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Show " ma9J'f i Bep-p-ars t can i I Choose Margaret Weymouth Jackson I; 5 I" Coiiyrlffht by Doll-Morrf II Co. WNU Hrvlc ' CHAPTER XIV 14 Will and Ernestine Choose Will wn.s rut 1 1 1 ii k iii u wooden box. The hIu'Ivch and tin? table were empty. Ankle dooy on the floor was a llttt;r of pnpei-H. "KrncHtlne l" lie stopped, a hammer ham-mer In hand, to stare at her. "What lire you doing?" she exclaimed, ex-claimed, and then, with a little cry of horror she stooped and picked up from the rnhhlsli on the lloor, a torn picture. "Oh, Will, how could you tear It up? It was good It was wonderful. Why did you destroy It?" With trembling trem-bling hands she tried to put the raided pieces together on the drafting desk. He looked at her astonished, voiceless, llefore her, racked against the wall, was the .sketch of herself, with Elaine ou her arm. "I'm glad you didn't throw this away oh, Will, I like It so! Hut what are you doing? Are you moving?" mov-ing?" ' "What do you mean, Krnesllne?" he Raid sharply. "Did you know about this ollice when have you been here?" "Of course I knew," she said Impatiently, Impa-tiently, confused to (hid the need for explanations, now, at this vital hour. I've known you had this ollice, since last spring. I knew, long before that, that you were hankering for something some new work. You remember the night you made this picture?" She picked up the sketch of herself. "You remember? Of course you do. I knew then, that you were working. Lillian had told me she saw you In this neigh-' borhood, and I came here the next day, and looked at all your work. Oh, Will, don't look at me so! I wasn't spying on you I You were so strange, and I was very unhappy I had to know what you were cluing. But areu't you going to work here any more?" He laughed strangely. "Kent's due tomorrow," he said. "I decided to let It go. I'm closing this odlce, and I'll never open another. I suppose, since you knew I was working work-ing here, that you were worried about the eats but you needn't have worried wor-ried I'll stay with the job. I've given up my wild Ideas. We'll keep the income in-come that's what counts." "Why Will," she said swiftly, "you don't think there's any conflict be tween your desire and mine, do you? That's what I've been saving for all this time. I knew that you would want to quit the cats, and I've saved a great deal of money you'll be astonished. 1 had to know It was right for me to know. It's made It possible for us to bulUl a reserve. And why should I worry about the cats? Do you think I Want you to Btlck to the cats, If there's something bigger, something more compelling upon you? Why,' Will. Will all I want Is just what you want." Suddenly she remembered her errand, with a wall. "Oh, Will, Pas-tano Pas-tano wants the money for Lorlng a bribe. Lorlng's In terrible trouble. He'll have to go to jail, but, oh, I don't want to give them the money for him. It's your money, Will don't give It away don't let tbem take It from us." He caught her wrist and held It hard. "Are you out of your senses?" he asked sternly. "What do you mean money? What money have you?" She opened her purse and took her small savings deposit book from it. She opened the book, and put It in his hand, the total across the narrow page. Ills eyes were wide. Incredulous. He rubbed his hand across bis face. "It's yours, Will," she sakl with sudden sud-den gentleness. "I have robbed you of every cent I could get from you, and I've lived as cheaply as I could, and I've banked the difference for you." Peep within her she heard a warning warn-ing bell. She remembered that they had much to tell each other. She laid her hand upon his arm, and said in the same 'low tone : "Look at me. Will." He looked at her his brilliant black eyes fixed on her brown eyes he looked at her deeply, with astonishment, astonish-ment, and suddenly Ernestine was filled with a strange power aud wisdom. wis-dom. She passed out of self-consciousness and was controlled and guided by deep Instincts qnd ancient mother wisdom. She moved toward Will, put her face up to his and kissed his lips. "WH1," she said, smiling up at him, her lovely face alight with feeling, her tender mouth curved In a smile of sweetness, "Will, I love you. You forget It. You Ignore it you make love a burden Instead of a support. I've seen It in the deeps of your artist's mind that love betrayed and entrapped you, instead of letting you free. Haven't you thought that?" Ills arm trembled a little under her hnud. "Only once" he said, and his face flushed, "onljr once the day after 1 had oxiide that picture." He motioned to tin plrinre she s 1 1 1 v in her fn e hand. "The ln t i!:iy, I knirw that I c.iulfi not to on with my driiinn. I kin-w I woul 1 have to rpiit 11 that 'Jay, I f.-tt .-a. It s.-wni-d as though " lie paiir', sturnMi-d on, with i.'ourugc. "It just S'-t'ined to me a woman is So .sua-t-t and warm In one'.