| Show 1 7 i af The Wrong w rong Wife w ire M By ARTHUR SOllERS SOMERS SOMIS ROCHE NOTE Through an error eror the con con- of the thc story tory was wa broken In Jn yesterdays yesterday's instalment Near the end after Webbing had hail been vent en by Cordova Cor Cor- dova to reserve on the evening eve eve- nine ning train for Stones Stone's Landing LandinI Cordova Cor Con nr dova Soya dova asked aked Ida his h wife if she eho bad had any shop shopping pie to do We repeat the thc two paragraphs paragraph today and th then n pick up the thread thed of the thc story stor as It U should have continued yesterday Now you may 10 no go on with wih the story S Webbing retreated from the room with the automatic stride of a German German Ger Ger- Ger man wife soldier Cordova looked looke at at his h Any little shopping h to do he hc asked She shook her head I ought ought to phone phon Jennie though She's been ben in fidgets fidget since sice I 1 left lef I know kow And she could pay my bill billand billand and have my things at ar the Uie train trai for me mc I She reached for the telephone as a she read assent ant in hi his hi glance glance and ad got gother gother her hotel Jennie This Thi Is i Miss Mis Deborah Deborah- Debrah- Debrah Mrs Mr Cordova There Tere was waa wa a long paU pause and Cordova studying her as a she listened to the maid noted that her gray eyes eye could be genUs gentle as aswell well as 35 a gay and alive alve Tats sweet of you Jennie Jenc she l finally ly broke InNo inNo in No Nod d do this thi for me Pay my bill billand billand and have my bags bag bagat at the Grand Central Cen in time for the 7 o'clock train tai Yes Ye were we're going to But Butwel we wel be back on Monday morning She turned to Cordova and her face went vent crimson What will wi our address ad dress be be I 1 mean shall mean mca shall we be here or or-at or at some hotel Why Why here here he stammered Well be at Mr Cord Cord Cord-at at his his his-at hi-at hi at atour our apartment Jennie she he ht said She her the address gave addre Now dont don't be silly siy Jennie Of Ot course you'll youl work for me rae How could I get along without with with- wIh out you plenty of money with you Then get a room rom at the hotel keep hotel hotl keep the one you have if j they'll cut it off and from my rooms and stay sty there until I return You wont won't be lonesome You'll have Youl a good god time That's fine tine Jennie Dont Don't forget for lor get the get the 7 o'clock train trai She hung up said Jennies Cordova fond land of ot you isn't int she Of at course she he replied I r love her Oh Oh- Oh She rose and walked across the living living liv liv- v. v ing room rom She tried tred a door and ando o opened ned itIs itis it it Is I this thi your bedroom V she aked asked He nodded nodded What other rooms room are there A dining room a kitchen and Webbings Webbing's Web Web- bings bing's room he replied Oh it wont won't do at all will all will It she he exclaimed It was wa meant as aa a bachelors bachelor's es establishment e. e he smiled tO Of course But there But But tere there must mut be a room for Jennie Jennic of of course And well we'll wel need at least leat three other otner servants servant besides be sides Webbing Can he buttle Superbly he laughed Cook cooks cook's helper parlor maid maid- three others wont won't be enough enough- enough enough- k And Ad well we'll wel want a much much oh much much-h oh a much bigger big ger place than this thi I 1 wonder if i this thi isn't int a good season seaon to look at apartments apart apart ments menis ment I own a couple of at buildings he said said I think we might find tind some some thing thing thing- And the landlord couldn't refuse to remodel it II if I 1 asked him could he she asked I 1 dont don't see how he could refuse you anything he said Anything That's a large order order she said thoughtfully I 1 wonder order Try me he said confidently Perhaps I will wi But not this minute min mi ute she replied She sat down again by the te window she Tell said el me things about about yourself They wouldn't be accurate he lie said be biased biased- I wont won't mind mid Id I'd Id like Ike to know kow what you think of ot yourself It I would be more fun knowing what wha t you think of me he parried But I 1 love you You know that she said simply Involuntarily he moved toward her then he stopped and cov covered red a queer confusion by pretending to fill li his hi case cae from a bag on a table near herAnd herAnd her And I 1 love you ou he said Of course she said He thought he caught the faintest tremor in her voice but her eyes eye were calm as a he hc looked at her He looked again agai at his hi watch Like to go for tor a drive drive- Or to a movie Or anything he asked aked A movie Haven't seen one since sincee we e went to camp she said Id Id like that tat Vent i II II He watched her as she entered his hi bedroom through the open door dor he saw her adjusting her lips before the mirror She had taken oil off her hat and dropped it i on his hi bed bcd There Tere was wa something about the easy eay intimacy inti int mac macy of her movements movement that that was wa ex cx- citing cUng Your hair brushes are arel all al worn down she called cled to t him hi Cant Can t you afford new ones Not possibly he replied I 1 can can