Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-06-04

+ to throw all of myself into the fight
every resource I could summon. / do
not smoke. / know as much about
smoking as any man alive. l have
measured its effect with accuracy. II
Is a greater devitalizer than alcohol
But / do not drink, either. / have
conserved and guarded all my sensa-
lions until have none. All my life
my last twenty years of life-I have
promised myself indulgences- indul-
gences of gigantic and exquisite de-
sign, but now that I can have them
this body of mine rejects them all, re-
fuses them all. Fate laughs in my ear
and says, You're done for. The most
sensuous pleasure you shall have will
be the flavor of that apple sauce you
have eaten for lunch for fifteen years
and will eat for lunch for the rest OF
your days. Isn't this a grim joke,
Miss Selcoss?"
IT do not know" said Brena uneas-
lily.
Even in the dark he sensed her de-
sire to go.
"Don't leave me-" he said with a
voice which almost broke into a low
sob. "You are the only one who can
understand"
"All right" she said, astonished that
she had become important to anyone.
'I'm sorry, Mr.. Parmalee.'
LET me tell you something else," he
went on. II have dreamed of GER
tain prestige kind of background
Of life that / would enjoy when / was
ready. To that end I have given lib
orally to campaign funds. Next year
| If I wish / can be minister to Portu-
gal. Personally think this is a grim
jest. 1t is the system, however"
Brena clasped her ungloved hands
in her lap and thrust her arms out
until it appeared that she was express
ing something of the thrill of magma
ton which the picture of diplomatic
life in a European capital had given
her.
"But 1 shall not take the office, .
said Parmalee.
Brena uttered an exclamation.
'No, shall not take it. do not
want more brilliance. ! want more
dim light. like the dusk. / do not
want to see my name in printed let
ers. / never want to see it again.
do not want men and women to say,
That Is Compton Parmalee.' l want
all strangers to neglect me. / want to
live in a dim light-like this-now In
this Office"
He sighed.
1--WE made many mistakes" he said
II want now to become buried, to be
unseen-like a ghost"
Brena protested. "There are SO many
things you can buy with your money
she said.
"Only one" he replied sharply.
"And that"
"Is YOU"
She pushed her chair back from the
desk with both her hands.
you need not be alarmed said his
calm voice. II have stated it purpose
ly at it's worst. It is better for you to
have this thought presented at first
and perhaps we can overcome it later
l put 1t in the terms the world will
use; Dallas will say, He bought her.
But, after all, we will not be in Dali
las. We will be in Picking or In Bonn
bay or in sight Of the Pyramids or In
the crags of the Norway coast. / am
more than twenty years older than you
Drr% he orfn
and important persons with whom we
may dine will only say, He has a
beautiful young wife with free mind.
Her father was a patriot of Greece -
"You know"
Cali that could about you," said
Parmalee.
'But it has been long time" Bre-
ma said, as If cross examination might
bring clarity to displace her puzzled
mind. "You did not"
"Come back?" he asked. "No."
Outside the plate glass window the
rising wind tuned mournfully.
"You are very young" he said "You
would not foresee as foresaw that l
could not see you without starting the
tongues of scandal. You are penniless,
young, working. I am rich, worldly,
conspicuous / should have liked to
send you extravagant presents. You
would not have understood You
would have thought l was an old fool
trying to be lover. 1 was not that,
but the others would have said even
worse of me. So waited, clinging to
single strand that brings us to-
gether."
"Usw
sympathy. Because you saw
in me the one thing left that you might
salvage and find valuable Not be-
cause am man and you are wom-
an. but because I am human being
and you, who can see with a vision of