Show aub nd S CHAPTER A Pact for fop Happiness Both Bothof of ot us have fallen short CrItten Crittenden Crit CrIt- ten tender en d dear ar I 1 encouraged J I 1 too have set myself tasks that were not well done don My promises have be been n broken ma many y of them But It Is not too roo late to begin over It n never vez is ls l.s. W We can start n now w with with- just justas as good an opportunity for or su success success cess as at first Do Do you believe that he asked se searchingly II indeed do-indeed With what is behind us he exclaimed ex ex- claimed r- r should that bother I I. I cont con- con t tended EWe W We ought to be able to make capital of ot it instead ot cf considering it detrimental to our hopes and You know Crittenden I I. I went vent on soo soothingly we can an see at last that our house olle was built upon pon the sands ands we can cap build now upon a rock if it we wilt will He Ha did not haTe hare my enthusiasm quite because he did not have enough faith in himself It was patent th that t the he feared inability to accomplish the brave prospect I 1 had suggested Yet YetI I could see that t he was willing to try And he said ald he would however muc much he lie doubted B By George Bess Im I'm with you yoU as asfar asfar asfar far as possible he declared d at last Well make it a pact eh Yes d dear ar Crittenden Crittende I I replied a pact for happiness But ut he said sald a as ap far as possible I 1 Iwas Iwas was sorry he qualified d his statement Love e should h have Ye no I limitations nor yet the things that come of of- love Still StillI I reflected I might be bo able to help him im even more than he himself I determined ed I 1 should snake make the effort Crittenden at once began trying to todo todo todo do his part Sometimes he struggled for tor all things in a household will not run rin n smoothly every day day- and his n ner ni nervous temperament th threatened revolt now and then But it was admirable the the- way he mastered h his l' l natural impulses im tm- pulses met m m me halfway in m the big job jb he had iad undertaken He lie even went even went so far as t to- to accept conditions that would have been impossible without the ex exercise exercise ex- ex of or all ii the powers of ot restraint he had Now Kow he overlooked things that a a. afew afew few months before would have been sufficient to arouse the worst in him He ns He 7 as s learning self sell control I h helped him and also myself by creating a cheerful outlook There was mu much nu i ugh laughter In qu QUI our horn home now laughter and music mediums of happiness hap hap- I pondered ways to make him happy to m make him laugh sought things to amuse an and him 1 I 1 also looked after his personal per comfort In a a away way that I Iliad iad never done before before before be be- fore And by doing these things I 1 found m myself elt happier than I had ever Yer been in my life I always had dressed for Crittenden but now I 1 made an even greater effort in thi this direction I had haq clothes enough for gr he was generous with my allowance allowance allow allow- ance to make this very easy and andEV andev EV every ry day when wb n he e came Iome lome I look poked ook d Py my b tT r 1 J js r rt t I And d let me whisper this to you verv very very- very my i pretty clothes did clothes did not win on their on-their their own account account account ac ac- count they d did d not hold the secret of cheerfulness in their their- dainty dainty- folds and ruffles All Mi the colorful gaiety was not in their bright hues nor was vas the softness of the effect altogether In Inthe Inthe inthe the the- daintiness of ot the fabric The biggest biggest biggest big big- gest part of it vi was as my own honest ef- ef rrt to o please pleas him An And Crittenden It did my heart good to see efforts he made They were no less than heroic He lie was trying to be my partner in the things w we we had set setout ou out t to tob b build ild He did quite as much of the reconstruction a I perhaps perhaps more more for he always gave me his support rt unremittingly besides do doIng doing doing do- do ing his part or restrictiOn restriction restriction tion Thus the avenue to happiness seemed to op open n up before us wide a and d smooth and b beautiful a encouraging and InvitIng inviting inviting ing in its lovely lovely vista It is small wonder indeed that now my hopes should have b ben been en of the highest and brightest est The sun was shining again There was promise at last Y We di did l everything ing that summer that was possible to enjoy ourselves We Wes s swam am ven even more than in the two years previous the being with with- us practically all the the t time me Also Aio we mo motored motored motored and played golf went to th the roo roof i t gardens garde Of ot eve evenings Ings dined out frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre and lunched together downtown downtown downtown down down- town three or four tour times a week Crittenden call called d me mc up every up-every e every ry day sometimes sometimes' twice made love bye to me over oer the h telephone and was as d devoted l voted as lover over ever ver was He Ho ort often n came home earlier arl er than had been his hI's cust custom m Just to take me mc for tor a swim 01 or a drive lIe He sent me expensive bouquets deferred tp to me in public and private te became kinder more court courteous ous and what was Ya the most niost important thing of ot all allaS allas as ad indicating the possibilities of ot his thorough regeneration on he asked for tor my opinion my-opinion