Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-08-17
Chapter 5
AN BOOK


angry with your" Anderson
asked.
Sondra made a gesture of hope
lessness.
Il only thought-perhaps )"
She broke off, and he did not
ask what she meant.
There was a little frown be-
tween Sondra's eyes as they went
back to the ballroom.
Intimate as she was in some
ways with John Anderson he yet
always made her feel as if she
never really got anywhere near to
him. All she knew of him was the
little he chose she should know
the rest remained an unopened
book which woman-like she longed
to read, because it va denied to
her. She had been more frank
with him tonight than eve before,
and yet it had in no way brought
them nearer together, and she
found herself half regretting her
impulsiveness as she walked be-
side him back to the ballroom.
What did he really think of
her? What did all men really
think of women who allowed them
to give them ex%travagant pres
ents? She looked up at him I'M
patiently. His face betrayed moth
ing-neither love, nor disapproval,
nor jealousy-perhaps it was be-
cause he was so much older than
she that he had learnt to control
his feelings so perfectly. If Flora
knew of their friendship she new
err alluded to it, and yet, surely
she must sometimes wonder,
knowing that the ungenerous al
lowance she gave Sondra would
not purchase fur coats or hundred
dollar frocks. Life was such an
insincere thing-with which peo-
Pile seemed to have entered into q
great conspiracy of pretence.
They pretended to like one an
other when they did not, they pre-
tended to believe in one another
when they devoutly distrusted-
they pretended to be happy and
gay when all the time they were
profoundly miserable.
sand ! am the same" Sondra
told herself. $50 why should !
Judge the others? ?"
She looked up at the nan beside
her-he too was always pretend
ing-pretending not to love her,
when some seventh had long
ago warned her hat he did-and
yet-might she not be deceiving
herself even in this?
Why should he love her? A
man as rich and influential as ne
was could have loved almost any
woman-was there any reason
why his choice should have fallen
on her? No, there was no reason
any more than there was a reason
for her own love for Mark Merri-
man.
People talked so much about
free will, and it was such a neg
ligible quantity when one was
faced with the great things of life
like a straw tossed whichever
way the wind of circumstance
chose to carry it. And yet, wasn't
it by her own free will that she
had taken this step to remove
Merriman from her life?-Son-
dra looked into her heart and de-
MED that it was-surely she had
been forced by the insecurity OF
her position.
She thought suddenly OF hei
sisters carelessly spoken words
that evening.
"It's such a pity John Andersen
can't get rid of Evelyn-he'c
make such a splendid husband fol-
you'll" and her own reply:
81 don't want him for a nus
band, thank you"
That was not the truth either
she never seemed to be free tx
speak the truth. If Anderson haC
been a single man she would have
married him, always supposing M
had asked her.
She looked up at him agar
critically. How amused people
would be if they could really I'M
derstand the relationship between
them, if she could tell the worlc
-"Yes, he gives me everything
want-and asks nothing in return
he has never even kissed me"
Nobody would believe her
Flora always declared that mer
were never disinterested, anC
Flora understood men so well.
"John must be the exception
that proves the rule" Sondrs
thought, even as she asked her
self if Anderson might not b.
playing a waiting game and woult
copoa dav in the near future rem