| Show Ass kick book besl b if noman r DIJ GERTRUDE ATHERTON THER-ON THER I Marie larie Glance inward Do you ou see nothing that causes you ou to feel ashamed and foolish Do you ou you fail you ou fall to recognize the tho indecency Indecency Indecency Inde Inde- of ot a a. woman of your our mental age permitting herself to fancy that she Is experiencing the authentic passions of or youth Are you capable ca- ca capable capable ca ca- pable of ot creating life Can you ou love with unsullied memo memory Have you tho the ideals of ot youth tho the plasticity tho hopes tho the illusions Have you still even that power of ot desperate mental passion so often subordinatIng ing the merely merel- physical of ot the mature mature ma ma- ture woman who seeks for tor the last time to find tInd in love 10 what love lovo has leas not The final delusion No lo Marie Marle Your revived glands have ha restored to you ou tho the appearance and d the strength of youth but although you have played pla with a. a role that ap appealed appealed ap- ap pealed to your our vanity to your our histrionic histrionic his his- powers with powers with yourself as chief audience your aUdience your natural desire to see If It you ou could not be to be-to to yourself yourself your- your self as again as as young as you appear you ou have no more illusion In your soul than when you ou were a a. withered old woman in Vienna She looked at him with hostile bu but t agonized e eyes es Your Tour calculated brutality does not affect me mo in the least And Andou you ou are merely one more victim of or convention like convention like those old women 1 In New lew York j It never has been I therefore it never can be Many any women are not able to bear children chil chil- dren oven even In youth It la is your our turn to quibble Tell TeU me Until you ou were attracted to this young oung man man attracted attracted no doubt because he was so unlike the tho European of or your long experience experIence- I had you ou deviated from tho conclusion conclusion conclusion sion arrived at many years before that you ou had had t of love love loe of sex sex to to satisfy any woman You implied as much to me a a. few moments moments moments mo mo- ments since I know the mental part of or you ou so well that I am positive positive tive the mere thought would have ha disgusted you ou If It you ou had been starved all all your life it is would be understandable but you ou had experimented experimented exper exper- and deluded yourself again and again and again and you were burnt out when you OU came to Vienna lenna to live live live- burnt out not only physically but spiritually Your imagination wasas wasas was wasas as arid as a a. desert without an oasis If It any man had made love to you ou then you would have merely merel turned on him your weary disillusioned e eyes es or laughed cynically at him and yourself Your Keen aesthetic sense would have been shocked You were playing then an important and ambitious role you ou had the greatest political salon in Vienna Vienna Vienna-in in Europe and and you ou went away to rest that you ou might continue to play It not that you ou might feel fresh enough once more to have liaisons like other foolish old women But the part you played then was a bag- bag atele to the one awaiting you now With your our splendid mental gifts gUts your political genius your acquired statecraft your wealth and your restored beauty r you could become the most powerful woman in Eu- Eu J rope But nut only as m my wife wICe Even Een you ou are not strong enough to pla play the part alone There Is too much prejudice against women to permit you ou to pull more than hidden strings Masculine line Jealousy of ot women Is far more irritable In a democracy than In a monarchy mOnarch where women of rank are expected to play a a. decorative decorative and and tactful part part in politics But If It they step down don own and come Into conflict with ambitious men of ot the people class j Jealousy aggravates ates sex jealousy You might have a salon again and become a a. power somewhat In the theold theold theold old fashion but you OU never would bo be permitted to play a great public ImbUe role But as the consort 1 I think the word will pass or the president or or chancellor chancellor you you could wield almost al almost almost al- al most sensational power I should probably bl be quite overshadowed overshadowed over over- shadowed by b you she murmured but she was hardly conscious of speaking Her brain was whirling Your position would be too eminent eminent eminent emi emi- nent for that even eyen ir it t r wished It which I assuredly should not I Ivalue Ivalue Ivalue value you too highly Perhaps I am amone amone amone one of the few tew men mel melIn In Europe who admit and admit and believe that believe that a woman may have as powerful and accomplished accomplished accomplished an Intellect t a as any man I Idid Idid Idid did not appreciate your our mind as you vou deserved when I loved you ou ou but butI 1 I did durin luring during those subsequent years cars carsIn In Vienna ienna You did not ask me to marry you ou then then when n-when when you ou appreciated meso me meso so 80 highly You never seemed ot of know lenow whether you ou were wore talking to toR toa toa a R man or a woman when you were with me And yet et I 1 was wall possibly more Interesting psychologically than I had ever er been No 0 man is interested In ha an old womans woman's psychology I am not Interested in interested interested In- In in your our psychology today tOda And I did ditl not ask you ou to marry me then for a great rent many reasons Iwas Iwas I Iwas was too handicapped to play a great role myself you will wm remember Nor 01 could YO you t have been the same service to mo nio Even If ff your our fatigued fatigued fa ta- mind had been refreshed by your our stay in Hungary you ou had lost I tho beauty and tho the energy the tho power of ardent Interest in the affairs af al- fairs of state which have now been restored to you ou With your rare gifts g and your our renewed youth I repeat that you have havo it In your our power to bo be the most famous woman woman wo wo- man in In iii Europe and anel perhaps the most useful But not with a young alien husband Not only would you automatically revert to tho the status I the tho dignity of ot a an a American but which unlike so many women of ot your our age who had been dames you took care to Impress on tho world would be hopelessly sacrificed Incredible To spend yourself on a love affair wantonly to throw throwaway away an historic career merely because a young man has hypnotized you ou into the thi delusion t that you may once more enjoy Y passions of youth youth- Stop You shall not Sit She Ship r sprung to her her- feet Her faca faco w drawn and pinched but her were blazing Every word y f fIs yot yotis is for a purpose If that were I should have hated him As mt as I hate you My mind never neve w w won on that that not not for a moment momen moment T I T never neer faced It You dont don't what hat you are aro talking about Ah Ala but I do no tie had 11 nit also and ho put his hands On I 1 shoulders They were long U hands bu but t very powerful and seemed to her that they sank lo to loly toly l ly through her flesh until howe painlessly they griped the sk let underneath Look Loot at me Mae Mai Continued tomorrow 9 a |
