The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-07
CHAPTER xXXV

N
e grasp the significance of what
he heard, or rather the import OF
hearing BERTHE LOUIS voice at thai
time and in that room. He stood
where he was, Insulating about
breaking in upon her while the maid
was present.
And then, before he had come to
any decision about what he should
do, it came to him with shatter-
ing impact that Lila was right!
BERTHE Lou had not kept their agree
n1ent. She had broken her word
her vows. and destroyed his last
remaining faith in her.
Rod stood there, helpless, Tor a
black period that never could De
measured, while the degrading con-
viction of BERTHE Louis guilt rooted
itself deep in his soul.
It was like soiled fingers tearing
at all that was clean and decent IN
his life. A bitter nausea swept over
him and he leaned weakly against a
wall for support.
The maid came out of BERTHE LOUIS
room and turned in the other o!-
rection without seeing Rod. 1t is
likely that even if she had seen MIN
she'd have mistaken him for one OF
the party.
He looked precisely like drunken
man at the moment. His heao
hung on one side with his chin upon
his dress shirt front and he appeared
ready to collapse. :,
After a bit he attempted to pull
himself together. 1t was IN ms
mind to face BERTHE Lou and he even
took a few steps toward her door
s But he did not reach II peIore ne
turned and walked dazedly' stag
geringly, away. ~
What was there to say? He
could not bear to see her, perhaps
tn fall down and beg her to deny
what his eyes had seen. ROD dared
no longer to trust even himself.
No one was decent, no one was
e right. He might make a worm OF
himself. And BERTHE Lou mlghC !et
him do it, might lie. They nlgaV
begin living a hell of married lie
that was without respect, without
faith. utterly unhallowed.
Fear drove Rod out of the house
Fear of the depths of degradation
to which he might sink to save NM
self from accepting the horrible
truth of BERTHE Louis unfaithtulneSs'
The temptation to plead for a lie
from her, a lie that would ADMIT
him to what he would always SuS-
pect was a FOOLS paradise, was TOO
great to be risked.
Why he suffered so terribly over
what he had discovered Rod did not
ask himself. Perhaps he thought
vaguely, that it was the pain one
feels lfpon learning Of the false
ness of the world. Two women. one
whom he had respected as a person
who would keep a fair bargain had
nroved herself cheat; and one ne
{ had loved and believed really no
BILE character had shown herseH 10
be even worse.
Rod climbed into his taxicab and
was driven back to the city IN a
mood as hopeless as any the human
mind can encounter. Everything
was gone. His position, his friend
shin with Cyrus Loree-though ne
hardly realized this at the time,
# was the devastating destruction
of his faith in the two women VINO
had meant all of love and honor to
him that reduced him to a 1eeLne
of unspeakable disgust and loathlng
for them.
Strangely, it was BERTHE Lou who
drew his blacklist thoughts. he
could have killed her, if he'd had
his hands on her throat then, he
fold himself. Her smooth white
throat, her d amnably kisSaole
throat! The memory OF it was Uor-
ture to him. .oa,,,
The driver turned. He thought
he'd heard a groan. Well, 1t might
have been. Queer fish, this rare
of his. Keeling out of a house like
a man who'd seen into he'll, ano
now he sat back there, his head
dropped in his hands and swayine
to and fro to beat the devil I'll
tell 'em. I'll be glad to drop him
and how" he told himself.
Rod did not speak to him during
the drive back to town. Time
seemed to mean nothing to hin
now. The driver asked him, wher
they reached the greensboro
Bridge, where he should take hin
and Rod gave him the address o.
his apartment.
When they got there he stumbled
out Of the cab and handed the
driver a bill which the latter stuffed
into his pocket with a surprised gr1r
after one glance at it. Rod did no
ask fer change.
He climbed the stairs to his fiool
like an old man. Bitter, disillu'
stoned, sick. An epithet had at
tached itself to BERTHE Lou in hi
mind and he repeated it over anc
over with maddening monotony
Money, money, money. Lils
wanted it. BERTHE Lou wanted it
Lila wanted love too. Rod won
dered, with stab Of pain through
his dulling misery, if BERTHE Lol
wanted it too-if she loved thi
Marco Palmer.
"But she didn't have to do it tina
way" Rod muttered aloud. "Sh'
could have had her freedom
to marry young Palmer. oh
God, BERTHE Lou"
The cruelest thing that eve