Evening star., 1925-05-14

Mono" That was all he said.
Perhaps he had not fornd the dollar
note.
They sat on either side OF the table
in the front room that served as parlor
by day and her bedroom at night.
She had supposed that they would
break at once into talk. But they did
not. He was soberly eating. Some
thing was the matter. But she must
not let his sense of a clouded under
standing depress her. She must carry
it off 'Irnpulsively she looked up and
cried. Horace. dear. have some
thing To-
She faltered at that point. because
he had chosen the same moment to
lower his fork and say, Alice, there
is something that L
She laughed right out, all over
strung nerves. But he waited with
frightened expression for her to con-
tinue.
It's really great news. Horace.
I've got a job A real one, with a
She was watching his face. He had
never pressed her with questions. II
would be all right if she just did not
say too much. She simply must not
give him an opportunity to disapprove
not with their very lives at stake.
Like my old work in the Crochet
vile Free Public, only even more In
teresting. I'm really very happy
about it. Don't you see, Horace, we
won't have to worry at all about the
checks from Chicago. When they do
come. they'll be just that much extra.
And oh, Horace, what pleases me most
is that now we can do some OF those
interesting things-take the railroad
up the mountain and ride in the cars
down to Santa Monica and maybe
some Sunday even see Santa Barbara.
And we can keep our clothes. You
know you need shirts. And we're go
ing to have your hair and beard
trimmed, and spruce you all up The
only thing that worries me is having
to leave you alone here all day. And
your lunches, I'm not going to have
you picking up cold indigestible
things.
Her enthusiasm. at first seeming al
most real to herself. was fading out.
It would have helped if he had shown
even a little responsive interest. But
he did not show any; he simply sat.
So she hustled out to the kitchenette
to get the stewed pears. She simply
had to break out into some sort OF
activity. She was at heart-She told
herself this excitedly-a liar. 1t al
most seemed as II he suspected her.
She moved toward the corridor.
There he was with his straw hat on,
actually slipping out the door: His
face was nearly as white as his beard.
To her startled glance he said few
low words. something about being
back directly.
In about 10 minutes he returned,
wearily There were pink spots on
his temples. and a hunted look in his
eyes. She indicated the stewed pears,
but he wearily waved aside all thought
Of food.
II telephoned'-he said. but then
stopped short He was standing In
the doorway, steadying himself with
a lean. white hand. Patiently, labori-
ously, he seemed to be trying to think
out battling problem. The pink
spots deepened in color. Drops Of
sweat appeared on his noble forehead.
Alice felt as If she was sinking in her
chair 1t was terrible to witness her
anguish. She was on the point OF cry
ing out her whole pathetic little ad-
venture. when at last he spoken
resignation, with a dismissive finality
that was the strongest note in the
"Alice my dear, IAffnd myself COM
mitted to course that deeply puzzles
me. The truth would hurt you. ]
will for the present spare you that. I
am beginning to see tnat In tunes or
somewhat abnormal pressure and con-
Germ the Judgment may become so
warped as to lead one into strange by.
ways. Your announcement makes my
present course appear. for the mo-
ment. unnecessary. l have made the
effort to extricate myself from this
predicament. but find that, 1t is too
late. won't speak soon again Of this
1t is too painful. 1t is, indeed. un-
believable. But however strange my
course may for the time seem to you
1 must ask you to trust in my in :
tegrity.
With that he left her and shut him.
self in his room. She heard the closet
door open, and then a snap as he shut
| mis- satchel. He would have put some.
/ thing else away there. along with the
! rejected manuscripts. Then a chair
| creaked. and she knew that he was
! love..i.ass .ls;r:;s. - 20 li1 knees. She
slen aeatu .As ia.ul Mvans spuau