Show Taming My Husband By Kathleen Fox Copyright 1919 by the McClure Newspaper Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Syndicate CHAPTER 73 What Diplomats Call an Impasse I still stilt held the receiver to my ear I hf heard rd him hang up slowly as though disappointed and hurt Yet I was not sorry I At luncheon Jack Langley devoted himself to me for which I was glad as it forced Crittenden to pay some attention to Betty And that she surprised surprised surprised sur sur- him that day I made certain For once I heard him confess his ignorance IgnoranCe ig ignorance Ig- Ig norance of or a subject with which she was familiar and then saw him sit in I respectful silence while she told him all about it Occasionally Crittenden looked In my direction Every ry time I met his I eyes ces I saw an appeal in them lIe He was trying to pave the way to peace But most of the time Jack and I were talking spiritedly and Crittenden got few opportunities to address me meat meat meat at all certainly not privately I was perfectly aware that the appeals he I Iwas was making and would make later would be granted but for the present I 1 was not in a mood to grant them m. m I Crittenden I reflected had had his dance while I knelt on the floor with his fingers rs twisting my wrist now wrist wrist now now let him pay his fiddler After Arter luncheon Crittenden again suggested that we go shopping And again very firmly I let him understand that I was done with apologies of that character His remorse as I saw clearly clear clear- ly his remorse and desire for readjustment readjustment readjustment read read- had prompted the suggestion Jack and Betty preceded us from the hotel dining room It was then that Crittenden took advantage of the op opportunity opportunity opportunity op- op to speak peak to me alone Wont ont you rou reconsider the shopping suggestion Bess he said There are some wonderfully pretty prett things In the I windows right now No thanks I replied I Just why wont won't you you ou he persisted not unkindly for he was In a mood to tomake tomake tomake make amends if it he found it at all pos pos- sible But I was not yet et ready It isone Is Isone is 15 one thing to have ones one's husband penitent penitent penitent peni peni- tent and apologetic for a single error of treatment but when the errors succeed suc suc succeed each other with such rapidity as they did in my case cast one tires because one knows it is never the end Please Crittenden I said dont bring that subject up again I told you over the telephone that I 1 did not want to go shopping with you ou I know you did but did you mean it like that I did indeed I was el very firm Then we have reached what the diplomats call an impasse eh eh I 1 laughed unconcernedly I believe belleve one might call it that I acquiesced He and Jack handed Bett Betty and me Into the car we waved goodbye to them airly and I 1 drove off My 1 last Impression impression impression sion of of Crittenden was of a man in I whose face struggled desire and defeat de defeat de- de feat and I knew their application lIe He had failed In his desire to settle the thing with m me to his own satisfaction and he had been forced to acknowledge acknowledge I hi his failure I was struck on the other hand with I the very ery radiant faces of Jack Langley Lansley Langley Lang Lang- ley and Betty Harding who It will be remembered had had a minute or so 80 I together as we left the table Betty was as more shy and demure than I had I ever seen her and her heightened color was a rich glow of pink against the the I fair smooth white of her wonderful skin Her eyes she did not lift up but I the shadows of her long lashes could not hide from me the softness of the light that dwelt welt in them Her sweet I mouth the most kissable I l ever saw I sheltered a a. lingering smile that struggled struggled struggled to betray the secret of or Its caU cause e. e And her bosom boom rose and fell feU as though an agitation of emotional character was within it and would not be stilled i i And Jack Langley That gay fel fellow fellow fellow fel- fel low stood beside the saturnine Crittenden Crittenden Crittenden Critten Critten- den on the curb and looked at us as I we drove away the light of a conquering conquering conquering conquer conquer- ing hero in his eyes and a smile on I his lips that I thought was twin of I the smile that made me me- want to kiss Betty as she sat silt beside me I I laughed softly a little triumphantly triumphant triumphant- ly for reasons of my own as I drove into the busy traffic of the avenue I felt that I had peeped into two lives at once and had witnessed the operation of their merging What do you say Betty to a matins mat mat- ins while we are down town I In Inquired Inquired In- In as we drove along I was in a mood for vaudeville thinking it might help me to forget some of the things I Idid Idid did not want to rt remember member just then Oh no Bess please begged Bet Bet- ty Id rather not today if you jou dont don't mind Do you hats the matter Betty I In In- In Dont you feel gay eno enough gh Oh that isn't the reason she laughed excitedly nervously but but I Bess dear I should like for tor us to drive right home home to to your home I want ant to talk tali to you you just just to talk to you you I thought I knew what Betty wanted to talk about Again there