The Crux

ondness for grap

ess that gree

y have

olic a

r your chil

the question of dignity. One suddenly acting cause was the news given him by Vivian. The

ded to tramp in the high-lying outskirts of the town until every light in his house had gone

to being found there with Morton, a wish to appear as one walking about unconcernedly, and when that mat

ded understandingly, and returned to The Cottonwoods, to her room. She felt that she must

nterns swaying softly on the other side of the street; hearing the liv

t way, could not tell with decision exactly how she did feel. But if this was happiness, it was not as she had imagined it. She thought o

rt of reaction, a wish to escape. He had been so madly anxious, he had held he

puffing, Dr. Hale must have seen him. And again she thought of little Susie with almost envy. Even after that young lady had come in, bubbled over with confidences a

ling her more than she cared to admit. By and by she saw his well-known

t, "I'm not young, like Susi

or, nor to emerge lamely as if he had hidden. So he lit the match, more from habit than anything else. When it was out, and the cigar

ian than the night before. He showed real understanding, no triumph, no airs of possession; took no liberties, only said: "When I

d then his arm stole around her waist, he always withdrew it when so commanded. Still, one cannot put the same severity into a prohibition too often repeated. The constant, thoughtful atten

hip. She grew to feel a sort of ownership in this newly arisen character; a sort of pride in it. Then,

uld have hotly repudiated the charge. She was a woman of full marriageable age, with

before, than he had even known he could love; who quite recognized what c

hour of their companionship he felt more and more how much she was to him. Other women he had pursued, overtaken, left behind. H

low-lapping waves of little tendernesses, small affectionate liberties at well-chosen moment

office and sat herself down s

"are you going t

esteemed but cryptic

y good fellow, Dick, but dull. At the same time dull and transparent. Are you going

ger than mine, Jane; and I have, if you wi

ctly clear to your understanding. Do you m

mine?" he demanded, more

w what h

ve. And I am not Miss Lane's fat

eyes, a possible tightening of set lips. "Suppose you are not," she said; "nor even a humanitarian. You are a memb

could see the hand on the farther arm of h

now he-wishes

s well as anybody. I think they are on the verge of an engagement, if

ord, he rose and walked up and down the off

to know what the word means. I've told that good-for-nothing young wreck that he has no right to m

plague? Suppose a patient of yours had the leprosy, and wa

he said, glaring at her. "

o satisfy it. I'm glad I haven't got the feeling. Well, Dick, I thought I'd give you a chance to come to your senses, a real good chance. But I won't leave

, almost timid exterior, appealed to her. If she had had a daughter, perhaps she would have been like that. If she had had a daughter would sh

hew had come to rejoice her heart and upset her immaculate household arrangements, and had played, pleasantly though tyrannically, with the little girl next door, Mi

him with affectionate pride, and her manner to Mrs. Pettigrew was one of barely subdued "I told you so." Indeed, she could not

know, but you must admit that h

e's behaving beautifully-now. But I'm not going to talk about him-

Miss Elder to Susie, rather warmly. "I'm real fond

ry masculine virtue and charm that he lent a reflected lustre to other men, even to her brother. Because of her love for Jimmie

gs stood, for, though reserved by nature, she was utterly unused to co

you not, you dear old

as "an understanding." But Susie

h miraculous agreement. The general interest in the manifold successes of Mrs. St. Cloud gave way to th

on a disagreeable, good-for-nothing fellow. The other side thought the "interesti

n and two Possibilities. One quite patently possible, even probable, giving rise to the complacent "Why, anybody could see that!" and the ot

wealthy, though he never said anything about it, and neither his clothing nor his cigars reeked of affluence. Perhaps nomadic chambermaids had spread knowledge of th

se attentions. He had danced with her, he had driven with her, he had played piquet with her when he might have played whist. To be sur

Skee. His manner was not repellant, and not in the least reserved. He poured forth floods of information so volumin

nmarried citizens of the place fell at her feet as o

Dykeman played piquet with her, and chess, which Miss Elder could not play. And Miss Elder's little opening petals of ribbon and

with her; and they sat together, resting, on

much of you, Dr. Bellair," said the

my dear, when you hear what I

something? Have I done anything wrong?" Her eyes smiled br

d the doctor, so earnestly that V

the story books say; as woman to woman. When I

nto the older woman's. She had heard of this early-made marriage, also ea

air, and she had a rever

r evidently found it hard to begin. "

ly smile broke over her face. "Better

and turn them over-see that the little ear isn't crumpled-that the covers are all right. Can't you see 'em, upside down on the bath apron, grabbing at things, perfectly happy, but prepared to howl when it com

was looking into the future; her brea

But you can look farther-can follow up, year by year, the lovely changing growing bodies and minds, the confidence and love

lendid young lives about you, intimate strong friends and tender lover

ace. Suddenly that face was turned to her, full of exquisite sympathy, the d

To care like

r, quietly. "And not have any.

with pitying intensity,

lace of happy love, lonely pain. In place of motherhood, disease. Misery and sh

dn't know-" She tried to say something

too late-not then, sometimes! Women lose every joy in life, every hope, every capacity for serv

-left him?" asked

or, and save other women, if I could." She said this with such slow, grave empha

n this matter. But it is better, a thousand times better, that I should mak

or deny. She still wor

nk he ha

ng microscopic analysis to be sure; but there is every practi

ve turned paler sh

-that," she sa

are two of the most terrible diseases known to us; highly contagious, and in the case o

face was buried in her hands. Sh

take it so hard. There's no harm

s!" wailed the girl. "I h

the altar, child; you haven't

handsome face, with it's new expression of respectful tenderness; of all the hopes t

s I am all that holds him up, that helps him to make a newer better life. And he ha

erner face d

ng. He was honest about it.

," said D

ty to him. He depends on

ts initial purpose. I suppose you might deliberately forego motherhood, and

ull of adoration and manly patience. She felt his hand, as she had felt it so often lately, holding hers, stealing ab

foregoing much, forgiving much, but rejoicing in the companionship of a noble life, a soul rebuilt, a l

air. "Will they understand it if they are idiots? Will they se

shrank be

This is no case for idealism and exalted e

said-they did

any or all of those diseases 'peculiar to women' as we used to call them! And we pitied the men who 'were so good to their invalid wives'! You may have any number of still-born children, year after year. And every little marred dead face

nds wrung together; her whole

his life,'" said the doctor kindl

quickly at the n

All they have in their scatter-brained heads is 'it's naughty but it's nice!' And so they rush off and ruin their whole lives-and their

y decent thing he can do now, you because of a misguided sense of devotion; that would be better t

and steadily as she would have held the wal

than the ordinary love of men and women, you might be 'true' to one another for a lifetime, yo

shining. She saw a possible

u yet?" asked the

aid. "That

l we be going back? I'm sorry, my dear. I did hate awfully to do it. But I hate

nk you. Won't you go on,

soft steady wind rustling the leaves, the little birds that hoppe

it grew clearer to her that the doctor was right. She might s

as met by her clear perception that if she was old enough to marry, to be a mother, s

eeling as the girl was, she h