I don't see where your vaunted honor of soldiers comes
in considering how they accepted the let-down of women during and after the
war."
"How could you see when you stayed comfortably at home?" retorted Carley.
"All I could see was women falling into soldiers' arms," he said, sullenly.
"Certainly. Could an American girl desire any greater happiness--or
opportunity to prove her gratitude?" flashed Carley, with proud uplift of
head.
"It didn't look like gratitude to me," returned Morrison.
"Well, it was gratitude," declared Carley, ringingly. "If women of America
did throw themselves at soldiers it was not owing to the moral lapse of the
day. It was woman's instinct to save the race! Always, in every war, women
have sacrificed themselves to the future. Not vile, but noble! . . . You
insult both soldiers and women, Mr. Morrison. I wonder--did any American
girls throw themselves at you?"
Morrison turned a dead white, and his mouth twisted to a distorted checking
of speech, disagreeable to see.
"No, you were a slacker," went on Carley, with scathing scorn. "You let the
other men go fight for American girls. Do you imagine one of them will ever
marry you? . . . All your life, Mr.
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