Show T T 99 A STORY OF AN EVERYDAY LIFE 4 B by y E elizabeth I 1 I 1 z a b e t h M markus a r k u s continued As soon as she arrived home she called up the medium to malic make tile the appointment it was a rather matter to be favored with a sitting for madani madam harriot was a medium of fame and almost every hour of her days was engaged long ahead at night dora might have lind had a chance but how could she if emil was not to know about it finally the rich honorious son orious voice at tho the phone suggested that dora should call up the next day perhaps there would be a way of making arrangements range ments as madame adame II was not nuite suro sure of one of her clients in the latter part of the week the following forenoon as soon as emil was gone dora called up again and the hour was set tor for frilay friday at 1 3 P AI the lays days between tuesday and friday simply dragged dora could hardly wait the weather was so terribly cold and damp that she had no energy to go anywhere so again she went down to the mezzanine floor door book in hand this afternoon however proved to be eventful tor for dora made a real acquaintance A lady a mrs hatch enveloped in one of the great big velour chairs next to hers ambroi dering on some fine piece of 0 linen had passed a few conventional remarks and after this their conversation had drifted on dora from the back of her chair glancing at the charming and stunning little creature who was so busily il pulling the fine thread through the white fabric searched eagerly to say bay something of interest and referred to her book then the other broke in on her with the passionate exclamation oh I 1 love books I 1 am very fond of reading but with all my social engagements I 1 scarcely get time to tead read the most necessary matters and now before christmas I 1 dont get time at all I 1 have so many christmas presents to work and pointing to her work she added things like this make such nice and inexpensive gluts dora was somewhat jai jarred jaired red she had not expected to hear such a re flom the ie wealthy althy who live in the allmor ill mor it sounded so much like standardville Stand ardville yet the tact fact that mrs hatch made mention of her membership in some clubs with very high brow names helped to keep up the thermometer of doras estimation for her new acquaintance she listened and let the pretty little creature talk to her hearts content thus at any rate she would be spared from talking about herself and standardville Stand ardville olville when dora at last was obliged to say something about herself she spoke in her recently adopted languid manner of her intention to study music she had the most famous and most expensive teachers of new york on the tip of her tongue teachers of whom none charged less than 10 for a lesson it is extremely tor for me to decide to nhong bom to go I 1 am after a soft and powerful touch and I 1 know so little about the quality of the music teachers here remarked dora smiling inwardly at her talent of putting it over it was easy to talk as if money was no object it seemed to dora that after this bright speech of hers mrs airs hatch conceived her with more personal in terest once upon a time I 1 also had bad the idea to study music but I 1 have given it up I 1 soon learned that I 1 would never be able to play well enough to suit myself and in these days chere ft here one can buy records and hear he ar all the celebrities at home its scarcely worth while to go to all that trouble unless one pursues a af tain purpose I 1 suppose you do abbe turned to dorn dora curiously not particularly I 1 am going to study for my own amusement well amusement is a purpose also answered mrs hatch with a sweet smile but it i amusement is connected with such hard work nork us aa the study of music it ceases to br bo amusement dora insisted that she would enjoy it then mrs hatch came out abruptly with the question havo ou on children 1 I am sorry to say no I 1 s f dont be sorry replied the other that fill the bill either cither I 1 have one I 1 know what bill asked dora after a pause really just to keep up ill tile con conversation vers aLion v the purpose or 0 life ans answerer I mrs hatch while gazing beyond the room into the hazy unknown distance for a little while the two women kept silent each folloni following ing her course of thought mrs irs hatch swifter than besoiu pulling the fine needle ard dora staring at the leanes of her book Sud suddenly denIN mrs hatch rolled up her work and rising asked doin doia have ou ever heard of the purpose geckeis Sec keis no 0 11 well its a club they are arc going to meet at my homo home friday noon for lunch would you like to come of course dora would and then mrs hatch departed with a most gracious nod of her little head Flus flushed lied with pleasure dora took the elevator to her quarters when dora was alone she sini smiled lod slie s lie almost laughed aloud then she sat down to think as to what had act given I 1 her the honor of the invitation ultimately she camo came to the conclusion that she owed it to her comment on oil those high brow music teachers irein acm whom only the upper tipper four bundled could alnoid to take lessons what little tiling thing will do the trick pi ii i i new aca york she reflected at dinner emil had to listen to I 1 ht hi jubilant wife inife she asked hlin him oven even as to what dress she should acar for slie she wanted to make a lasting good impression xian tho the purpose seekers purpose seekers asked emil who could not follow ills his cifes story as fast as it was told the purpose seekers he went on oil shaking his hi baad that certainly sounds nut im afraid you will not like it amongst those ladies purpose seekers that makes one have visions or of shriveled old ladies with sharp bet lips you know something the real ones at stand now please dont take all of the pleasure out of it before I 1 have been there gaid eaid