The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-05-13
CHAPTER XXV-Continued

CHAPTER XXV-Continued
Coming back. she sat down at
the table with idle hands, looking
at him frankly.
"For that part-fire and flame and
breathlessness and not eating your
dinner and lying awake all night
that part isn't the important part,
Is It? It never has lasted, it never
will"
couldn't it?" the man asked, q
dark flush on his face, his voice
low.
mo, for 1t isn't the right, the
wise and true part" Tony an
swered. "And, for the rest, Larry,
seriously, seriously. haven't you and
Caroline great deal In common?
Haven't you two more in common
than you and l ever could have
had? You like dinners chinchilla
coats
81 despise dinners. I despise
chinchilla cOats!"
IF you two had q handsome
apartment In San Francisco. enter
tanned a good deal, were In on
opera nights and polo meets"
what are you talking about?"
the man asked almost roughly.
you're not-you're surely not try
ing to-trying to persuade me that
Caroline and I are rightly mar
ried? I tell you It was one of those
ampulsive, stupid things that men
and women only do when they have
lost their bearings, when they've
been under heavy strain. A week
later-we were in Paris then-we
both seemed suddenly to wake up,
to come back to our old point Of
view. We said then, We must
make go of this. we've drawn the
attention of all our world to our
marriage, we can't confess failure?
But from that moment to this we've
never thought alike, we have moth
Ing in common. we are only max
ing each other miserable ]"
Tony looked at him speculatively
II noticed the gray hair, Larry"
"That began when was i'll. Oh,
Tony, If could only go back the
last eight months and have 1t all
to live over again! 1t was so sim
pie easy, just to bring Ruth's
mother home and to come out here
to you! But 1t seemed to be a
time when / had to plunge madly
ahead - dizzy with freedom, per-
haps, feeling that now could do
anything, travel. buy a country
place, have horses, do all the things
that Of late years hadn't interested
her
"And within a few weeks Caro-
line and l were somehow engaged,
and even then I wasn't taking 1t all
seriously; even then I didn't real
lie that she was In earnest. We
had said at first that Of course we
would wait the whole year-then
she began towel. and I did. too.
Tn not blaming anyone but myself.
We were there at the villa, with
everything to settle, discuss, de-
eide, and since we were going to
be married some day, why not at
once, and quietly. and not tell any
one for six or eight months?''
Larry" Tony said seriously,
-'you don't have to tell me. Nobody
knows better than how easily one
can do a thing in one mood and
wonder about It In another"
1t was the first touch Of anything
like sympathy. like tenderness she
had shown him. and he grasped at
1t eagerly.
'Tony, only promise me this:
that whatever the complications Of
the next year are. whatever Caro-
aine and I decide to do, you'll be
my friend. may have your
friendship. mayn't I, Tony? You
and may see each other, and talk
things over, and 60 back to the
old days when we used to 60 to
lunch at one and talk until half
past three?'
II don't like to remember those
'days!" Tony said, smiling. And in
the silence Joe put his head In at
the door and asked: "Do we eat
In herey' and her talk with Larry
was over. The door between the
living room and the kitchen was
opened, and Caroline and Joe be-
gan to set a table in by the fire.
"Any more talk of your going
20 New York, Tony?" Caroline
asked.
"Not now, no." Ill.,. FL. 49,.
II got my coat there" Caroline
SAID. 1.-THE divinest chinchilla you
ever saw. TN show 1t to you to
morrow"
Tony did not look at Larry.
81 remember you wanted one"
ssReady. joe" Tony said. TIT
salad was green and crisp In its
Bowl: the enchiladas smoking hot
Joe brought great stack of brown
toast to the table. "Does anyone
want coffee now? Nobody want.
coffee until later. Joe." Tony said