THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, 1 PORTLAND, SUNDAY . MORNING, JULY 19, 1914
T h e Ch a s te n in g
A Conflict of Ideals Between Husband and Wife
By Arthur Stan wood Pier
(Copyright by The North American Company.)
H
B HAD never been thought a aensiuve man.
But when he came away from the Interview
with the Commissioner he was wounded to the
bottom of his souL He wished to think, ha wished also
to forget, and he could do neither. The jogging of the
horse's feet, the swaying of the cab annulled his mental
processes without soothing him- In' the Park he dis
missed the cab and sat down on a bench opposite a
magnolia 'tree.
, It was May, and the magnolia was In full bloom, a
pretty, beguiling, bloom, but it had no balm for Selwin.
lie stared at It sullenly and thought of the thirsty
desert. In one month there he had discovered that the.
year of service he had contemplated giving to the
state wouid stretch Jnto two beforene work could be
finished. Why, if he chose not to make that sacrifice,
should he be to blame? . '
Yet that he was to blame he now acknowledged
He had come to the Commissioner with the most ap
pealing defense that, he could framed He had recited
the unforeseen difficulties which had faced him. he had
dwelt on the loneliness, the necesalty, when opportu
nity offered, of not sacrificing his own best future. He
had put It all as cogently as possible yet while he
spoke, while the Commissioner quietly listened and
the Commissioners stenographer quietly, damnlngly
took down his worus. he knew that It was all specious.
And when ho came to the announcement of the Invit
ing offer which was causing him to tender his reslg- ,
nation, he laltereu, though this part he had most care
fully prepared.
The Commissioner waited until Selwln bad floun
dered on to the end of his plea.
"So, Mr. fcielwin," he then observed sadly, "you can
be bought off from a duty to the commonwealth one
for which you volunteered, one which, when you were
assigned to It. you eagerly undertook. You can be
bought off, Mr. Selwln!" "
He had continued in a slow, deliberate speech to
point out the culpability of Sel win's .act. "You ex
pressed yourself as satisfied with the" salary which
the state paid you. You know that hundreds of set
tlers have come into the desert valley, are making
there their homes under the encouragement which the
state has held out. You are the only man who has
studied this particular Irrigation problem. Your aban
donment of the work now means Indefinite delay; it
means hardship to those poor people whom the state
has encouraged and with whom it must keep faith.
On tho early completion of those irrigation works the
prosperity of these people, depends. You forsake them
and the commonwealth for your own prosperity."
Now, sitting in the ParK, George Selwln gave him
srlf over to bitter regret What devil of shortsight
edness had possessed him, he wondered' His accuser
was right; he had been tempted by mere cupidity.
A childhood memory for which hitherto he had al
ways had a humorous tenderness recurred to him now
as disagreeably significant. When he was a little boy
his father had been accustomed to take him on walks
uptown. As they strolled along hand in hand the
child would ask questions about the occupants of the
great houses that they passed. "Who lives there,
papa?" . "Is he a rich man, papa?" "Is he richer than
you?" "Is he a millionaire, papa?" The indulgent
father, a clerk with a modest salary, nad been amused
by this ardent inquisltiveness amused and a little
troubled. "Yes," he would answer, "he's a rich man,
George much richer than your father. But why do '
you always ask that sort of question about people?
ISiches aren't everything, my son." But the boy. Ignor
ing the gentle reproof, would repeat- his inquiry as
soon as another fine house took hia attention; and
sometimes he would touch his father - in a sensitive
place by asking: "Why don't you get rich and live
In that kind of a house, papa?"
' A West Point education had fitted Selwln for the
engineer corps of the army; in that branch of the
service he had shown distinguished capabilities. After
a term of years he had resigned from the army to
devote himself, to profes
sional work in a western
city. Then 'he had been
chosen to plan and construct
the Important irrigation
works by which the state,
co-operating with the na
tional government, . hoped to -recklm
an area of desert.
He had been in the desert
only a month when he re
ceived a letter from Henry ,
King, a financier and, pro
moter of large enterprises.
' This letter offered him the
presidency of the most im
portant street railway In the
state. i
It had taken Selwln but
. a few minutes to decide that
this offer must be accepted.
