Read "The Failure" by Charles Caldwell Dobie online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
After he had helped Kitty with the dishes, John Scidmore left the house for a walk. It was a calm, beautiful night, lit by a slender moon hung high in the heavens and stars twinkling cheerily. As he went along the elm-shaded streets, he drew in deep breaths, striving to steady the tumult within him.
Kitty's words hummed themselves into his inner consciousness. 'No, John, it wouldn't be necessary. ' What did she really mean? Did she think he had the courage to settle such a question decisively -- righteously? Did -- He stopped, turning the phrase over in his mind. He knew that materially he had been a failure. People called him a nice fellow and let it go at that. Was it possible for his wife, the wife who had lived so close to all his weaknesses, to glorify him with so large a hope? The thought began to thrill him.