San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-11

Copyright. 1928. King Feat,
"How cIn l be sure" jim cried,
rising and limping up and down the
living room of The Birches with every
sign of agitation. "How can I swear
that I will never hurt or shame or
humiliatc you again. Do you think /
meant to fail you all the times l did?'
"Then you believe you could hurt
me like that again" said DULY.
There might even be another Ruth
Gregory"
mo, mop Jim exclaimed almost
impatiently. "You don't understand
me at ALL"
II think I understand you-entirely
too WELL" said Stiffly.
Not if you could say that"
"Why not" / demanded in a rage
that mounted and famed because OF
Jim's air of detachment.
II know nov that Auth Gregory
can hurt YOU. DO you think L would
deliberately hurt you?" he asked
quietly.
hesitated a moment before said
mo"
AT least you credit me with n
certain amount of decency," jim MUIR
INJURED. "Well, then, starting on the
assumption that wouldn't deliberate
ly hurt you, let's agree that there
couldn't be another-Ruth episode;
We might even say that there could
not be another Neal episode. think
I'm cured of making snap judgments,
and of snobbery, and OF the arrogance
that makes me blind to the side of
question / don't naturally see. I've
come to realize that with all the evil
dence against him, a man may still
be guiltless. Neal taught me that
"And / had to stand fast on that
theory when it looked as il it was
YOU who were involved with Brooke
DE Courcey'- / broke in irrele-
vanity. 81,
jim accepted this CALAMITY, with
cheerful:
"Richto! You were little gentle
man then and no mistake. You trusted
when everything looked black for me.
You believed in me when circumstan-
tial evidence convicted me for falr'
But 1 knew you would. 1 trusted you
to be fair. Don't you see-l mad the
greater faith?"
"Why You actually did" I gasped.
81 trusted you to be consistent. jim
went on, hammering his point nome.
II felt sure that you wouldn't judge
me. / counted on your loyalty when
everything in the world pointed at me
and cried: Thou art the man
Well, dear. Follow it up for your
self"
"You knew I'd trust you. And l
did," I said slowly.
Snow parallel it." Jim ordered. :.
"If 1 know you trust me-you VIII,
I said slowly.
Jim threw back his head and
laughed with loud masculine outlaws
before he protested.
"1'here's no question OF trusting
you" He added stiffly as il to an
audience. "My wife is above re-
proach. know that. There is no
question of her absolute-integritv.
Such matters are not involved. We
are not, discussing my wife's char
acter."
"What are we discussing them
I demanded.
"What do you mean?" Jim gasped.
"WeIl come to that in a moment"
said, deciding that it was high time
for me to try to get the reins OF this
strange conversation into my own
hands. "What l want to know now
is what you meant when You said
there was a parallel to my trusting
you"
81 guess I meant converse-not
parallel" Jim confessed truefully.
"You trust me-apd I turn out to be
all right. If you didn't might go
wrong"
"But I always have trusted you,"
I said. =.
"Not in the Ruth Gregory matter"
Jim said. 'And I don't trust myself
to be a mind reader and see what is
going to Surt you. The Ruth
Gregory business was a molehill TO
me-and to you it was the biggest
mountain Of our married life. In the
Neal case I was judging the only way
| possibly could-logically and / fail
ed you hideously in your greatest
crisis. In the case when I shoulder
ed the responsibility of Brooke de
Courcey in order TO keep Jeanie from
breaking her heart over Pats affair
Won trusted me. You never Judged
me or misiudged me. You never blam-
cd me. And I think l acted like n
fool and n knave to let you suffer
so Jeanie could 20 free"
Jim stopped abruptly. He looked
TT me as If he expected something.
=.