He bad hastened home to the
state capital to present his
resignation to the commis
sion. The city was the place
for a man In the prime ot
life; the desert was for the
young who had their spurs to
win, and for the old and
weather-beaten toddle In. Ex
ultantly, wrapped In dreams
of his opulent future, he re
turned to enjoy the Income of
a millionaire.
Now he wondered gloom
ily if he had made a great
. blunder.
Well, the bridge had been
crossed, and he would never
feel more keenly hurt and re
gretful, never more culpable
or more chided; and now let
him put all that behind him.
He rose from the . bench and
walked "briskly along the
path; there was nothing like
activity for taking a man out
of the dumps.- And by a for
tunate chance as he emerged
upon the avenue he met
Henry King, out for a late
afternoon stroll. Selwln shook hands with hm with a
great gladness. "It's odd I should have met you,"
Selwln said. "I was Just thinking of you thinking of
writing you a note to say that I accept."
"Good!" cried King, returning to the handshake
with a renewed cordiality. "Good! , Walk 'down to the
club with me; we'll seal the compact with a cocktail,
and have a little' talk."
Activity, cocktails and -talk! there was nothing
, like that combination for taking a man out of the
v dumps.! The talk, too, was of a particularly cheering;
kind. , It appeared that the salary might be perhaps
the least of the new president's perquisites.
There would be special opportunities for invest
'' ments openings for him to hold remunerative offices
In other companies "You see, Selwln," said King-,
"this desert job that- you've had makes you an espe--dally
valuable connection for any concern; It's been
well advertised all over the country; , it's sort of a
" unique thing; It's made you a national reputation."
' Under the gently stroking; Influence of such talk
Selwln was soon restored to his normal self-satislac-
tlon. - .
When he left his host and walked home he thought
that he preferred to have dealings with men who were
.successful in business rather than with political ap
v pointees. ' .r v- :;; ,,. ' . .
'"My dear. It's all settled." he said to his wife when
he greeted him In the hall of his house. He kissed
her, and his voice was tray and cheerful as he con-,
tinued: "I've handed In my resignation, and X've ac
cepted the offer to be president of the railway and
so I'm to be home with you and the kids instead of
broiling In an irrigation ditch."
"And yet I can't help feeling sorry you've given ' It
up such an interesting work," she sighed. "Of course,
it's more comfortable for us but you're sure "you '
haven't made a mistake, dear?" , ! 1
"This new work's Important enbugh," he assured
her. "By the way " and he hastily drew her to an
other subject "I heard this morning that the Dennl
son place In the mountains you know the one, next to
Jim Norrls' is for sale. How would that strike you
as a summer residence?" ,
"My dear! We could never afford such a place we
couldn't afford to buy it, we couldn't afford to keep
It up." '
lie laughed indulgently. "I'm getting pretty pros
perous. If I found I could manage it you'd like to
live there, wouldn't you?"
"Don't be foolish, George," she answered.
"I shan't be; I'm a practical, hard-headed business
man. Some of these days I may be making you &
present of the Dennison place."
He saw that she waa pleased both by his generous,
extravagant wish, and by Its indication of prosperity.
He was annoyed when late that evening reporters
from various newspapers visited him, eager to learn
why he had resigned. "There was no friction of any
sort; 1 resigned for reasons entirely private and per
sonal; further than that I don't care to talk," he said
to them. They were persistent and suspicious, but '
' they could not draw from him any fuller' statement.
It was with a mingling of eagerness and apprehen
sion that he took up the newspaper the next morning.
There on the first page was the heading, "Selwln Re
signs." What followed was more serious; the article .
intimated that the commission . was indignant and
would issue a statement about the case.
Selwln took the newspaper with him when he left
the house; he hoped to spare his wife needless concern
and himself disturbing questionings. Hrobably the
newspaper intimations were quite unauthorized and
would never be fulfilled. It was, however,, embarrass
ing to realize that his friends downtown viewed him
on this day with a certain curiosity; he grew tired
of explaining to every one that He had thrown up the
. Irrigation work for "family reasons."
