was doing"
You're the dearest person in the
world" murmured Jaquelinc huskily
but l want all of you and the bes,
of YOU for me-
LIE smoothed her hair over and
- over For 4 few minutes they
rested there silently, having attained
a sort of Nirvana of peace and under
1 standing. Then Jaqueline reluctantly
raised her head as they were inter
rupted by the voice of Miss Clancy
in the doorway.
| "Oh. 1 beg your pardon!"
What is it?''
"A boys here with some boxes. It's
c. o. D.'
Coatesworth rose and followed Miss
Clancy into the outer Office.
IT'S fifty dollars"
| He searched his wallet-remem-
bered that he had forgotten to go to
the bank that morning.
Just a minute" he said abstract
edly. He walked into the corridor
and opening the door of Clayton &
Drake, Brokers'" across the way
| swung wide a low gate and went up
to man seated at 4 desk.
| Morning, Fred" said Coatesworth.
Drake. little man Of perhaps 80
| with pince-nez and a bald head.
rose and shook hands.
you"
"Just this: A boys in my office
with some stuff C. o. D., and haven't
a cent Can you let me have fifty
till this afternoon"
Drake looked closely at Coates
worth. Then, slowly and startlingly
he shook his head, not up and down,
but from side to side.
| Sorry, jim" he answered stiff1y.
| personal loan to anybody on any con-
ditions. I've seen it break up. too
many friendships"
WHAT"
Coatesworth had come out OF his
abstraction now. and the monosylla ble
| held an undisguised quality of shock.
| Then his natural tact acted auto
matically. springing to his aid and
debating his words, though his brain
was suddenly numb. His immediate
| instinct was to put Drake at ease in
| his refusal.
"Oh, / see" He NODDED his head as
| If he himself had often considered
| adopting just such rule. "Oh, ] see
how you feel. Well, l just wouldn t
| have you break a rule like that for
anything. 1t's-it's probably a good
| thing"
They talked for a minute longer.
| Drake justified his position easily.
He treated Coatesworth to an exquis-
| itely frank smile.
| CoateSworth went politely back to
! his Office, leaving Drake under the
| impression that he himself was the
most tactful man in the city. Coates
worth had a way of leaving people
with that impression. But when he
| wife staring dismally out the window
into the sunshine he clenched his
hands and his mouth set in hard
| straight une.
"All right, Jack" he said slowly
81 guess you're right about most
| things and I'm wrong"
x x x
nURING the next three months
DCoatesw thought back through
| many years. He had had an unusu-
| ally happy life. Those frictions be-
| tween man and man, between man
| and society, which harden most of us
| into a rough and cynical fighting
trim had been conspicuous by their
infrequency in his life. 1t had never
occurred to him before that he had
| paid a price for this immunity, but
now he perceived how, here and there
| and constantly, he had taken the
| rough side Of the road to avoid en-
nifty or argument, or even question.
| There was, for instance. much
money that he had loaned privately
about $1,000 in all-which he real
| lied in his new enlightenment he
Jaqueline's harder intelligence to
know this. 1t was only now, when
he owed it to Jaqueline to have money
in the bank. that he missed these
| loans at all.
He realized, too. the truth of her
| assertions that he was continually
doing favors-a little something here
little something there. The sum
| total in time and energy expended
| was somewhat appalling. 1t had
pleased him to do the favors. He
reacted warmly to being thought well
| of, but he wondered now if he had
not been merely indulging a selfish
| vanity of his own. In suspecting this
| he was, as usual, not quite fair tc
himself. The truth was that Coates
worth was essentially and enormously
romantic.
| He decided that these expenditures
of himself made him tired at night
less efficient in his work and less
of a prop to Jaqueline, who, as the
months passed, sat through the long
Summer afternoons on the screen YER
anda waiting for his step at the end
of the walk.
Lest that step falter Coatsworth
gave up many things-among them
presidency of his college alumni as
| sociation. He let slip other labors
less priced. He avoided those who
were prone to ask favors-feeinG a
certain eager look that would be
turned on him from some group at
| his club.