- arms so ''in-ruus so lovely; and tlu-n, suddi-nly, tlurre are a house, and a car, and children, and nurse maids, and cooks, and doctors a thousand thou-sand things Just Mld'ItMily. I shouldn't have fell so I fought It but it got me. i m telling you you asked me." Hit eyes were full of tears. "I knew, Will -not. Just that way, but I knew that's why I've been saving sav-ing and been silent that's why I didn't ask you any questions. Hut, Will, 1 love you. It's the biggest tiling In the world to me, Will. It means to me what these pictures what this work means to you. I'm not an artist I'm not even artistic hut I know what your work means to you, because I love you.' And when you shut me out, Will, It was for me Just as It was for you when you were shut olT from your work. I want you to be happy." She was solemn, young, uplifted, filled with the glory of unseltishness, her face a blurred and lovely picture seen through tears. "Hear heart, what does the money matter? Why, Will even more than the children yes, though I ought not say It more than the children, than my people, than myself. You've told me how you felt, and I'll tell you, that for a little while, for one dark time, I was Jealous of your work of your love for it. liut not any more, Will. I want you to have what's host for you ; I want you to have your work. There Isn't any conflict between your desire and mine. Will, or your future and mine, because I want what you want." His fuce began to shlno. lie reached up, took her hand and held It. "Krnestine," he whispered, and stopped as she leaned forward, her head against his shoulder, her face hidden so. while she went on swiftly: "Will, I knew you were tired of the cats. Will, I spent only about a third of what you earned, last year. But you wouldn't tell me, you didn't want to talk to me, so I just went ahead, planning for the time when you would. I knew that you wouldn't want, prob-ably prob-ably wouldn't take, Hie money I'll have frofn grandmother and from papa, some day. Hut this is yours it's savings sav-ings from your earnings, Will. It's for your stake." "You understood," he said hoarsely. "Will," she said again, and now her arm was around his body, the picture up between his shoulders, "I'll tell you again I " "No, no, Ernestine," he said with quick passion, "you can't let me; we can't go back. Do you know what it means? A. living I think I could make that but it will be precarious I've been into It all with some thought. It will be years before I can make even half what the cartoons bring me. Even if I get darned good there's not the money to be found I've thought it all out. I've been up and down and around this problem. I've tried to save some, too. But It won't work. It's precarious it's too scanty. I've been through It all, and made up my mind. Don't tempt me with your savings sav-ings they wouldn't last us a year." "If we went back to the West side, back to the old house, I could do my own work, and the children and I could live on the trust fund, until you got started. You . could keep this studio, and you could go to Philadelphia Philadel-phia and to Paris and study." "Would you would you do that for me? Ernestine, my wife." He kissed her, and she shook the tears Deep Within Her She Heard a Warn-ing Warn-ing Bell. from her own lashes and drew him down aud pressed her lips against his eyes. "It wouldn't be necessary for you to do that, darling," he said to her, and he laughed a little. "It wouldn't be that bad. I could make a living and you've your trust fund, and your grandmother grand-mother has promised you the house at Langley lake. No, you won't have to go back to the West side you can keep Molly, I believe. We can manage that much, Ernestine, with good luck and good management." "Oh. Will," she said to him, "I almost al-most wish it would be bard like that again. I've been so lonely longing to help you, feeling outside. What does the car and the house and the things mean if I'm cut off from you? I know I can't help you with your painting. 1 know that travail is yours that's your work your life. It must be first vith you, V.'iil. And that's riuht. (lifted people can't choose. But If your work mu-t be first, to you. you can understand t hat love and marriage mar-riage mean to me. That's my life. And if 1 can f.-'l that you can go on because I understand " They were both crying, his arms were around her tight tight. As their tears mingled and they stood together In the long embrace, the kiss that was free from passion but frought with tenderness, the purest ami holiest feeling, true married love, welled over them. It seemed to Ernestine, straining strain-ing so In his arms, that for the first time she was truly wife to Will. Not only bride, bride of his body, star of his Imagination, object of romantic adoration, not only the mother of his children and the keeper of his house, but wife wife in the deep places, the secret places of love. "Ernestine," he whispered, after a little, and she wept afresh to hear her name so on his lips as he had whispered whis-pered It when first they loved, "forgive "for-give me that I didn't understand, that I didn't confide in you. You seemed always to have a child In your arms, a thousand needs. I felt that this other was a foe to you. I was stupid, blind. I thought you wanted the money needed It. You were hard with me that summer before be-fore I made the cats. I didn't want to go back to that bad time again. I didn't know how wonderful you are. You're my good luck you always were. I'll never forget it again. Oh, Ernestine, I'll do big thiDgs for you I will." A clock somewhere boomed two, and Ernestine started In his arms. She had remembered Lorlng at last. She withdrew herself from her husband's arms and made a gesture of helplessness. helpless-ness. "But here's this business of Lorlng," she said. "What a It about Lorlng?" he asked, wnlpliinf her. So with the enchantment, the throb, of love still on her, she told him about Loring about all that