she s said id I think that would b be a nice nce pr present ent t to buy DUY you you Over her shoulder patting at a tendril ten dri of hair one behind one car manag ing as a only woman can manage manage to to look in the mirror while also alo she looked at him she went vent on n I want vant to buy you a nt And when I get such an urge never try to thwart me You wouldn't ever buy me handkerchief hand kerchief cases case would you he asked in us I mock alarm Do D I look like the soulless soule sort who would wish wih such atrocities on the theman theman theman man she loved Z she demanded se se- se verely W ll c l he pretended dubiety what about little cloth coth cases cae for shoes shoe I consider them effeminate she returned I 11 once knew a man he said solemnly sol sol sol- whose fiancee gave him a gadget that had a pencil a corkscrew a manicure scissors and two colored pencil pencils in it i. i It was solid gold and adl I wa sold hi his initials were tricked out in India Inda dia month monds mond He HeC broke the engagement of course she he said in tones of ot horror said ald Cordova No Indeed He married marred her and bought all al her dresses and arid selected the curtains curtins for their home Served her perfectly right MidD said Mid D Deborah borah She had hd finished those thoe rites ries of makeup which take up the time women women wo WOe wo- wo men used to spend in i adjusting the dozen petticoats they wore beneath beneat their outer garments garent Lets go shopping she he suggested He stood In the doorway dooray of the bedroom bed bcd room and watched her approach sh She was wa gay the te last minute proved that that Oh it I hadn't been brilliant bril bri lant wit wi but it i had been play and a woman woma who couldn't play was wa too dreadful to imagine He realized that he had b been n smiling that his hi lips were still sti twitching with quiet mirth Also Alo he realized that he hc had forgotten for gotten gotten for for for the last lat few moments moment at any rate rate her rather her cousin couin Del For a man whose heart was wa Irremediably broken he had had been doing doig quite quit well wel Could it be possible that the fun he had just jut been having with wih herthe thrill he had received from fro her kiss ki the genuine pleasure he had kown known Just Jut now in i watching her in listening to t her meant that he was wa by way of falling falig In love with her had already fallen flen in love with wih her He stood tood blocking the door as a she reached it it She looked up at him shyly Is 1 there any reason why why- I should hould not pass pa you she aked asked This Thi he told her And now nowr without Without with wih out the faintest reluctance she gave herself hersel to his hl embrace INSTALMENT FOURTEEN FOURTEEN They went of all alj odd places to a newsreel theater to kill ki time after Deborah had sel selected at a shop on the avenue a pair par of military hairbrushes hair hair- brushes She designed the initials herself hersel and displayed Cordova thought thought a pretty talent with the pen pen- ciU ci He himself was possessed of ten thumbs and who could anyone ayone even cven write legibly possessed his admiration admira tion and respect But Deborah ton respect manipulated manipulated ma ma- a pencil with wih quick certainty tinty Was there ever a less les romantic bridal gift gUt she asked But Ill I'll Il bet bet there are dozens of ot things you need Dick Cordov Cordova I 1 think youve you've been ne needing a wife to look after you I The Te idea had suggested itself to tome tome me he smiled I They were silent through the hour that the newsreel used up save for lor occasional comments commet and Cordova had time tune to think think He was In love with Del but an honesty of at thought compelled him to admit adIt that he was not going to be unhappy with wih Deborah CHARMING AND GAY I She loved him hm Of Ot that there could be no doubt doubt She was was pretty pretty pretty-he he he was beginning to think thi her lovely charming charm ing gay gay and gay gay-ad and he sensed in the incident ici inci mci- dent of ot the brushes that she possessed a homely practicality which was not a disadvantage in i a wie wife He thought with wih a certain certin guilt gui of the rapturous embrace that had oc occurred occurred oc- oc oe before they had left let th the apart apart- ment ment It I had been unquestionably his hi duty to kiss his wife wie to hide de from r m her the fact that there existed in all the world word any ay- ay per person n whose c caress es n might seem sem more delightful He couldn't give Deborah his name mere mere- ly Iy Whatever he had started r must be end gone through with to with to the bitter That Tat was the extraordinary thing that was becoming more extraordinary nar nary with wih every passing pasing moment his mind mid was full ful of Del but his heart hearl was filled with wih Deborah He loved Del but he iel felt an amazing delight in the companionship of ot Deborah DC Del De was the unfulfilled dream and Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- rah was the comfortable reality realy Oh but she was more than that that How could he apply even in fri his h muddied muddled mud mud- dIed thoughts thought such a word as comfortable comfortable com corn to so charming and enticing a girl gil