Evening star., 1925-02-08

sacrifices one or the other, Jim or
her work.
AS for myself, ! don't see much
ahead. If 1 was brought into the
world to produce a great artist. 1
have done my work. And that has
failed, too, for what is her success
| without happiness? Quite frankly, 1
would deliberately let go Of life il
/ felt sure there was something to
come after.
1 wrote to Anne and to Peggy. too.
Both letters were frank, and Peggy's
was almost brutally SO.
Every successful woman" wrote,
sooner or later finds herself at the
forks of the road. Perhaps this will
not always be. for men will learn
to make for the wife's affairs the
same understanding allowance wom-
en- have always made for the business
interests of their men. But the fault
Is also with the. women. They can
not apparently reconcile the two, the
home and the career. but they must
somehow learn to do it.
You asked me once how We man
aged. and l replied that IL was by
mutual compromise. 1 might have
added, and / do now, that 1t was
only possible by detaching my work
from my family life, and by putting
the family life first. l might have
gone higher, the other way about.
but 1t would not have been worth the
cost"
1 advised her to find something for
Anne to do, and to face the fact that
generosity may be a vice and a self
indulgence. That 1t could wreck lives
and character
Her reply was very humble
I know 1t is true, but what can
1 do? 1 have watched it coming
until I am almost desperate. But
the plain truth is that when 1 make
overtures to Jim he thinks am
sorry for him, and draws into a
she'll Of pride. AS for Anne, all my
life have looked forward to making
things easy and happy for her. and
you must see that 1 cannot turn her
out. My home must be her home. so
long as We both live. She deserves
that, at the very least
X y X X
WITHIN the next year or two
w things moved rather rapidly.
The old father remarked and I got a
bitter, cynical letter from Anne. Then
Harry got into some sort of trouble
and had to leave the country. Peggy
and MaZzari went on concert tour
and she stayed with me when they
came to- our city. Her obsessing idea
was that she had wrecked every one
she loved. without seeing how.
Even Anne" she finished. And 1
depended so on Anne to see me
through"
Mazzari came out that night, and
he had not been in the house five
minutes before 1 saw that he was a
new and possibly important element
in the situation
She Is a wonder-woman," he said.
And 1 love Der. You know that. But
she loves cnly that-that business
man of hers" / cannot hope to re-
produce the scorn in his voice for
Jim. me. I speak he: language. 1
am Of her people. He? He does not
even love her.
"It takes a big man t. love a big
woman. I am g. big man. He is not"
hard" Peggy said.
II certainly won't, unless you do
I'm used to him." she said. He's
like a comfortable fire; he burns, but
he doesn't blaze too much. 1 have
to have some affection" she said.
Even a dog has to be loved
you have Jim"
Jim doesn't care any more"
II don't believe it. And you have
Anne"
Anne hate me-" she said bitterly.
Il can understand. Jim. Or try to.
But can't understand Anne" And a
moment later: I've got everything,
and nothing"
In looking about for an explanation
Of the desperate act by which Anne
finally solved her problem, I find my
self wondering If her love for Jim did
not enter into it very largely. That
he never knew of it 1 am certain,
but I am also certain that it existed.
1 daresay the sort of pseudo domes-
ITCHY of their life together while
Peggy was away was finally too
much for her. But even eliminating
that, Peggy's absence was surely a
contributory cause, and Peggy must
have known it. Always when she
was there she was justifying Anne
to herself. You did this for me,
Anne" or "Anne is my second moth
er." DO come tonight, Anne; want
your opinion" on anything, from
an aria to a costume.
But Peggys constantly upholding
hand had been withdrawn, and Anne
slipped down and down. She killed
herself
IRON psychological point of
L view, Anne's suicide was a dis
taNct milestone in Peggy'S condition