Show I i i Confessions I Of a Bride Vampires From Flourish Flourish From Ancient History to 1919 My Husband Faces a Clever One Bob threw up both hands in a a. a ages ages- gesture gesture ture of surrender and walked to the nearest window At that J. J r was per- per willing to to toss s the letter Jetter away I had fretted fretted and and was getting my own way like a spoiled child But my foolish foolish foolish fool fool- ish pride kept me from going up and the tho paper into Bobs Bob's ob's hand I tore the meaning from it desperately My darling darling began began Katherine Millers Miller's Millers Miller's Millers Miller's Mil Mil- lers ler's letter IEtter to my husband husband Im Im going to call you that now and hereafter whenever I have an opportunity I gasped and sat down a tiny heap heap of concentrated misery in a great pile of down pillows You ought to know you know you do know know- that you have been my darling ever school together to- to t to together since we went to dancing gether as boy and girl You know wh why I turned down Freddie Brainard and Brainard-and an and let me remind you ou that Freddie Freddie was wasSO was SO SOME IE match Also Todd Marshall l was almost as good And Billy Jaynes Jaynes would take me this minute minute minute-If if I would have him But I wont won't Ive never wanted any man but you Bob Even when you ou married Jane Ames I didn't stop hoping I knew that little saint could never hold you OU long Ive I've wondered about that myself said I to mys myself lf Divorce pis is almost the expected se sequence sequence se- se sequence se- se I quence of of marriage nowadays y you ou know ow Your nature is cold Bob and you need the warm love of of a real flesh-and-blood flesh woman Had I been your wife wiCe you would have been cured of or shock shell-shock months ago You didn't say how your our wife wite happens happens happens hap hap- pens to be alive and with you once s more It will be it a nine days wonder of course but I w want nt to tell you ou that it doesn't matter t to me e whether she's with you ou or not It was so like her to appear Just In Ithe j I Ithe the nick of time to take you a away from m me To save save you ua from me she she would sa say doubtless Well ell she hasn't saved you ou Bob You and I are grown grownup up up-I up I know human nature I know men And I 1 know myself too You need i I not blame my good r mother nor the I times nor yourself Im I'm frankly what shat I am all without hypocrisy Your wife is welcome to your I name name Oh Oh la la la Ia la la la I thrilled although Bob I did want that awful awful- I ly b I was the proudest girl in the world the da day I sent that item about our engagement to the papers But since the little saint has come cometo cometo to life and has interfered she can have your our name name name-as as long as she can keep it j jAs I As for money of course Ive I've more i ithan i than enough of my own But where I would she be without be-without without the Lori Lorimer wealth Did you ever think of that i i Bob I j I I love you for Cor loves love's sake alone So come to see me You'll think that you ou will not you not not but but you ou will some will some da day day- 1 know My Iy darling I await the hour which brings you I She closed with closed with ith some flourish didn't t she Bob nob I said addressing my husbands husband's back half hysterically y I and the the floor I X warned war ed you vou Bob protested Then he picked up the paper folded It c ex exactly exactly ex- ex and placed it In his pocket Why y he didn't tear it to shreds was more than I could guess I was was was' much too proud to ask however You should worry Vampires have gone out of fashion said my husband husband putting an arm around me and trying to kiss me But I pulled away from his caress cares s as if It ho he were in some somo part blamable for the content of that miserable miserable miserable mis mis- erable paper It was an involuntary action but few wives could have resisted re resisted resisted re- re under the same conditions conditions' Maybe the word vampire has gone out of fashion I l l' l admitted But nut the article itself Is as old as Lillith and and I An as 8 subtle subtle and and it stays right on the jo job of fooling the very nicest m men n. n lp fat I bitterly To be continued p |