That day he bought, the Dennison place paying
fifty thousand dollars in cash and giving a mortgage
on it for a hundred and fifty thousand. Jim Norrls
told him that four or five others had the property in
view, and this had contributed to his haste. Besides,
he was in a mood to plunge recklessly into any bar
gain which would bind him at once to the world and
life of the very rich, put him in possession of that for
which he had made his sacrifice. The purchase would
' cramp him for a while; but'when one had the Income
of a millionaire, with chances constantly" to increase
ft, a temporary stress was not to be regarded."
He appeased his wife's anxiety about his extrava
gance by enlarging on the emoluments, direct and
Indirect, of his new office; he won her enthusiasm by
describing all the advantages which the Dennison
place would have for the children. Because It was so
clearly they and herself that he had in mind to
gratify, she adored him for his unselfishness. It
amused him pleasantly to observe how accurate had
been his forecast of her demeanor in the situation.
He had known she was ambitious, just as he was, and
that she would not seriously oppose his advancement.
He was downstairs before her in the morning; his
eyes fell on a heading In the newspaper that seemed
i to scorch them. He was reading the article when his
wife entered; he did not look up. She spoke to him
twice, but he was absorbed in the stenographic report
of all that the Commissioner had said to him -and of
hia own foolish and blundering excuses. There was
is-WKJssi . an r
You think people will trust you respect you as they did?'"
also a dispatch from the little settlement in the desert
where the farmers who were depending on the state
Irrigation plans were clustered. "Panic Stricken by
Eelwln's Retirement? was the heading. So they had
been leaning, on him! The dispatch told of their
amazement, their indignation. .
He passed the newspaper to his wife with the re
mark: "Here is something unpleasant for you to read,
Sally." -"-'S- '' '-
He saw her frightened look as the words of the
headline jumped at her; he saw the quick rush of
color to her cheeks and the sad, downward droop of
her mouth as comprehension dawned. By and by she
sank back in her chair as if overcome with faintness,
but she held the newspaper In her hands and read on.
Selwln turned, and, with one arm hanging limply over
the back of his chair, gazed at the carpet. - -
"George, is It truer "
"It's the stenographer's report of what passed -between
us. I think he hasn't got come things quite
right" -
"Is it true what the Commissioner : says about
your abandoning the work when you were so needed
and for such reasons? .' v
; "Yes. I suppose it's true." i - . ' v
- She passed he hand across her forehead as If to
brush aside anbscuring veil. Then she took up the
-" f
newspaper and looked at tt again for a while. Ust
lessly. -' ' .. y . v " '
"Oh, George If you had taken me Into your con
fidence, let me understand do you think I could ever
have consented to this? My dear, my dearcouldn't
you see couldn't you see?" " ' . .
- Sorrow fos him and compassion had succeeded re
proach. She came to him and stood by hia chair with
her hand on his shoulder. ;
"I regretted It he acknowledged despondently. I
don't know X didn't see the other side until It was too
late. It was an error of Judgment, Sally; It wasn't
anything worse than that."
He did not see her brows contract at this effort to
minimize his culpability. She was done, however, with
reproaching him. -
"Those poor people I I suppose they have gone
down there and invested all they have! And now they
may lose all." - '
. He stirred uneasily. "That a hardly possible. One
man isn't so indispensable to the success of an under
taking." ' "Not the ultimate success perhaps. But if it's too
long delayed not every one can wait. Well, how la
this going to affect your future?" t
"Not at all."
"You are sure of that? Tou think people will trust
you respect you as they did?"
"Of course. After all, Sally, many will realise that
this attack on me this publication of it is unfair. It
makes me out far worse than X am; any one who
knows me will know that. I'll be more likely to
receive sympathy for the unwarranted publicity ot the
attack gian condemnation."
"The idea of receiving of enduring sympathy I
can't" bear it!" cried his wife. "I feel ashamed
ashamed to face the people I know. What can- you
' do to regain your place In the eyes of the world?'
He laughed unpleasantly. "That will not be diffl-
cult. A man who Is president of a great corporation
and has a millionaire's Income people -don't go back
on that kind of a man Just because he has a disagree
able newspaper experience. Oh no, my dear; you're
taking this thing too much to heart. If we go ahead
Just as if nothing had happened, you will. find It wUl -
all be forgotten within a week. Especially since wo,
give every sign of Increased prosperity. If this un
pleasantness were accompanied by a return to poverty,
it would be different; then we would have to run to
cover. But the rich, my dear, are not held in censure
very long."
