The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-04
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE


CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DAIRY stopped the car, as she
ID had hoped he might, under the
trees on the driveway and kissed
her. TITS true" he said, then. III
is true, isn't it, Cecily?"
"Oh. it Isl" she answered.
For both of us?"
But dear-of course for both OF
us"
Wouldn't It have been terrible,
he asked, If I'd loved you, like this
or il you'd loved me ard the other
ore hadn't2 It couldn't be lived
What do people do? Cecily, have
YOU ever loved any other man-like
this?"
Il have never loved any other
man at ALL" she said.
You've thought you were In love,
though, haven't you?"
She shook her head. mo, I never
have. Not once nor a little. But
you have, haven't you, Barry?"
"I've had cases, crusheS-that sort.
But I've never asked any other girl
To marry me, so they couldn't have
amounted to much-the crusheS, l
mean-could theyP"
Perhaps not to you. But what
about the girls?"
Nothing at all about the girls.
It has been always all on my side.
No other girl has ever loved me
nor liked me-very much"
Cecily, then, could take her choice
of hypocritical humility, base per-
fsdy. or just plain dumbness.
she found none of them to her
pleasure, so she gasped. why
Barryl' miserably and let it go at
that.
Did you want me to be a much
loved man?" he leased. Sorry, but
most women shudder away from me
on sight. What's the matter. dar-
ling? Something? Anything?"
Barry, I shan't mind, that is too
much, about your other love affairs.
But I'm going to mind like every
thing when you don't tell me the
truth"
"As you should" he agreed. But
l haven't told you anything that
isn't true. sweet, and 1 won't il I
can help It.
You must have known was try
ing to be funny, if feebly, about the
shuddering ladies. Though most of
them are unflinchingly Indifferent
to me and my charms
1T wasn't that" she said.
1T VASE" he prompted.
your saying that no girls had
ever loved you or even liked you"
LIE glanced at her. Il see," he
L i said. Via Lutte, via Marta?
I might have known--they're both
lippy. I can't see that it matters a
boot in hades whether girls have
loved me or not-the repeating of
it sounds simply and sickening, any
how.
But you'll have to take my word
for it. / should know, shouldn't L?
Those girls loved themselves a lot;
they loved their vanity; they may,
perhaps, have loved love charity
and spasmodically-but they didn't
love me in the least. AS I've told
you, they didn't even like me-"
Cecily said ooh, but you couldn't
know that, positively" and quailed
at his frown and added hastily,
could your"
Il read the other day." he an
Swered, "about a man who, when he
came home and found his dinner
was not ready, held his wifes hands
down on the hot cook stove until
she tainted.
Shed have a reasonable right
to decide, don't you think so, when
she gets out of the hospital that
the man didn't love her and never
had loved her nor liked her as a
real friend?"
Barry"
"Ill tell you" he said. It'd
thought that l wouldn't. It is I'M
necessary, in a way. But you'll re-
gard it as a confession, won't you,
Cecily, and not as warning?
"QuarrelS-do something to me
that / can't endure. / can't explain
the sensation better than by saying