The Coming of Bill

nt Unto

atum in the library two drought-stricken men met on t

drink," said the fi

clear down to the ro

infield's," proposed t

other briefly. "Haven

mar

now-

er's character. She's what I call a determined girl. She seems to have made up her mind that the old crowd that used to t

there again, and that she can bear up if you don't. It's something in her manner. I guess it's a trick these society girls learn. You've seen a bouncer

ick? He used to lik

iend l

the door on you so quick you have to jump to keep from getting your coat caught in it. I tell you, tho

ly, "and it's always the fellows you think are safe too. I could have bet on Kirk.

ave taken you. It

es that run to extremes. He had been a whole-hearted bachelor, and he was assuredly a much-married man. For the first six months Ruth was almost literally his whole world. His friends, the old brigade of the studio, had dropped away fr

ing to them all, had not liked them; and he himself was astonished to find what bull dogs they really were. It was odd h

een him and them. What

ted discoveries with regard to herself. Before she had always looked on herself as a rather unusually reasonable, and certainly not a j

a hermitage of two. She tried to analyse her objection to these men, and came to the c

crazy desire to keep herself and him alone together in a world of their own should have left her, they would begin to

ays in a state of almost painful happiness. It never crossed his mind that he had ceased to be master of his fate and captain of his soul. The reins we

had taken them on their surface value, as amusing fellows who were good company of an evening. There was not one of them whom he had ever k

oss his happiness. He could let these others go, but Hank was

ed his life too completely to allow him leisur

blindly, trusting to instinct. Since then he had been getting to know her. It was astonishing how much there w

whenever he dared think of it. How he had

t. He could hardly believe that he was the same person who had scoffed at the idea of a man giving up his life

studio, to touch her, to look at her across the dinner-table, to wake in the night and hear her breath

balance against wealth and comfort and her place among the great ones of the world, and had chosen him. There were times when the thought filled him with

ove, and for the first time in his life was

*

night, and he had not been there five minutes before a leaden weight d

ply of conventional small talk was practically non-existent. To get the best out of Hank, as has been said, you had to let him take his

ught class coyly underneath his chair, and drew suspiciously at Turkish cigarettes from Kirk's case. An air of constraint

oldest friend. Confronted with Ruth, he lost a nerve which had never before failed him. This gorgeous creature, he felt, would never put up with those racy descriptions of wild adventures which had endeared him to Kirk.

pt one, which hung above her head, shining on her white arms as they move

e behind it. He had hoped so much that Hank would pass, and he knew that he had not. Why was

uffed way? Why could not Ruth have unbent? Why had not he himself done something to save the situation? Of the three, he blamed himself mo

at it said and not being able to deny it. He had marked the end of their old relat

ich they had fallen out, from the time when they had fought as boys at the prep. school and cemented their friendship the next day. After that there had been periods when

But they had never lost touch with each other. And now it was all over. They would meet

in a best of all possible worlds, a feeling of regret, not that he had married-the mere thought would have been a blasphemy-but tha

his employing models. He had classed it with the mother-in-law joke, respecting it for its antiquity, but not imagining that

days going round the stores with Ruth, buying her things, or looking in at the windows of Fifth Avenue shops and choosing w

a poor weapon, and he had always shirked hard work. He had an instinct for colour, but his drawing was uncertain. He hated linework, whi

im a few days before Hank's visit. An idea for a picture had come t

d was engaged to be married to a young gentleman who travelled for a hat firm. But she was of a chatty disposition and no respecter of persons. She had posed frequen

t.' 'What! Kirk!' she says. 'Is he doin' a bit of work for a change? Well, it's about t

busy, dear," said Ruth.

went

e. Say, I read the piece about you and her in the paper. You cert

uched on the work-shy father, dwelt feelingly on the young gentleman who tra

nt," said Kirk, "I

s who don't call you b

all do," said Kirk. "It's a way

suggestion: "Kirk, dear, why

his annoyanc

s, Ruth? Because I'm not a l

ould l

trade altogether. You might just

th spirit, "I won't have that Vi

My dearest, the time has come for me to state plainly that my soul is my own. I decline to give in to this absurd suggestion. Marriage is an affair of give and take

y well, dear. I'll write

leasure in his surrender. Big, muscular men are given to this feebleness with women

e up and at it had grown with inaction. When a lazy man does make

*

stopped. Rut

ou dreaming

o himself w

of things. For one, abo

abou

I was going

don't

lau

scared her up a tree, an

r at his side. She put her arm round his waist a

his horrid Vince g

irk. "Or at any rate, for

. Do they all

r met one

creatures you

ou're painting a model she ceases to be a girl at all. You

es your lay-figure

oks as if it

shudd

he creeps. I came in here last night and switched

getting

face gr

t awful feeling that something terrible was going to happen. I don't know what. It was perfectly

st be run down. Look here, let's shut up this place

it's much too expensive. You know, Kirk, we are both frightfully extravagant. I'm sure we are

pendant. Surely to goodness, if I drag you away from a comf

sat down, and you couldn't think how to ge

o which you have been accustomed. Which brings us back to the picture. I don't suppose I shall get ten dollars for i

you find a nice, motherly old model, with white hair and spe

now that an artist doesn't look on

I was going to be so good and reasonable. You would have loved me! And then, when it came to the real thing, I found I just could not stand it. I know it's silly of me. I know just as well as you do that Miss Vince is quite a

sta

k I didn't know you had noticed it? I knew how unhappy yo

like Hank?

silent fo

nk is. You didn't see him properly that night. He was nervous. But he's one of

nt me to hate him. Don't you understand, dear? It's the same with all your friends. I'm jealous of them for having known you before I did. And I hate these models

"I wasn't born till I met you. There isn't a

head contentedly

ir

es

se for you

You cou

y n

ard work. It's a

Vince girl. You ask Steve; he's

ent. Hilda Vince has

me try, at

ut

manner when he begins telling me what fun you and he used to h

ut

k! Pr

y we

ou ever had. I won't move a muscle,

come right down off that model-throne t

*

about it were in a delightfully vague state. He had a notion that it might turn out in the end as "Carmen." On the other hand, if anything went

e bull-fight-"The Toreador's Bride"-or something of that sort. The only point on which he was solid was that it was to strike the

s would be Ruth's limit. He knew somethi

ked at the end

her head

me and sit down

ight, dear. Go o

he moment you feel

gan to grow absorbed in his work. He lost count of time. Ruth ceased to be Ru

ir

ering. Ruth was swaying on the model-throne. Her eyes were st

ead foremost, as he had seen men fall in the ring

g for an instant in doubt whether to go for water or

r of water. When he got back Ruth was sitting up. The look of terror was gone from her face. She smiled at him, a faint, curio

iring herself to death. She must never do it again. He was a devil. He ought to hav

ffled h

she said. "I'm fond of hi

d. I got to yo

seemed such miles and miles away. It was like looking at some

, ho

s going to happen. And then I felt myself going." She paused.

ame a ring at the bell. Kirk got up. George Pennicut ushered in the doctor. It

infield?" he said, as h

over the 'phone that

ed Kirk. "It was a

y the shoulders. He h

id. "Take a walk round the bloc

*

the hall when he lef

he said

id the lit

? There's nothing

grinned a f

he said. "You ought

do you

ill seem like a miracle to you. But, believe me, it has hap

tter astonishment. His

understood, and his hea

ean---" he s

octor. "Good-bye, my bo

as I was starting

*

rl. Ruth was lying on the couch. She looked up

" he m

onderful light of joy. She dre

ed. "I'm happy. I'm hap

and looked at her. She had been wonderful to him b