San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-26
BY ANN Isle
Chapter 127.

would know"
'By your heart, Alanna? Would
that be after telling you"
HE would let me know. He would
send for me. / owe him so much"
Sand do you think he would ever
be after demanding payment? Do
you think he would be trying to col
lect-especially in his hour of need p
''He owes it to me to give me a
chance to pay"
"And you sending him away| de-
manded Pat. "You not seeing him
at all?'
Il sent him away in fairness to
him"
"Bosh!" Pat said brusquely. "You
sent him away in fairness to yourself
If you like. 1t may be that you were
after sending him away because of
what you thought was fairness to jim.
But you were wrong, you were wrong
all along the line"
WRONG" / protested.
ayes. I'll be after telling you"
"Don't be telling me anything when
Ralph Lacy may need me now, at
once"
At the look Pat sent me felt that
4 had walked into his trap. 1 scarce
~ needed his words to tell me that
this was indeed so. but he said in a
slow. measured voice:
II thought you were sure you would
KNOW if Ralph was in grave need.
So since you needed me to tell you,
perhaps he isn't in need at all. Per-
baps / was taking. Perhaps / was
probing. Perhaps | was after trying
to reveal you to yourself"
(which were you doingW / asked
roldly. And did you succeedf'
Perhaps you knoy whether or not
4 was after succeeding" Pat said Sc
verely. But there is one more thing
Tn after meaning to tell you, Alanna.
And it is about us men. If your mar
rage has not revealed this to you,
perhaps / overstep in telling you. But
IL is yourself has brought jeanne back
to me twice. And it is yourself has
revealed me to myself again. And
there is no length to which l will not
be after going to pay my debts of
honor and gratitude"
is that a hint? Are you telling
me / ought to think of my debt to
Ralph Lacy-which is q thousand
times any debt you may fancy you
owe mel"
'That Is after being between your
self and your conscience" Pat said
slowly. "'Tis enough Of that I've said
for the present. IT'S this ! am after
feeling l must be telling you, Alanna,
whether or not you like it. 1t is of
men in general I would be after speak
ing"
"Why speak Of men In generalT' ]
cried. wringing my hands helplessly.
'"Tell me what is wrong with Ralph y
"All in good time" Pat said ex-
asperatingly.
'Then tell me why Jim sent you"
"Twas his look sent me-" Pat said
calmly. "And twas that | told you
before. But if you will be listening fol-
n minute or two while l am telling
you something about the sex to which
I happen to belong, you can be apply
ing it for yourself-and to Jim or
Ralph, as you will
you've played with me long
enough. You've told me that you men
like your wives better when you know
other men like them. You've told me
that you hold with philandering-ig-
noring the vow to 'cleave to her
only" ! cried.
1--WE told you things that offend
your sense of law and order. I've told
you that civilization is after being a
theory and human nature a fact. And
whether or not you listen-and wheth-
er or not you like it. this is after be-
ing 80. A decent man loves one wom-
an. He marries her. He is after low
ing her with his heart and soul even
when something wild and untamed is
sending him to chase some other wom-
an who is nothing to him at ALL
"The wise woman may be knowing
that her man is hers all the while in
spirit and soul, but she smiles n bit
and hits him over the head with a
club-and that club is nothing but
giving him look at what would hat
pen il she began chasing after some
light Of her fancy and forgetting that
the homes fires have to be kept light
ed IL they are to be kept burning. And
that. Alanna, my dear, is the way to
play the game of love-"
II won't play it that way! IT isn't
a camel Life is sacred" / protested. |
"If you won't be after listening,
then you will be after suffering" Pat
said sententiously, and though II
begged him to tell me what he meant. |
he only gave a curt laugh and turned
on his heel and left the room whist
ling.
"Oh, believe me. II all those en-
deared young charms"
But l wondered and wondered in
vsin what he had meant to tell me.
10 RA Continued.)