Trying to reassure her wltn his lightly uttered
cynicism, he did not guess how he repelled her.
"Then you really suggest parading the prosperity
for which you have sacrificed your your reputation
and the prosperity of othersr
"X have not sacrificed my reputation but if I had,
' that would be one way of recovering it. I certainly
don't propose to slink about and act like a culprit
who has been deservedly thrashed."
"On the other hand, this Ls not a time when you
would wish to emphasize the fact of your prosperity!"
"It certainly ls," he retorted with conviction. "I
must show people that I'm too Important to be hurt
by a little thing like this."
"Isn't your Importance In my eyes more to yon than
your Importance In the - eyes of others? she asked
sadly.
"Of course. But why bring up such a question?
We're arguing about mere abstraction anyway;
what's the use of working .yourself up so, my dear,
without one substantial point of difference?
"I very much fear from the way you talk that-the
Dennison house will be the point of difference." said
Mrs. Selwln. "I cannot think of living there now.
George. I could not bear that advertisement' ot our
prosperity."
"Oh, but that is too absurd! You're naturally a '
little morbid about it now; you'll feel differently when
the first shock to your sensitiveness has worn off."
He could belittle to her the gravity of the publi
cation; but he was himself sufficiently aware of it.
Emphasis was supplied by the arrival ot reporters
, while he still sat at the breakfast table. "I have
nothing to say," he assured them, with an effort to
speak blandly, as IX the Commissioner's fulmlnatlon
had passed over him and left him smiling.
Be had no sooner reached his office than he re
ceived a telephone call from the Governor, who had
been chiefly Instrumental in securing for him the Irri
gation work. The Governor asked if he had any ex
planation to offer beyond what had appeared in the
newspapers. Selwin replied that he could not go into
the private matters which determined his action.
"Very well," said the Governor, angrily. "I'm through
with you, Mr. Selwln. Tou have put, me in a hole; you
have done me an injury. X shall be held responsible
for recommending a quitter. I'm done with you."
Selwln protested, declared he would explain every
thingand then became aware that no one was listen
ing to him.. He hung up the receiver and sat In a
sort of panic; what if all his friends shared this man's
view? What If he had been condemned by them all
as bitterly as by the Governor.
It occurred to him that it would be well to visit
; King's office and find if the contract was yet ready for
his signature. King had promised to have it for him
In a day or two.
The financier's manner was lacking in cordiality,
and Selwin, who had been expecting a cheery welcome,
felt Instantly depressed. "This ls a very unfortunate
affair, Mr. Selwin," King said, shaking his head
(i gravely. "I am sorry that you should have felt it
necessary to refer in any way to the offer which had
been made you."
"I don't look on this notoriety that I am receiving
as a permanently serious matter," Selwin asserted
stoutly. "It will blow over and be forgotten In a few
reeks."
To this King made no answer, and Selwln waited
awkwardly. Then, In a more formal tone, he asked
if the contract was ready for his signature. It was
not; the lawyer in charge of the matter was absent
from the city, and since In any event the new presi
dent would not assume control for another month, It
- had not seemed necessary to hasten the arrangements.
Late in the afternoon Selwin bought an evening
newspaper, and found himself the subject of scathing
editorial comment. The reclamation ot the desert was
a matter In which state pride was deeply enlisted; it
Was the most popular of all the causes which had come
before the state legislature. Selwln bought two other
newspapers, in which likewise he was made the text
of a preachment against overreaching greed. He did
hot bring the newspapers home to his wife; but
. she bad read them, and because of them she met him
with eager sympathy and compassion. . "George," she
said, "you must not care what the newspapers say.;
You will have plenty of opportunities to redeem your
self." . , '
Tm not worrying -about that," he answered. "But
it's an outrage that a man who is hot a criminal can
, be held up to execration in this way and have no re
dress. Never mind, Sally; Til live it down. 'People's
" memories are 'conveniently 7 short as soon as a man
begins to deliver the goods. ;. In another month, when
It all comes out that I'm a real magnate, and when
we're installed In our new place in the mountains and
show people that we're getting richer every minute,
you won't hear any criticism tben. . ; ";-.-';'v V
"Haven't you given" up that idea of the -moun-
tains?" . - . 'J ' ' , ' , -.' , - ' " .-
"Not much!' Why.. It'a going to be the most beau
tiful place for the kids you ever saw. And now'e the
' time when we mustn't seem down on our luck. Act
as if you're beaten and sling around, and everybody
takes an extra
kick at you as
you pass; throw
out your chest,
let everybody ' aee
you're prosperous ,
and happy and suc
cessful, and don't
tfvo a continental
for a little back
bitingand the first
thing you know the
backbiters become
backalappers and
too genial for any
use. The Dennison
. place is our trump
card, and the sooner
we play it. the
better."
