The Desired Woman(Fiscle Part-3 Of 2) by Will N. Harben (e book reader pdf TXT) 📕

Afraid. I Don't Want To Sleep In There With Hilda. I Don't Like Her."

Till He Came Home! The Words Seemed To Sink Into And Surge Back From

The Core Of His Accumulated Remorse. Till He Came Home,  Perhaps Near

Dawn,  Reeking With The Odor Of Licentiousness--The Very Licentiousness

He Was Praying That His Child Might Not Be Drawn Into.

He Put His Hand On The Little Brow. He Bent And Kissed It. He Felt His

Resistance Falling Away From Him Like The Severed Thongs Of A

Prisoner. A Force Was Entering Him Which Mere Flesh Could Not Combat.

He Slid His Hand Under The Child To Raise Him Up,  And Felt The Little

Body Bound In Surprised Delight Toward Him. He Pressed The Soft Form

To His Breast. He Felt The Keen Pain Of Restrained Emotion Within Him.

Taking The Boy In His Arms,  He Sat Down In A Rocking-Chair,  Holding

Him As A Mother Might An Adored Infant. "Do You Want Daddy To Rock You

To Sleep?" He Asked.

"Oh,  Will You,  Daddy,  Will You?"

"Yes." Mostyn Stroked The Soft Cool Legs Caressingly And Pressed The

Child's Brow Against His Cheek. The Boy Was Quiet For A Moment; Then

His Father Felt Him Stir Uneasily.

"What Is It Now?" He Inquired.

"When I Get To Sleep What Are You Going To Do With Me?"

Mostyn Thought Rapidly. "I'll Put You In My Bed," He Said,  Slowly.

Then He Added,  With Firmness: "I'll Go Down To The Library And Read

The Papers,  And Then I'll Come Back And Sleep With You. I Shall Not Go

Away To-Night."

The Child Said Nothing. He Simply Put Both His Arms About His Father's

Neck,  Kissed Him On The Cheek,  And Cuddled Up In His Arms.

One Morning,  During The Middle Of That Week,  As Saunders Was On His

Way To The Bank,  He Was Surprised To Meet Dolly Coming Out Of One Of

The Big Dry-Goods Shops. She Wore A New Hat And An Attractive Linen

Dress He Had Never Seen Her Wear Before. She Smiled And Flushed

Prettily As She Extended Her Hand.

"You Were Not Expecting To See This Mountain Greenhorn Down Here,  Were

You?" She Laughed. "As For Me,  I Hardly Know Which End Of Me Is Up. I

Don't See How You Can Live In All This Whizz,  Bustle,  Smoke,  And

Dust."

"I Am Wondering What Miracle Brought You," He Answered.

"Well,  I'll Tell You. It Is Simple Enough When You Know," Dolly

Smiled. "The Rural Schools Of The State Are Holding A Convention Of

Teachers Here. We Meet At The Capitol At Ten O'clock This Morning. I'm

A Delegate,  With All Expenses Paid. I Represent Our County. Isn't That

Nice? I Feel Like A Big Somebody. I Was Just Wondering If The Mayor

Will Call On Me. I Think He Ought To,  But I Really Couldn't See Him.

My Time Is All Occupied. They Have Asked Me To Make A Talk. They've

Got Me Down For A Few Minutes' Harangue,  And I Don't Know More Than A

Rat What I'll Say. We Are Going To Try For A State Appropriation In

Our Section,  Meet The Members Of The Legislature,  And Do Some Wire-

Pulling And Lobby Work."

"And Where Are You Going At This Minute?" Saunders Laughed,  Merrily.

"I Was Headed For The Capitol," She Smiled,  But I'm All Turned Around.

I Went In At The Front Of This Store,  But Feel As If I Had Come Out At

The Back."

"I Will Go With You If You Will Let Me," Saunders Ventured.

"But I'll Be Taking You From Your Business," She Protested. "You Must

Not Feel Called On To Show Me About. To Be Frank,  That Is The Reason I

Didn't Let You Know I Was Coming. You Can't Afford To Be Nice To All

Your Mountain Friends. They Would Keep You Busy Jerking Them From

Under Cars And Automobiles."

"I Have Absolutely Nothing To Do," Saunders Declared. "This Is The Way

To The Capitol. We Pass Right By Our Bank,  And I Can Show You Where We

Hold Forth."

He Saw A Cloud Fall Over Her Face. "I'd Rather Not--Not Meet--" She

Did Not Finish What She Started To Say And Bit Her Lip.

"I Understand," He Answered,  Quickly. "He Is Not In Town. He Is

Spending The Day In Augusta."

"Oh!" She Exclaimed,  In A Breath Of Relief. "You Will Think Me Silly,

But I Can't Help It. I Oughtn't To Be So,  But I Dread It Above All

Things. If I Were To Meet Him Face To Face I Wouldn't Know What To

Say. It Would Be Like Seeing Some One Actually Rise From The Dead. I

Wouldn't Think So Much Of My Own Feelings As--As His. Uncle John Saw

Him In Rome Not Long Ago. He Says He Has Changed In Looks--But Let Us

Not Talk About Him. It Can't Do A Bit Of Good. He Is Unhappy--I Know

He Is Unhappy. I Knew It Would Be So."