on m matters great and smalL Truly I was wa's finding a. a a new new Crittenden Crittenden Crittenden Critten Critten- den and was doing It without becoming becom becom- ing lg what hi his sweet mother so hated Having a been been a yes yes dear wife CHAPTER Making Fun of Difficulties As time went on we became more more conti confident dent of ot the s success attending our eff efforts at reconstructing our OUI life Ufe This was frequently proved to our happy satisfaction by t Indulgence of pleasantries pleas pleas- at the expense of the life that had haq been We had approached this thing cautiously at first but finding no danger dangere lurking there grew bolder And this is a thing I can recommend in practically any situation We Ve found it eminently successful I once had a professor who told us of ot the psychological effect of ridiculing ng ones one's difficulties Laugh at the things that bother you was his advice Make fun of the di difficulties that beset your path Belittle them scorn them Jeer at them and they will disappear Also as their strength diminishes under the attack your your own o own n s strength will improve It is is unfailing always All AU of which is true enough for the Individual How it succeeds with two individuals can only be ascertained by putting it to the test We had many a laugh in this way Crittenden and I who had learned to laugh at the difficulties which we now told ourselves had been eradicated or rather left behind It became the the special cial cia delight of each each- to ridicule the things for which he or she nhe had been responsible I trust I am not boastful when I say sav that Crittenden had more I fun out of this than I I Crittenden hurt his finger one da day pinched it badly in closing si I. window I He came carne to me and I bandaged It Jt Remember the day I tore my nail nailI I opening the door Ess Bess he lie asked I grinning And do you jou ou remember too I how you instructed me very ery dramatically dramatically dramatically cally on the correct way to open it it I 1 smiled and nodded as I wrapped the bandage for himI him I 1 was furious that time he ho went on I I 1 got thundering mad at you when instead I should have welcomed your advice You know he said musingly mus mus- J. J I took t that at advice Bess in spite of or the racket I raised a about you vou offering it it for I 1 finally saw ho how ish it was to tp open a door without first taking time to turn the knob Then he laughed in in genuine enjoy enjoy- ment mans r r rlou r J J 1 you lou you were a a s silly ly boy boy Crittenden h I 1 agreed But I l l L thing ha t were Silly So you vero vere not alone alone- in our foolishness T i r 5 I lEut I did crazier things than you and more of pf them then he insisted if you don dont don't t think this wa was a departure for Crittenden to admit things like that you dont don't know hm hIm yet But put I appreciated just what it meant it-meant meant for I IW Iwas W was ws fully fully- aware th that t his his way was to admit lt not nothing ing to demand clemand ey everything to oyer override l e all objections to 0 rash crash through gh For he was a Hayes of I Kentucky Kentucky Ken Ken- n- n tucky like his father was before him His natural tendency without the su supreme su- su preme pr m effort 11 he Ie was making soaking at last was to make nake me tie a yes dear wife as is his moth mother r had been to her great sorrow sor sor- or- or row So it went On another occasion he recalled the time he stopped the car caron caron I Ion on the way home fr from m the Boyds and gad regretfully of the way he had I mist mistreated ro me n. But he condemned I himself he did not laugh at this which was the ugliest t spot on the record that I we p proudly considered red we e had left be behind behind behind be- be hind us Instead ad his voice was husky husk as he q himself lt for what he did that dayI day I I should have had my head knocked off oft Bess he de declared lared Why didn't didn t you do It it I cert certainly had it coming I Ito to me that day I Oh Oh pshaw I said lightly I Y was wasI I too much in inlove love with you to want to todo I Ido do that And anyway pow how could 1 I I You Tou ou were holding both of ot my my 1 hands I laughed gaily maki making the effort to treat it Ita it-as as a j Jest st st. I 1 really was as sorry he e had lad spot spoken n of it it It H was Just m e. little j too tog painful to me to have him dig it upI up up- let it jt stay i I should have preferred to buried But he had done it I believe because of hi his se sense see e of honor and nd ju justice It I was lik like him in his present mood not notto notto notto to spare himself You Your r remember what it was about about of course coUrse- h he be went vent on op You had told me I was not fit it to be a fat father er And I you were we're were ri right ht my girl I wasn't only I didn't have hav s sense nse enough to know itT it T I flirt nt ev v I 1 hoped he wu would ci- ci cit t talk lk about bo t s. s something met else I realized ed It was not a happy thira thih for for him to make snake such admissions Few Tew people like to censure themselves and Crittenden was not one of ot them But iut Im I'm hoping I 1 way nay be fit he said feelingly Do y vou ou u think I 1 may maybe maybe maybe be sometime Bess h he as asked edYes ed Yes I Y said but it was Just a a. whisper whisper whis whis- per although it had iad in ip it all ll the elements elements elements ele ele- ele- ele ments of which a woman womans woman's s fondest I hopes may be constituted i Be bent and kissed me Continues Tuesday I |