"George, noth
ing will induce me
to live in the Den
nison place.'
"Oh. my dear,
that's all nonsense:
you'll have to over-,
come that foolish
sensitiveness."
"It isn't foolish
sensitiveness; it's
it's something X
can't do."
He tried to he
patient "Now, see
here. Sally. Sup
pose it were a year
from now, and we
could perfectly well
afford to live there;
you'd not object,
would your
"It depends."
she answered.
"People might have
- forgotten by that
time."
"Ah, and this
will help them to
forget!", he cried
triumphantly. "If
we show that we
remember, every
one else will re
member; if we go.
ahead calmly, as if
nothing had hap
pened, every one
will soon forget"
"It's a question
of taste, George,
not one of expe
diency. It is more
decent for us tor
a while to to be
quiet and unas
suming." He argued the
point with her, he
lost his temper;
taha waa unyield
ing. He had ex
pected to dislodge
her from her posi
tion after a brief
encounter; now he
began to foresee
that a prolonged
. alege might be
Tht ha -houl- -urrender to him on this
point he was stubbornly resolved; the Immediate en
joyment of his new purchase had now become im
planted in his mind as the equivalent of vindication.
The newspapers the next day carried his persecu
tion, as he regarded it, a step farther. They printed
passages from the editorial comment of newspapers in
other parts of the state comment that was uncompro
mising and severe. He found himself abused as a money
grabber, a contract-Jumper, a man who had forfeited aU
claim to confidence and respect. The Commissioner's
blighting denunciation was applauded. The workmen on
the big Irrigation ditch were demoralized; the settlers in
the valley were declaring that Selwin had betrayed
them. .
Incensed and defiant, he was led to renew with
his wife the battleofthe night before. "There, that's
the" kind of a man your" husband Is!" 'and he thrust
upon her the offensive paragraphs. He did not wait
for her to finish the painful reading; he strode back
and forth in the room. "Nice terms they use! And
you think I'm going to back down under fire, and
skulk away in the long grass? Not for me. I mean to
live my life as if not one word had been printed In
my disparagement and we'll see how long people In
this town will hold out against success!"
His wife read the various excoriations of him In
silence. When she had finished she sat with the news
paper in her lap, looking at the floor, paying no at
tention to him while he strode back and forth.
"Very well," she said at last without raising her
eyes. "Since you think it wlU help you I will submit
I will live in whatever place you prescribe."
"Good for you; I knew you'd see the common sense
of it" But his wounds were smarting too much to
let him bestow more than passing approval on her
loyalty. "Thia will be another pleasant day for, me,
downtown friends fading away as I approach ac
quaintances pointing at me behind my back. I'm off
now to face the music Well, Sally" he bethought
him to be gracious "you're standing by me anyway,
like a good one.i
He stooped and kissed her. but she did not respond
to the kiss.
"You must understand, she said coldly, "that
though X shall try to help you regain the esteem of
others, I must myself esteem you the less."
"Why?"
"Because of, your lack of taste and because. It you
have no sensibilities of your own, you do not consider
, those of your wife."
' This speech angered him; without making any
reply he turned and left the house.
In the car, going downtown, he seated himself next
to an acquaintance, a lawyer.
. "Well, I seem still to be a newspaper topic." he began
genially; he accepted the lawyer's startled chill as
sent as due to embarrassment, and he dilated to him
reassuringly upon the whole affair. Half-way through
his story, something . in the lawyer's manner, Tcurl
. ously, quizzically attentive, told him that he was bab-
Ibling. He subsided, into a. silence which was not
- broken by his companion.