as Deborah Well what was she then She certainly wasn't the woman he loved His wife wie yes And though he didn't didt love her he could able visualize a future not not too But how could a man obsessed with wih one w woman man look comparatively calmly calmly calm calm- ly upon a lifetime with wih another woman wo we wo man Was there there there-he he C came me back to o this this something this something in life lite beyond our own understanding Was love love again again the question something question Queston something that had no nc permanence unless its it object was alhand at al hand Were we so destined that if i one love became unattainable we turned instantly to another He felt fel Deborah's hand groping for her vanity case touch his hi own His fingers clasped about hers and he heard her sigh gently genty He pressed her hand and she turned toward him hi and in the her eyes flashed with wih a brilliance that tat he didn't didt know kow was caused by tears tears She was glad for lor the silence imposed by the theater and which they hardly hacy broke For her own nerves controlled controlled con trolled though they were fought all a the time tIe for release She had d done nc as she told herself over and over again the te most incredibly incredibly iced wicked thing tig And it i was wa no good to assure herself herself herself-as hersel-as hersel as she had done before the marriage took place that that Del was rio fo wife Iye vt e for Cordova and that she was the one for him I Because something tumultuous had occurred in her heart at sight of at Cordova Cordova Cor Cor- dova she se had dared to take into her hands the molding of ot his future An insight that was more than any instinct in in- that was mystic assured her that she had done well wel but common commonsense commonsense commonsense sense assured her that she had done wrong FERVID KISSES Yet Yet his his kisses had not lacked fervor fer vor had they She was glad that Cordova could not see the burning buring blushes that swept over her at thought of at these caresses She had been Utterly utterly ut ute terly shameless Knowing that Cordova Cordova Cor Cor- dova didn't love lo e her she had invited his embraces s p put t him in i a position where he would be the lowest kind of cad if he refused them Why tell herself that his response was due to the fact that she had been right that something within him matched something within her and that though he he didn't know kow it he loved her After all al men were men even the nicest niest of ot them them The fact that thai they responded to kisses from lovely lips Ups did not mean that they loved Oh the te whole hole situation was wa too Incredible Ob But her lips set in i a firm line lne as she battled batted the hysteria of ot her nerves She had done something she wanted to do she would go through with wih it it She loved love Cordova Cordov If I there were inner shame inner horror at pretending pre pre tending to him that she believed his counterfeit love to be real there would be compensation in the thought that ha sooner than h hai he could dream dream- Del would be merely a memory and she Deborah would be the most real thing in i his life Ufe She c could ud make herself herselt that that She knew kew enow Cordova A thousand generations genera genera- lions tons of women were behind her These had spent their lives with men learning earning learing about men and teI their accumulated accumulated acc kow knowledge edge had been passed on to t her This Ts was wa not the tho vanity- vanity she assured herself herself of f of the thc woman who wanting a man takes ay any means to ge get him h. h This This- was a certainty as a sold solid as anything i in h her r life Ufe He e ewoud woud would love her he would be happy with wih her if i ever the end justified the te meas means this thi was the time And Ad then conscience having heard her arguments meats ments ment replied But it i isn't right rIght arge argement At the conclusion of ot the te news reel they left lef the theater It I was now and Cord Cordova va reminded Deborah that she had not yet sent a wire to her uncle So she he stopped on Fory Forty Forty- s second cond street street and over her shoulder Dick read the thc telegram she composed Dear Uncle Dan Dick and I 1 were married today and will wi arrive at Stones Landing Lading tomorrow noon I Ilove Ilove love you Deborah Cordova I He liked the spontaneous way in Sn which she had added the assurance of oi affection Also he ho laughed at the te careful punctuation Dont you know kow that that coI colon n will wi go the way of all al punctuation wh when n the operator gets get hold hold of it 11 he asked I Is that X I should I tat any reason why shoud be careless she retorted It I was a alte little thing tig but somehow it i I impressed him hm It I made him hm feel that whatever Deborah did dd she would do rightly would take pains even eve though the pains might seem to be wasted needless needless He grinned at his own approval He was he guessed like any bridegroom finding no flaws in the perfection of ot his bride Well Wel it i was wa good starting with the handicap hadl handi cap of at not loving her to find fird as a many things as possible to t respect and admire admire ad mire hi in i her Th They y paused at the toe newsstand In Inthe |