flashed before before before be be- fore me the picture of the suddenly masterful Jack Langley who had stood on the curb looking at us us-at us at ather her that her that light in his eyes and that smile on his lips And before me was the sweet face of Betty herself still pink and white and with the long lashes lash lash- es hiding her eyes and that sweet wistful smile curving her lips Two and two make four I said to myself and I smiled understandingly understanding as ns I drove on home with the sweet I girl there beside me silent but happy happy hap hap- py nevertheless as I believed Love is a wonderful thing Daddy said there was no more wonderful thing in the world than a a. young man marrying a young oung woman But daddy was wrong There is a more wonderful wonder wonder- ful thing thing thing-a a young man loving a young woman poman and wanting to marry her And I was certain that the young man manI I had seen standing so ao proudly on the curb as we drove away loved Betty Harding and Harding-and and wanted to marry her CHAPTER CHAPT R 76 What Betty Talked About Betty kept her precious secret easBy easily easily ily By as we drove home But little was said 1 between t E n us as we wt rolled along th the lake front drive and untrue to feminine feminine feminine femi femi- nine tendencies I waited in patience that on one on-e f for Bett Betty to tt tell ma mo wha I felt I already knew Once I surprised her by turning my eyes full upon her Before she could lower her own I sat sa saw in them what I had been Leen guessing at She colored and sighed and her smile was gone but only for a a fleeting moment I drove dron the rest of at the way with cne ne hand on the steering wheel for my other arm was around the adorable Bett Betty whose secret was her hers no longer though she had not even whispered whispered whispered whis whis- it to me And now dear Betty Bett I urged when we wire were seated In the living room very close together on the soft cushions of at the davenport da Just talk to me and at me all you want to She looked at me swiftly and smiled Thank you OU Bess tor for tor-for for being said But I 1 I willing to listen n she 8 have no mother mother you ou know an and 1 I 1 somehow just wanted to come to you ou Wake Yak up Betty Harding I 1 cried gaily i cannot mother you You are as old as I am Impudence Betty laughed My Iy raillery had the effect of lightening lightening- her heart Induced a more fitting mood for the subject I J knew w we would discuss But Betty dear you ou ma may play that I am your mother or your big sl sister t r. r or anything else you please Have Ha you OU had a quarrel with Jack I asked knowing there was not the slightest possibility of If this being true I with wih Btty sapped aped a ped Jack she sho exclaimed Oh Ob my no no no And she blushed so furiously that I laughed merrily It undeceived ived her She too laughed You knew better than that she saidI said I was too precipitate perhaps Isaid I Isaid Isaid said in mock contrition Of course what you wanted to talk about had nothing to do with Jack Langley at all But what is it Betty that is troubling you Troubling me Bess you are Impossible impossible impossible im im- Im- Im possible flashed Betty but her smile was brighter And there was quick comprehension in the look she gave me and now we both understood that my dissimulation was at an end You see Bess she murmured itis Itis it itIs Is about him him about about Jack I told him this afternoon that I would marry him I found It Impossible to affect sur sur- prise I knew that I said softly Why Bess Yes when we left them there on the curb How Irow In the world did y u know she entreated Did I INo I- I No you didn't Betty except that you looked happy and so 50 did he It was the most obvious thing in the world B But t It always Is Is- Is I added half haIt reminiscently And what do you think of ot It she asked wide eyed I think It is a a. splendid thing for you both I told her Jack is one young man in thousands ana and you know what I think of at you Betty dear So you ou approve e said Bett Betty her color coming and going beautifully meanwhile there lingered on her lips and In her eyes ees the glad new now expression expression expression sion love lo had Indeed I do dp I exclaimed I am simply charmed to too know it And I hope you OU will always be as happy as you are now We Ye shall be I am sure she re returned returned returned re- re turned using the plural And may I tell Bett Betty I inquired She looked up quickly Not ot Just not yet yet not for a little while I dont don't know when we shall be married mar mar- ried Jack and I haven't s a seen en each other since since since-since since it h happened When I said yes es that was the last word between be between between be- be tween us except his goodbye Not ot even Crittenden may know I asked No SO please Bess she b begged Let me see sec Jack first But it may be a Jong long long time before be before be- be fore tore you OU see see him I teased and I might find it hard and to keep such a se secret secret seret se- se cret ret indefinitely Betty was equal to the occasion n of the jestA jest A Along long time she repeated softly Yes it will be ages I shall not s see flee e him until 8 o'clock tonight She had successfully squelched both me and my ny Jest Tomorrow Tomorrow Another Another Effort Toward j Peace I |