That morning he found that people whom he knew
hurried by him on the street, as if afraid to stop and3
speak; he himself glanced about furtively as .lie
walked. : " ' .'-..-' IrtAvv:' -.- -..'
He ventured Into his club for luncheon; the men
there nodded, spoke to him, anH dropped away. None
of them Introduced the .subject of his resignation:
when he .introduced it to two or three, they listened
" Without comment. ' -
In the afternoon he was requested over the tele
phone to call at King's office.- He found the financier
. in an obviously more friendly . mood than on : the
previous day.
- "Sit down, Mr, Selwin; sit down." King said, with
an arr of hospitality. "They're still hammering you
In the newspapers. I see. - Well, keep year courage up;
-1 guess some time It wUl all come out in the wash. X
. hate to broach this at just this moment, Mr. Selwln
Nothing will induce me to live in the Dennison place'
i
but I suppose the sooner we come to an understanding,
the better. I'm sorry, but that offer of the presidency
will have to be withdrawn"
King paused; Selwin took a great swallow; then
the blood rushed to his face and he sprang up sav
agely. "Withdraw nothing!" He stood over King and
shook a threatening finger. "It can't be done. I have
your letter your agreement; you must abide by it"
"Mr. Selwin. it ill becomes you to bring up any
question of fidelity to an agreement." replied King.
"If you will allow me. I will explain the situation to
you. and I will then make you a proposition."
Selwln. after a moment's Indecision, resumed his
seat
"To fill satisfactorily the presidency of a great cor
poration such as ours. Mr. Selwin. a man must be
something more than efficient in his profession. He
'must be one whose reputation will cause him to be
looked upon favorably by other men. Until yesterday
morning you were such a man. Today no company in
this state especially no corporation that ls . In a
measure dependent on popular and legislative ap
provalcould afferd to carry you as its president
Especially could no corporation operating under a
state franchise afford to make the tacit admission
that It had lured you from your obligation to the .
state. Now. Mr. Selwin, you are a sensible man; you
must see the position ls an impossible one. and for
reasons that could not have been foretold. We do not
want to do yeii an injustice. What I have to suggest
Is this: We fehall be glad to employ you as a consult
ing engineer for our road; in that position your pro
fessional sklU will be useful to us, and your your
misfortune will not embarrass us. Are you disposed to
entertain that offerr
"What are the terms?" Selwln asked suddenly.
"Six thousand dollars a year."
T was earning ten thousand before I undertook
the irrigation work-"
"You were worth more then. However. I want you
to do the best you can for yourself and therefore I v
am willing to hold this offer open for a few days."
"Let me think." said JSelwin.
He rose and went to the window. Ruin of all his
hopes, return to a stupid, commonplace struggle this
was his Inexorable fate. Then in an unselfish moment
be thought of his wife, and with an instinctive flash
he knew that she would be glad.
He turned to King.
' "I don't want the offer held open," he said. "I
want Jt closed up now hard and fast" ,
' On the homeward drive in the cab Selwln pieced -together
moodily his lost opportunities, blinked over
the fragment that remained to him. blinked again ,
over the procession of inevitable, distasteful economies
that passed through his mind. His large new country
: place would have to be sold at a sacrifice a sacrifice 'r:
that would Indeed leave him poor. r. y
The coolness of his wife's greeting recalled to htm -the
terms upon which they had that morning parted, v
- ... "Come. Sally." he said, appeallngly. "don't rub It
in-'I'm not going to make you live In any big house."
"Oh, thank you, Georgel" She came to hlra for-
givingly and to be forgiven; she kissed him. "It's
good of you, George; that makes me quite happy,".;
"It's not because I'm virtuous; it's because ' I'm
poor," he said to her, and he told her all that had
' passed. . . . -
' "I shan't mind being poor," she declared. "I should
- have minded not being able to care for you." .'". ',
"X don't know why you should care for me now aay
more than this morning. . X haven't done anything
- voluntarily ; it's been forced on me." s . .. .
; -Yes, but you'll be different You'll start now on
a new career, and build up another and better success
; with a different sort of ideal."
"You're the wise one of the family, Sally," he said,
"Hereafter X follow you."