New Britain herald., 1929-01-31
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CHAPTER XLVIII

A0utVTClA 03t Va NAAS ~SN~"' 49,
vas very quiet. and she did not
CRY. Her heart. she thought, was
broken. She even told herself that
something within her had died.
After q few minutes. she took
Monty's letter from behind Hollis
picture on her dressing table. and
read it again, slowly.
1t was dated four A. NJ. and began
Dear Ash
This is to say goodby. ! never
felt SO sorry for anyone in my life
az l did for your husband, after
the swell little scene you treated US
10. The way he kept saying, Or
Child orchid - it would have
wrung tears from a stone. or almost
anything.
HE calls you that. because 1t
means something sweet to. him.
The orchid is beautiful flower.
And expensive. Well. maybe there's
some resemblance there.
But. outside of that, do you
know what an orchid is? Well. it's
a parasite. And parasite is a
thing that CRAFTS itself on to some-
thing that is capable OF taking care
Of 1t.
"A parasite is a plant OF an an
imal living on some other living
organism, at whose expense it gets
Its food. shelter and the like. 1t
attaches itself firmly, and 1t won't
let 60.
Some parasites suck all. the life
out of the thing to which they
cling, so that eventually they kill
1t.
"Orchids graft on trees. and
stumps, and OLD roots. They are
exquisite things, but they don't
care what they live off
They are SO mean, they won't
even give the bees any honey. But
they are very beautiful.
There are girls just like Or
chids. They think that beauty is
excuse enough for being. Maybe
it is. But a lot of people despise
human parasites. even the heauti-
full ones.
Your husband thinks you are
like an orchid. Well. you are.
But he doesn't know how.
You turned me down, because
you're a sort of toney little para-
site. and you were looking for some
thing better to get attached to.
Well, you found it. You got better
than you deserve. but you haven't
sense enough to know it.
The letter ended abruptly: Your
true friend. who's got nerve enough
to tell you the truth. Monty
She dried her eyes, and won
dered what the end would be.
At midnight Ashtoreth went to
bed, having temporarily abandoned
her hopes of an immediate recon-
Citation.
"Irl be very sweet and penitent
in the morning" she decided.
And Holiy'll feel better, after a
good nights sleep. Everything will
be all right l know"
She realized that she had hurt her
husbands pride cruelty. And that
she had also come topping from the
throne he had made for her.
1--WE lost my halo" she grieved.
land my adorable Indebtedness
And. on top OF it all. practically
admitted that l never really loved
him! Oh dear. Oh DEAR"
She rang for Mrs. Saunders. and
asked for sleeping potion from the
doctor. Then she took a very hot
bath, and composed herself for
sleep.
II only she could stop thinking Of
Monty! Did he really despise her
As he said?
There's lot of truth in what
he wrote" she reflected drowsily,
But truth is such a hateful thing.
She thought II she had told Hollis
a small lie. protesting love. every
thing would have been much nicer.
She wouldn't, for instance, be alone
at the moment, with a dreadful pain
In her head, and her eyes smartins
SO fearfully. Hollis wouldn't be
roaming the deck all by himself.
catching his death of cold. Or
drinking himself crazy in the bar.
After all. perhaps she did love
him. Not glamorously. like the
movies and novels. Probably there
wasn't very much OF that sort of
love in real life anyhow.
She remembered vaguely some
thing she had read something to
the effect that in her first passion
woman loves her lover; but in
all others, all she loves is love.
Well, there wasn't anything wrong
about that. Only now. of
course, she didn't even love love.
That. she supposed. was because OF
these wretchcd front teeth. on their
silly little swivels. 1t was absurd of
course. But women were like that.
Sometimes" she murmured
sleepily. Il get the silliest notions. .
She pounded her pillow with her
fists. If only she could stop think
ing. "Oh God, please let NE
go to sleep! ! haven't slept wink
for three nights"
She wished she could dismiss
thoughts of Monty. That thing
about woman. in her first passion
loving her lover. . Monty had
been her first passion. She was
only about IS then. Well. il the
poet was right byron. or whoever
it was who wrote that then. hav-
ing exhausted her first passion for
lover. she couldn't ever again love
anything but love. 1t wasn't hci
fault II she didn't love Hollis.
Oh dear, 1t was all SO muddleI
And there was poor Holly
chasing himself around the deck
And Monty probably drinking him
self to death in Paris. And hero
she was. all alone. with an awfu
headache. and nobody cared TWt
large tears squeezed by her CLOSED
yields. and rolled slowly down he,