Pastnno had said to her that morning. "But of course," he said at once, "you must let me take the money for you at once. Give me the slip of paper." She gave It to him with a reluctant sigh, and he gave a whistle as he looked at It. "How could you have refused Pas-tano?" Pas-tano?" he asked. "Think what it would mean to your family to your mother. And Lillian with Loring dragged through the mud " "But Will ! The money's yours it's what we've just been talking about. It's your chance." "I don't need twenty thousand dollars." dol-lars." he said quickly, and then gave a laugh of pure happiness. "Why, Ernestine," he said, "if you understand under-stand if you know what it's all about if you can live that economically and if you're behind me, I'll take a chance on it Give the money for Loring Lor-ing we can wangle It. After all," he added more seriously, "the understanding understand-ing the way I feel now Is worth more than the money. Let Loring have the money, we're rich. When we were young and poor we did aswe liked. But after we got a little money we weren't, free agents any more. The big income restricted us more than the little one. Look how Loring was bound by money! Let's let it go. After all, only beggars can choose!" "If you'll quit the paper and go ahead with this work, if you will stick to your own dreams, I'll gamble with you," she said. "It's done," he answered. He reached for his coat and hat, and looked at his watch at the same moment. "We'll have to go right back to the bank. Thank God, you've got the money and don't begrudge it. Nothing Noth-ing can stop us, now." And before they went out Into the dark and narrow hall, they kissed again, hand In hand, simply, like children chil-dren pledging a secret. Ernestine saw Ruby Pastano near the bank entrance and, though he bowed formally and did not speak, he gave her a flashing, radiant glance, like the flash of a mirror held in the sun. She knew that he understood, from the happy countenance and from Will at her side, that they were looking look-ing after Lorlng. CHAPTER XV Some Day But the day was not over for Ernestine. Ernes-tine. She left Will at the bank. His coat pocket was stuffed with the packet of bills the teller had given them, and her bank balance was reduced re-duced to three figures. But that didn't matter. Not a bit. She was a million times richer than she had been the day before. The bankbook figures would fatten again. She wished she had her car, but. lacking it, she went across to Sheridan road, took a bus north, rode almost to Devon, left the bus and went to Lillian's. Lil-lian's. Nobody answered the bell, but the door was unlocked, so Ernestine walked In. The house was silent, but she was Instantly aware of the fact that some one was in It. She called, but no one answered. She went through Into the kitchen. The maid's bedroom was off the kitchen and the door stood open. Ernestine went in there and saw that the room wore an unoccupied look. She opened the closet door. The hooks were empty. The maid had left, or had been dismissed. dis-missed. She was still under the domination of her deep self, and. as she had been governed in Will's office an hour or so earlier by forces she did not understand, under-stand, so now she went quickly up the stairs, through the silent house and Into the big front bedroom where Lil lian and Lerftng slept. The cover showed the impress of a body, the pillow pil-low had bwen drawn out from under the spread. Jhe looked swiftly about and was not at ail surprised to see Loring standing aainst the wall, behind be-hind her, one hand behind his back. His coat collar was turned up across the back, his hair was in disorder, dis-order, he was unshaved, and across one cheek was a deep imprint where his sleeve, or his pillow, had creased his tlesh. Ernestine went to him and held out her hand. "Give It to me." she said sternly, as she might have addressed Peter. Loring stared at her sulkily for a moment, his haggard eyes taking on a belated vitality. Then, silently, but with a shrug and a grimace, he drew from behind him a small nickel-plated revolver and put It In her hand. Ernestine Ernes-tine crossed the room, opened the win- 111 "I'm a Failure," He Muttered. "A Complete Failure." dow and flung It far away Into the water of the lake that breathed against the sandy beach. She turned back to Lorlng, closed the window and dusted her hands. "That's that," she said, with a gleam In her eyes. "What did you think that was going to do for you?" He dragged himself away from the wall and sank down into a chaise-longue. chaise-longue. With a kind of groan Loring hid his face in his hands and sat there like a broken man. "I didn't know till this afternoon," he said. "But the grand Jury " "That's all right, Loring," said Ernestine. - "That's fixed." "Fixed?" he said hoarsely, and looked up at her, his expression a little wild. "You don't understand. They've got me seven ways." "Not now," she said, thinking how strange it was that he could never know about Pastano, and about the twenty thousand dollars. "Will fixed it," she said gently. "You know, he has friends who told him. Will fixed it for you, Loring. He could there are men downtown who would do anything for Will. He knows the ropes." Loring's head fell forward again. "I'm a failure," he muttered. "A complete failure and now Will pulls me out of the rubbish heap. I've been here in the house all afternoon, trying to screw myself up to do one decent thing