An Awkward Silence Fell Between Them. They Had To Cross A Crowded

Street,  And Saunders Took Her Arm To Protect Her. He Felt It

Quivering,  And His Heart Sank In Grave Misgivings. He Told Himself

That She Would Never Care For Any Other Man Than Mostyn. She Was The

Kind Of Woman Who Could Love And Trust But Once In Life,  And Was Not

Changed By Time Or The Weakness And Faults Of The Beloved One.

Saunders Indicated The Bank Among The Buildings Across The Street,  And

He Saw A Wistful Look Steal Into Her Grave Face As She Regarded It

Steadily.

"So That's The Place Where You Men Of Affairs Scheme,  Plan,  And

Execute," She Smiled. "It Looks Close And Hot. Well,  I Couldn't Stand

It. I Must Have Open Air,  Sunshine,  Mountains,  Streams,  And People--

Real,  Plain,  Honest,  Unpretending People."

"I Have Made Up My Mind To Quit," He Returned. "I Have Been Staying In

The Country So Much Of Late That I Cannot Do Without It. I Intend To

Sell My Interests Here,  And Settle Down On My Plantation."

"You Will Be Wise," She Said,  Philosophically. "Life Is Too Short To

Live Any Other Way Than As Close As Possible To Nature. All This"--She

Glanced Up The Busy Street--"Is Madness--Sheer Madness. In The Whole

Squirming Human Mass You Could Not Show Me One Really Contented

Person,  While I Can Point To Hundreds In The Mountains. You Are

Thinking About Leaving It While My Father Is Planning To Come Here. At

His Time Of Life,  Too. It Is Absurd,  But He Says It Is The Only Thing

Open To Him. I Didn't Tell You,  But He Came Down With Me. It Is

Pitiful,  For He Is Looking For Work."

"Oh,  Really,  Is It Possible?" Saunders Exclaimed,  In Surprise. "Why,  I

Thought He Was One Man Who Would Always Stay In The Country."

Dolly Sighed. "He Has Changed Remarkably," She Said,  Her Face Settling

Into Almost Pained Gravity. "All At Once He Has Become More Ashamed Of

His Condition Than He Ever Was In His Life. He Is In Debt To Personal

Friends And Has No Way Of Paying Them. He Used To Make Money

Moonshining,  But He Has Quit That,  And Doesn't Seem Able To Make Our

Poor Farm Pay At All. The Storekeepers Won't Credit Him,  And He Has

Become Desperate. He Is Trying To Get A Job At Carpenter Work,  But He

Will Fail,  For He Can't Do That Sort Of Thing. Indirectly,  George Is

The Cause Of His Sudden Determination."

"George? Why,  I Thought--"

"It Is This Way," Dolly Went On,  Quickly. "You See,  Through Your

Kindness George Is So Happy,  Is Doing So Well,  And There Is So Much

Talk About His Good Luck That It Has Made My Father Realize His Own

Shortcomings More Keenly. Don't You Bother; It Is A Good Lesson For

Him; He Has Not Been Doing Right,  And He Knows It. It Is Odd,  Isn't

It,  To See A Man Mortified By The Success Of His Own Son? In One Way I

Am Sorry For Father,  And In Another I Am Not. Ann Is Trying To Get A

Teacher's Place In A School,  And If She Does,  Between Us We May Be

Able,  For Mother's Sake,  To Keep Father At Home. Somehow,  It Makes Me

Sad To Think Of His Being In This Hot Town Tramping About Asking For

Work As A Day-Laborer,  And Yet I Know It Will Be Good For Him. Mother

Cried Pitifully When We Left This Morning,  And He Was The Most

Wretched-Looking Man I Ever Saw. I Don't Care If He Does Suffer--

_Some_--But I Don't Like To See My Mother Sad. Do You Know,  That Poor

Woman Has Had Nothing But Sorrow As Her Portion All Her Married Life?

First One Thing And Then Another Has Come Up To Depress And Dishearten

Her. At First It Was Father's Drinking; Then He Quit That,  And Became

A Moonshiner In Constant Danger Of Arrest; And Now He Has Left Home To

Try His Fortune Among Total Strangers."

"It Is Sad; Indeed,  It Is," Saunders Said,  Sympathetically. "And The

Worst Of It Is That It Troubles You,  Dolly. You Speak Of Your Mother's

Hard Lot. As I See It,  You,  Yourself,  Have Had Enough Trouble To Kill

A Dozen Girls Of Your Age."

"Oh,  I Am All Right! That Is The Capitol,  Isn't It?" She Added,  As In

Turning A Corner They Came In Sight Of The Vast Stone Building With

Its Graceful,  Gray Dome,  Standing On The Grassy,  Low-Walled Grounds.

He Nodded,  And She Ran On With A Rippling Laugh Of Self-Depreciation.

"Think Of This Silly Country Yap Making A Speech In That Big Building

Before The Governor,  State Senators,  Principals Of Schools,  And No

Telling Who Else! Why,  I'll Want To Sink Through The Floor Into The

Basement. Do You Know,  When I Was A Little Tiny Thing Playing With Rag

Dolls And Keeping House With Broken Bits Of China For Plates And

Stones For Tables And Chairs,  I Used To Fancy Myself Growing Up And

Being A Great Lady With Servants And Carriages; But That Was Crawling

On The Earth Compared To This Sky-Sweeping Stunt To-Day. But If They

Call On Me I'll Go Through With It In Some Shape Or Die."

"Is The Meeting To Be Public?" Saunders Asked. "Because If It Is I

Should Like To Be Present."

He Saw Her Start Suddenly. She Looked