Evening star., 1925-12-02
CHAPTER NNIIi.
4 Kiss.

Then you don't like my hapni.
ness?" Joanna said; You don't want
me TO have what my money has made
possible for me-"
II haven't said anything. of that
nea ming John declared. Il want
nothing else in the world so much as
I want you to have happiness, but |
wish you could have with il something
of real joy. something of the JOY OF
doing things, big things. out of the
opportunities that have come Your
way. I am afraid you will never
know that sort of feeling. Perhaps II
Is all right that YOU shouldn't. Money
will mean one thing TO you; II would
mean something else To me. As 1t so
often does where love is the bargain,
ii has come between us"
You mean that because of this we
must give up-give up each other"
She was still very quiet, and patient.
What else can we do? How l.
there any room or place for me? The
little house, with a parlor and kitchen
that we planned would hardly he
serViceable to YOU now, would i?
But. John. we could still build that
same house. That is one thing I want
10 do, right away" She smiled 4
little Only we can make it larger.
and with more to it than just
kitchen and parlor-fountains and
gardens. and balconies. and the stair
ways and paneled halls we u-el to
Joke about when we saw them in the
movies. We can have all those things
now. John. that We laughed about.
1t will be Just the house we planned.
enlarged TO fit my million. Will there
he anything wrong about that:
She saw the stuhhornness that she
always hated. settle deeper in his eyes.
No" he returned: 1T can't he work
ed out that way. 10. Id never live
with YOU in house YOU'D paid for,
oven with money given YOU for Il rea-
son that hope viii turn out to he all
right. You sc. | too, have plans.
You know them. even if YOU never
cared much about listening TO them.
I've got to make my way. The career
] want is one that can't he bought.
You can't give il to me like you would
birthday present. Different, you
see. from yours
She looked at him from widened
eyes She wondered at her own calm.
She was not hurt, as she had been
that night at Mrs. Adams when John
repulSed her. He Was not doing that
sort OF thing again. Now he was
quietly. stubbornly taking himself out
of her life, or rather thrusting her
out of his.
\ wild impulse tt run upstairs.
wrap herself in cloak and run out
into the street with him thrilled her
for moment and then lapsed into the
deadly calm that puzzled her.
But John she said: II love YOU.
| have always loved YOU. Why must
YOU make such d fuss about the
money? 1t won't change me. not so
much as it has changed you?' He in
terrupted her.
That's just it, 1t won't change
you. II has only brought YOU out of
yourself, and revealed YOU. This sort
Of thing won't get YOU any place. in
the end. II is not the background
for girl, no matter how good she is
and ! believe. Joe. as | always have.
that you're good. You will stay good
lust as long as you can. l shah
always want YOU. but | just can't
have YOU. Can t.
His last words were a pleading for
his justification. It would have been
better, perhaps. if he had not spoken
them. They reminded Joanna that
he was one who would not. could not.
understand her OF one like her. Still
she wa snt hurt. She suffered, be
cause her heart was turning over.
She longed for him, wanted to yield TO
him as he would have had her yield to
his fears for her and TO his ideas that
she should be some other kind of girl
but she realized that il would all he
useless. She would never lie content
with all entertainments taken out of
the world that had suddenly become
50 lavish to her.
Then YOU wont he coming back.
YOU won't accept things as they are
and come back to me?" she asked.
If you still want me. when I have
made my own way. and have money
Of my own. | will be wanting you.
he said. slowly. She probed his words