Show Tarn Taming in My y Husband I y By Kathleen F Fox O Copyright 1919 by the McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Syndicate Continued from yesterday Oh you didn't No why should I I t tHe He He- did not answer my retort retort gut ut chose to make an observation of his ot his own V Y Getting powerfully Independent here nere lately arent aren't you ou Well to tell you the truth I am am yes And Im I'm going to keep on being independent I find that a condition much to my liking Youre a married woman woman and and my wife he said That need not worry you jou ou in the slightest I told him I shall respect the conventions and Ill I'll always come home when home when I 1 want to to And I might come after you you ou he exclaimed But your methods wouldn't look well on the street I 1 suggested I 1 could have ha you arrested you know You wouldn't dare His face was wasa a mixture of rage and unbelief He lie was astonished at the new Bess he had found I I I 1 countered You dare lots of ot things Well Im I'm your husband And I 1 am your wife You regret the he fact I 1 suppose he sneered I haven't said so so yet jet And If it you did by heaven It would be the last time he said menacingly In In that case then wait walt until I say it Crittenden dear I was as deliberately mocking as I could be I did not enjoy a quarrel but now I did my share in itI it itI I saw his str strong ng hands opening an and shutting and he mo ed his feet nervously nervously ner ner- all aU sure signs ns that he be was wrought up to a high pitch But Dut I 1 did not fear him For I 1 felt that my con conduct don on- on duct had been such as to mystify him and when a man is mystified and amazed he usually Is harmless Crittenden said nothing more to me but as I stood there indifferently looking looking look look- ing at him a smile on my face but meaningless to him he ran his fingers finders through his hair and shook his head John came to the door and an an- an I dinner Come said Crittenden standing aside for me to precede him to the dining dining dining din din- ing room No o I 1 said I 1 shall have Ellen bring my dinner to my room I CHAPTER 73 I IA I A Disorderly Retreat phs ph's Physically callY I was was fit yet when Ellen I brought my dinner to daddys daddy's s room I Iwas I Iwas I was undressed and was l lying Ing down She would be bound to think I was still Indisposed She knew nothing of my quarrel with Crittenden For that I matter neither did JohnI John I 1 was sitting up In bed with the tray across my knees es when I heard a knock I at th the door Before I could answer It tt Crittenden opened the door and entered en- en enI I May I come in in he Inquired sUt stiffly y polite Your pT presence sence seems seems to answer anwer your question does doc It not r I replied impersonally imper Imper- He made an impatient gesture For goodness goodness' crake Bess Beu let lets let's end this farce fare he p Pot pol ol ted Im heartily I sick and tir tired d of ot It It Do you ou think that i is a good reason for ending I Jt that it-that that at r YOU ou are heartily I Isick sick and tired of ot It it if I asked coolly i You Yu did not ask how I 1 felt about bout I it He frowned He was very impatient And I di not care You are rubbing It ittin in unnecessarily deep he remarked halt half In answer to tomy torn rn my retort But I 1 did not begin It It it I 1 reminded remind remind- ed bimI himI him bim dri I should hoUld think we could get on on better better better bet bet- ter than we do tars he then suggested He had remained remain stan standing ding I 1 did not a a. a asChim sc schim him bID to be e seated t l. l And I haven't a doubt of ot that I Isaid Isaid Isaid said He flushed He was uneasy restless nervous I was glad to see that It put him at a disadvantage proved the guilt he felt but was not yet ready to admit Jt AS A As usual Im I'm m t to blame he said ironically t i Just lust so J answered with ell dell ell Ill I'll do try something something try to do something something help help to do something he stammered It if I 1 knew where to beSo beSo be- be gl So l nt nt to end this thing he said One cannot always undo things I observed I ics es joud you'd prevent me from straightening it out out he censured censure I In wl ll willing g to make snake the effort to settle it if amicably and you are just as sore as at the beginning I 1 did not rep replY repy y 4 had no doubts about the affair I 1 knew I 1 had nothing to atone I I 1 should shoulder no re re- re It was all his own Its ridiculous that I 1 hurt you the other night night he insisted You ou Know blamed well I I 1 laughed He lie colored painfully painful Shall I I feel less Injured just because because because be be- I cause you failed of your purpose to hurt me I inquired And I 1 laughed b suu 11 ii He tie ha haa hau hurt me out Dut I 1 did not let Jet him know fo tox foa should v not pant Just be because because because be- be cause the hound failed to catch him I 1 suppose I taunted And once again I laughed More l odious comparisons comparisons' I dont don't think so 50 If I made you the hound I became the fox Crittenden was now pacing up and down In the room Meanwhile I had begun my dinner He looked at me mer r a as h he paced He lIe was wor worried He had found no way to meet the t In UbO 1 I aimed at him And it mattered mat mat- nothing to me how deep they went lie he sl stopped in his pacing and for a ull run full minute looked at me I 1 met his gaze inquiringly Smiling amusedly I 1 shrugged my shoulders and then buttered buttered but but- one of ot Ellens Ellen's crisp rolls Well VeIl Uell Im I'm damned glad you you can ea eat Crittenden exclaimed Yes Yes' He lie did not answer anser but I saw his hands clenching tightly He strode to the door Jerked it open in a perfect spasm of temper and stalked out Just Justas as he was crossing the threshold he looked back In time to see me shrugging shrugging shrugging shrug shrug- ging my shoulders shoulder As the door closed behind him I laughed for tOr I 1 was greatly pleased that a battle had been fought and that I had won it For had I not seen my husband the enemy retreat in disorder disorder disorder dis dis- order Then I finished my dinner enjoying every morsel of it That done I locked the door and read myself to sleep I 1 had had a most enjoyable evening I CHAPTER 74 An Attempted Apology During this time which I 1 think of ofas ofas ofas as the state of ot siege at our home I had not talked to Crittenden once when he called at 11 o'clock on the telephone For two days I had not left the house but had refused to talk to him and on the third day I was wasby out by design when he called The fourth day however I answered the telephone when it rang I was curious to hear what he might have to sa say following his defeat of the night be be- be fore He lIe lost Jost no time in saying what he wanted Can you come downtown and lunch with me me he asked I dont don't know I replied I had not thought you'd want me me But you know it now he insisted I 1 might spoil your luncheon I warned Im not afraid of that Will you come come I became serious I think it better for me to say no noI nh nb I dont don't want to have hav another quarrel with you and one is sure to develop I think the less we see of f each other the better Nonsense h he said attempting tomake tomake to tomake make light of ot it You come como on and lunch with me Well We'll go shopping afterward That is not at all attractive to me lne I said coldly a What isn't Your suggestion that we shop afterward after after- ward Why not Simply because I dont don't propose to accept apologies of ot that kind again I said with spirit Well 11 said Crittenden In a crestfallen crestfallen crestfallen crest crest- fallen tone will you come if it we cut cutout cutout cutout out the shopping He did not give me a chance to say no Perhaps he sensed that I would refuse the Invitation point blank which was highly probable I tell you what he suggested if you dont don't want to lunch with me alone lets let's invite Call that girl girl girl- I mean call Miss Harding and ask berto her ber herto herto to come with you Ill I'll bring girl j Jack Langley from the office with me Somehow I r refrained retrained from laughing hin |