New Britain herald., 1929-01-11
THIS HAS HAPPENED

ara quite alone in a little house on
the mountain, with the shutters
drawn, and the place tightly barp-
caded. Outside a hurricane RACES.
Ashtoreth 10 a stenographer, and
Mr.. Hart il her millionaire employ
.r. The little house on the mountain
is his And the scene of their ro-
mantle sojourn is an island in the
West Indies-the loveliest island IN
the world.
Ashtoreth stopped there for few
hours, when the cruise ship on when
she was travelling put in the mar
Dor. To her delighted amazement'
she met Mr.. Hart strolling through
the village streets. He had visited
the island en- route to South Amer
lea, and, becoming infatuated with
its beauty, had rented a plantation
and a house full of servants.
Ashtoreth goes to his place for
dinner, and purposely misses the
boat, 30 that she may have an ad-
venture with him. He treats her with
charming ueleTtiSt, anu
tender love, while she seeks, in vain.
to wiring an actual proposal from
him, He christens her "Orchid' be-
cause she reminds him. he says. oil
the flowers Because she is 80 e1-
auisite. and remote. and cool.
Ashtoreth tells him a great deal
of her early life. and is recountlnE
now the story Of her fathers death.
and telling OF letter which was her
fathers beauest to her.
NOW GO ON WITH TtfE STORY
CHAPTER NNNI
Ashtoreth was remembering that
Maizie's harl-carned money had
paid for her tropical trip. That
Maizie's devotion had nursed her
when she was i'll. That Maizie's love
embodied her every hour of the day
and night. And. remembering.
she felt low and hateful. Unworthy
for Maize to mother and cherish.
But she had started her story.
and she would finish it.
~ love my mother with all my
heart" she told herself. as il wrong
that I should know her, also, for
what she is?"
And aloud she said. DADDY had
strange ideas about morality. SoH
know how everybody thinks that 1t
a woman is loyal to her husband.
and works for him. and never looks
at anybody else hut him-why. they
hor ,,nra1 VI :
an. Don't they? Everybody does"
Mr.. Hart nodded.
why. ] suppose So" he said
well, daddy didn't" she declar-
cd. He thought that any woman
who got married. Just to get herself
supported. was exactly as bad as il
she'd never married the man at all
But just lived with him.
HERES one paragraph from the
letter he wrote me. ] can quote
every word Of it becanse ] know j
all nv heart:
''Tf you trust exclusively 10 your
youthful charms for your provision
in life he said. and if your cum
Ming Is further prompted by your
mother. you will have Just the
sme aim as courtesan. Ashtorcth
Only you will be wiser and less hon.
est"
Ashtoreth paused to explain. 81
found the letter." she said. thre.
days after daddy died. He had tuck.
ed it under some things in my bu
reau drawer It was in big white
envelope, all stuck up with rcd seal
ing wax. And it said on It: 1'ol
Ashtoreth: a personal letter. To b.
opened after her fathers DEATH
That was long before Judge
Lindsey and everybody started talk
ing about companionate marriage
But daddy quoted something that h
said Nietzsche said. II married
couples did not live together h
said. happy marriages would b.
more frequent And after that h
wrote, To be surfeited with love il
Z tragedy. In marriage there is in
evitable safety And he advised me
loved man a great deal, to re
tuSS 70 i've WIFI MIN.
Hollis pursed his lips reflectvely.
THAT was pretty strong fodder TO
3 16-year-old girl" he observed.
We'll. he said that women like t,
believe that love can do everything.
expounded Ashtoreth. THAT it is :
superstition peculiar to us. And tina
the sooner I found out how helpless
and laundering even the best ant
deepest love is, the better off I'd be
And he said that love destroys. rath
sr than saves"
DO you suppose" asked Hollis
that he felt that your mothers low
.or him had destroyed HIM"
Ashtoreth hesitatcd.
Well" she said. Il think mother
DEVOTION was sort Of suffocatin,
thing. Mother isn't what you'd cal
IN inspirational person. Holly"
did your father read Nictzsch
great DEAL" inquired Hollis
Would you call him a student o
Si"tzsche's phlosophy?''
why yes. suppose So Dadd
cad lot" explained Ashtoreth.
Hollis held her hands in his.
And don't you know" he aske
Ter, that Nietzsche preached a de
.adent philosophy? The philosoph
Of gloom and horror. Now. my deal
wouldn't hurt your feelings for tn
world. And I've no doubt YOU
Ether was remarkable man. an
wonderful father But yo
'noW. II seems, Orchid. you're rathe
overlooking your mother. She sound
m" like lovely. wholesome sou
md it's rather a dreadful thin
'ou know. child. when a young gi,
It's to feeling so very superior t
lie mother who bore her"
Ashtoreth smiled loftily.
That mother who bore yol,' stu
'ores me to tears she announce,
All that Sanctity drival abol