dora rather vexed you seen mrs hatch elsia you talk this way sapi only about 20 and you ought to hear her speak ali if tho the others are like she it will be a brilliant affair emil just smiled his wise smile and then turned to his evening papers pshaw emil was an old frump dora concluded while she sat there darning his silk socks ho he would never encourage a wife suddenly she remembered that her engagement INI madame adame harriot was on the same mime afternoon as mrs hatchs hatcha invitation what should she do she did not want to decline the affair of mrs hatch after she had accepted yet the appointment with madame harriot was equally important it if not more so gracious what should she do it if emil only would go out tor for a little while so that she might phone to madame harriot she might be able to arrange it otherwise tomorrow was friday there surely was nas no time to be lost yes emil had to vacate the place it if for ten or fifteen minutes only and while eagerly searching for a reason she recalled that recently lie he had received an invitation to a smoker thursday night at the commercial club so she urged emil to go when he for in an answer just grunted a no without it hout looking up from his paper she on coaxing 1 I would go if I 1 were in your place meet with nice people thero there 11 1 s bac cc all the people I 1 want to see during the day replied emil rather grouchily do you think it is the right vay nay to live iivo asked aked dora angrily stick home every night why dont you do like other men and belong to some nice clubs no answer from the chair 1 I am not afraid to be alone as in many any women claim to be just to keep their husbands on their apron string real people do not get married just to stick to each other like glued and havo have no fre freedom edoin at all no reply enraged by this bi si lenco dora kept hept on we should be broader should belong to and give to moro more than juat to each other we dont want to become narion minded puppets like the in stan lard vile when emil still clung to silence she cried all right dont answer ime me as you always do when it cornea comes to things thing that really stir me ill find sonic man to talk to me and it if I 1 haic hae to pick him up tip on oil the street all ou ever say to me is that I 1 have DUSS on oil my iny brain I 1 tell you bugs on the brain are arc better than to have a i brain of hardware xo it was sul aut and the tears wore were lit in her eyes dora always cried ditth w ith temper and when v hen the tears flowed lowed emil generally genei genci ally softened dut t today lie ho put on ills his coat coal and hat and I loft ift ft the room without a word doras perplexity when site sho headd the outer door close was so profound that she dropped on oil a chair and moke into another fit of tears she toll felt she had gone too tar and her conscience ciance pricked prick cd sho she tried tr cd to le ic cill call what she had quarreled about but she was not able to untangle the threads of her confused thoughts what had possessed her to say a all these ugly things emil was good lie ile only had another way of thinking lie ile was contented with ith everything unless something lid did not run ran smoothly in the hardware liar dware business he was nas in his way nay trying to fulfill all of her wishes as la s long lang a as s th they ey lid did not go above his aio horizon to her mind came the new suit he had ought bought her which cost and winter hat for which slie she had paid 35 he had not oven drawn up about these exorbitant prices ne ite knew of her going to tile the liall dressers and lid did not object hairdresser this tin s word again linked her to the cause of tile the scene madame I 1 Ilar harriot riot oil oh she was inas a miserable creature doia lel ie forred to herself as she continued her review of tile the past fifteen minutes she needed someone to put her bet right else matters might come to a very vl ry unpleasant end indeed she must go and consult madame adamo PI harriot this woman who was able to look so deeply into human nature might h t tell tel I 1 her I 1 ier what was to be done do n e so she decided to drop the luncheon at mrs airs hatch with this dora jumped from the lounge whiled the traces of tears biorn her checks dappled some more powder on her face so emil should not be able to see that she had cried then she hastened to the telephone and while she was nervously turning the leaves to find mrs hatchs hatcha number she tried to think oi of a plausible excuse for declining yes the way it always happens she reflected heie ive dying for an invitation to this yort nort of VV with gitil the elegant oleg ailt pet fiat ani and now that I 1 have it it it haj had to he be on the same date of my other appointment at last sho she had mrs hatch at the phone aphone and tried to explain that she could not come dut but mrs hatch would not hear of it dora should come and stay as long as she saw fit she would be excused to leave whenever she pleased to this matter settled doras thoughts again turned to her husband she expected him back any minute and sho seated herself on a chair facing tho the door she was going to meet him with a smile she even made up her mind to say something nice about Stand standardville ardville and I 1 liis ills mother and to keep on oil talking tall cing until ho would smile too she had hours and hours to strengthen her resolutions and they went up and down like the waves of a stormy sea with the watching tor for ills his footsteps when it was 1130 she became worried and when the clock struck 12 and emil not home she was in a fit of terror she accused herself of having driven him from home and suddenly she remembered all of emils good qualities only as one does of the dead it was after 1 when emil finally came home ho he was seemingly happy for lie he whistled this turned all of doras good ieso icso lations into white rage to bo be continued |