Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-05-08
FOURTH INSTALLMENT

cry from her lips. She's very
beautiful, mother. very talented
and very fine" The boys eyes
were fixed and shining; a breahtless.
reverent quality had crept into his
voice, and it was plain that when
he mentioned this girl his soul
bowed in worship and his heart
paid homage. "She is infinitely
superior to me, of course. That's
what makes it so wonderful, so
incomprehensible. I want you to
well, to make yourself over into
what you were so that she can meet
you and know you
There was a moment of silence.
Mrs. Holmes broke it by exclaim-
ing harshly, Forget it,"
Gerald had hurt her bitterly to-
night. He had rubbed salt into her
wounds, She had fallen low; she
he'd become ugly and old and con-
temptible, had she?) Instead of
sympathy he gave her a sort of
supercilious pity and implied that
she was unfit to meet his sweet
heart until she regenerated herself.
Instead of sharing her sorrow he
went out and made his own life,
made for himself a career such as
he had robbed her of. The in
justice of it. Well, this would
be their hour of reckoning, the hour
when she would compel him to take
up and share the burden that had
bowed her shoulders. Those alco-
holic demons in the back of her
head were dancing dizzily and it
gave her a prodigious, wicked salts
faction to realize that she had the
power now to humble his spirit as
he had humbied hers.
"Forget it, jerry" she repeated.
you can't get a girl like that to
~mafzHsyou."
II can if we stop right here,
mother, and if you'll let me help
you-er, get back on your feet"
"She wouldn't have you-not the
kind of a girl you've been talking
about" Mrs. Holmes giggled
malevoluently. "You see, my boy,
you haven't any name to give her.
but I'll make one. I'll make it
'Not much of a name, Of course,
something to be proud Of"
Mrs. Holmes rose, walked to
the cupboard, opened its door, and
took out a thick drinking glass
and a square-faced bottle. Slowly
she poured the tumbler half full of
gin, then drank it, her eyes as they
net those of her son were hostile,
there was malignity in her gaze. 1t,
was an act of deliberate, calculat-
ed defiance, for never before had
she taken liquor in his presence.
for never before had she taken
liquor in his presence. Gerald
looked on incredulouslv.
You don't understand English"
she said, harshly. VT you're old
enough to run around with wo-
men and think about getting mar
ried, 1 guess you're old enough to
stand some plain talk. You give me
enough, God knows. A little of
your own medicine won't hurt
you. What l mean to say is this
your father and I were never mar
RED"
Gerald gasped; his face whiten-
ed; a look of fright, of AFFECT
misery, crept over it. "I-should
have known better than to talk to
you when youave-wken you're
not serious, mother!"
"Oh, yes I am! l mean ex-
actly what I say. You're forever
telling me unpleasant things about
myself; now I'll tell you some.
I'll have to go back and explain,
so you'll understand - Opera sim
gers, in my time, were about what
they are now, and the profession
was about the same. A girl had to
exercise every means at her disposal
to get to the top. 1t was the price.
Success in any art must be paid for;
every great artist has to make some
sort of sacrifice. I made mine.
but the reward was worth it. 1t
was worth any price. Art is SO
much bigger, SO mach more i'm
portant than other things-every-
ill., H. ,,oo1 ~, + on