to get myself out of the way before all this falls on the rest of you, and I couldn't even do this." "Of course you couldn't You're too perfectly healthy. You've been a fool perhaps like the rest of us, but you aren't crazy, and only insane people are capable of self-destruction. Look, Loring, you can start again. Why, men sometimes have to start again when they're old. Lots' of men fall once or twice and then succeed. You can start back and rebuild your father's old business. What if you have to let the house and the car go it's a small price for a new start. Pastano will let you alone, as long as you stay off of his preserves. Lillian's got her money. Will and I are going to start new." He looked up at her eager to be comforted as a child is eager to be comforted eager to believe her, coming com-ing back, slowly and painfully, from the dark places of fright and madness. mad-ness. "But Lillian" he said, protesting, arguing, as mortal man always argues, on the wrong side "Lillian's going to have a baby that was what sickened me on all that old business I'd been sick of it, anyhow, and when I knew I might have a son I had to get clear. I told her to go to New York, las: w-eck, but she wouldn't. She's stuck to nie, Ernestine. 1 never believed slit would. I thought she was a fair-weather fair-weather wile. I've always thought It But she's been wonderful. She let hei maid go, and she's been doing bet own housework. She sold her car ami brought me the money. She wrote to her father to lot her have tier trust fund outright. Now she's going out looking for a fiat. That's all right-but right-but w hen I thought of prison and Lillian's Lil-lian's baby coming in all that trouble, it seemed that the best thing I could i do would be to get out. If I were gone, she'd go home to her mother, j and perhaps no one would know. I'm ; all caved In about Lillian, about the way she's taken It" "Why, Loring," said Ernestine, and laughed shakily. "Lillian adores you always did. She loves you. When you've just found out how much she I cares, you contemplate leaving her. What a way to figure. If that's not like a man !" They talked a little. Ernestine sat down on the dressing table, flung her hat upon Lillian's bed and talked to him. She told him of the new plans she and Will had made. Gradually he relaxed, came back to normal. He reached up and turned his coat collar down and put up a hand and smoothed his hair. After a little he got up and shook his big body. "I believe I'll go and shave," he said. "I'm a fright. You won't tell Lillian or Will about this afternoon?" "Why should I tell them? It would Just scare them both. Have you had lunch?" "No, I don't think so; no, I didn't." "Neither did I. I'll go downstairs and fix some coffee and sandwiches while you're shaving." From the kitchen she could hear him moving about; then she heard the front door open and the click of the latch. She went to the hall, and Lillian Lil-lian saw her. Lillian came back to the kitchen. "You didn't answer the phone, so I came over Lorrie's upstairs. He said he hadn't eaten" she made a gesture to the preparations on the table. Lillian nodded absently. "Ernestine," she said softly, quickly, "I'm going to have a baby." Ernestine kissed her. "I'm awfully glad." "Did you know about all of Lorlng's trouble?" "Will told me some Lorlng's told me the rest but the worst is over for him now." "Poor kid," said Lillian. She leaned against the door a moment and smiled at her younger sister. It seemed to Ernestine that since she had last seen her, the hard surface had dissolved from Lillian. "Isn't it funny? Now everything Is different. I used to wonder how you could go ahead when things were so hard. But it's not so bad In the thick of it, as It seems from the sidelines. side-lines. Just to know the baby's coming makes all this mess of Loring's seem so unimportant I don't care what arrangements ar-rangements we make. Oh, Ernestine, there have been times when I thought Loring loved you more than he did me, but these last few days he's been so sweet to me so worried about me. He's humbled it makes my heart ache. I can't tell you how I feel." "I guess I know," Ernestine answered. an-swered. "It's this business of marriage mar-riage but go on up to him, darling, and get him to eat something. All this will straighten itself out." Lillian went up the stairs. Standing in the hall, looking after her, Ernestine Ernes-tine realized that these sorrows ware blessings these were the things that bound a man and a woman together. This would break for ever Lorlng's old fixed Idea about herself, and Lillian's Lil-lian's belief that she had married for her own advantage. This would leave them close together, warm, heart to heart. She turned the gas low under the coffee-pot, spread a napkin over the sandwiches she had fixed and slipped quietly out of the house. Perhaps Will was at home, and she would eat with him. As she walked she began to plan all the new life. Her practical, efficient effi-cient mind set Itself with vigor upon the new problems. The remgval to the lake the need of a studio there for Will, the possibility of adjusting their life to changeable income. But Will was so active he would doubtless doubt-less have all the work he could do, within a year or two. Some day he would be famous, and he would find the world willing to pay for beauty as well as wit. She walked more quickly eager to' be home, the young blood singing in her heart. Some day THE END. |