| OCR Text |
Show MY HUSBAND AND I vjane Phelps :zg M - TsaWWSeWWWawa- CHAPTER XCIX. urns MiyMn Talis MUdrtjs of His Lev. I waa not burn xi, although my hand smarted dtaagreeablj . Hums took my hand and covered It with hot klaaea, which aVotvard mora than the tea, had all Burns Mayon had aald to ma that afternoon, hla paajtlonate derlaralion of love, and wondered if Clifford knew, would ha cara? I decided that not only would ha not rare, but that ha would hlitnta me for It. I had tha same In tuitlve feeling a en i nut telllnff him that I had about confessing how Hurna Wy-ton Wy-ton had tried to get acquainted with ma that morning In tha hotel In Chicago. Yet I should have loved to tell Clifford Clif-ford had 1 dured. Not that I had dona anything wrung, but that I feared mK--mir him angry with me. Ha had aoTffl-preiifei aoTffl-preiifei me with the tinportance of my helping him "get over" this business with Mayson. that I felt almoet poaiilve he would regard his love making as either amounting to nothing, a society man's way of being nice to a friend's wife, or would say that, by my ignorance of social amenities, i had been to blame. So aa I folded up my work and went upstairs up-stairs 1 ones more decided not to tell Clifford. Monday Edith la 111. (Copyright by George Matthew Adams.) Into tha living room, whers they had Just joined me. I could see by mfford'a expreaeton that tha business, whatever it was, had gone satisfactorily for him. Hie hand was on Mr. Mayson's shoulder, and his whole attitude one of entire complacency. "Clifford will mis you," I said, purposely pur-posely not mentioning my own feelings. 'Indeed 1 shall. Mayson '." Clifford agreed. "I hoi you will find your way itrk soon " "1 should enjoy nothing better, hut that -'"';'LMr Maw"! fstplUri Wlh a' meaning glance t me. "1 have en-Joyed en-Joyed niself Immensely. Mrs. Hammond's Ham-mond's hospitality haa been moat de hghtfut; and In many ways my business has proven one of great pleasure." "Prove It by coining soon again?" Clifford Clif-ford laughed, and suit 1 aald nothing. "Mrs. Hammond hasn't aked ma," our guest returned, a lilt mischievously, I thought, "and I shan't come unlcsa aha does." "Very well, consider yourself Invited," I laifetied. Just tha same I felt horribly enihrraased. "Then I'll aay good night and goodbye for the present, Mrs. Hammond. I lemvo early In tha morning, and at ill have a little packing to do. Thank you for tha Invitation," he added, quiaalcaily. "Mr. Hammond has f"iiffrd to bring you o-chipagfrery soon, so I am not utterly Inconsolable." CLIFFORD ACCOMPANIES MR. MAVSON TO HIS HOTEL. That will ha very nice." I reajtonderj, tritely. I knew 'Iff ford expected me tn make some gracious reply, and I felt that perhaps Burns Mayson would take my answer to mean more than 1 Intended. In-tended. Rut M couldn't be heljted -Are you going out?" l asked Clifford. , Ife had helped Mr. Maveon with hla coat, and then put on hla own. i "Yea. rh walk down a ways with May- I eon.'-' ! "Don't let me take you from Mr I Hammond," Mr Mayson said, politely ! "Oh. you're not V J exclaimed. "Cllf- ford la often out. sA you have no cause to blame yourself for his defection," and I I laughed ouite merrily. Keally, I thought. ! f am getting to be an adept at deceit. In time I may rival CUfforda women frinds. After they left I sat down with my fancy work, intending to work a few minutes and sea if Clifford wouldn't return. re-turn. Of course, if ha didn't coma In aoon I ahould have to go to bed. elaa he would be angry. As I eat there alone my amtoal ftw as fnst as did mv flngrm f thourM of don. Than h poured Ht him lov (or fn In perfect torrent nf word, which frlrhtenert me. while. I but half understood under-stood their Import. "Oh. you muetn't that' Tou muetn't 44ll-tht WTI proleeled, uhlle my smarting hand ailile.1 to my mleery. . "lon't you care for me a little" Am I rileacreeal'l to you' he pleaded "Of rouraa, I like you." even In my treaa I remembered that Clifford had aald I muat he nice to thla man for hla enke. "but becauee I like you. you mustn't think you ran talk to ma Ilka that. I am married, and I think Clifford would be dlapleaaed If I llBtened " "Hut your husband whlla a rood buat-neaa buat-neaa fellow nealecta you for othera." ha added, ao tannine my Joalousy of Clifford. Clif-ford. I don't bellaya It'" I declared, know. In all tha time thatfhe waa apeaklnf the truth "Clifford lived here years before he knew me. It Is nothlnr Strang's that he has many friends, and that he shows them attention Then- f am ao miu n vounaer than they are, that I am not iromlianlonahle perhaps." I stammered , CLIFFORD URGES MAYaON j TO REMAIN. "ru win you yet"' ha muttered, almost savka-elv. Just as Clifford rame In I "I thouKlit Derhapa I ahould find you here. M.tvon. ao I hurried home." he greeted "I wanted to dtsruea that matter mat-ter nf this mornlna; a little further. Stay to dinner, then we can talk afterward " "Hut" Mr. Mayson heettaied. looked at me. thea added. "I can t Inflict myaelf on aire. Hammond Indefinitely. 1 bava been bortnff her for the last hour." "Oh, Mildred la always lad to have you'" Clifford replied carelessly, and then earueed himself to freshen up for dinner. "are you always triad?" Rurna Mayson asked with a meaning smile. ."Shall I atavT" . "I am aiwava clad o please my husband hus-band by entertaining Vila friends.' I replied, re-plied, and by the look on hla face I knew that for once at least 1 had scored autlNCIa AOAIN. When Clifford came down I eicuaed myself, and went Into the kitchen to satisfy sat-isfy mvself about the dinner Then I arranged tha tahle for our a-ueet. smlllnf to myaelf aa I thought of his eipresslon when I said that I entertained him because be-cause he was Clifford a friend 1 returned ta the living room to find It vacant. They had adloumed to the library li-brary and when Kjle announced that dinner was served, they were In an animated ani-mated dlscuaeloa of some business sffslr. "I will eicuse you., as aoon as dinner M, over " I told them, "but do come now or everything will he cold And. Mr Msy-son Msy-son " I added. "Clifford does dislike cold They pose at once and we hed rsther a merry dinner, considering the rtrcum-stsncea. rtrcum-stsncea. But when 1 proposed to bava rrffee served In the library, they aroae from the table with an alacrity which showed how aniloua they were to resume their business talk. . - At first I felt tempted to refuse coffee cof-fee and so leave them longer alone: then 1 reconsidered I would not allow Burns Maveon to think he hsd mads me un-comfortar-l' even though he hsd hy what he had said to me before Clifford came home. Ha I sipped mv coffee leisurely, leis-urely, then bade them good night, and went Upstaira. The last thing I heard before I went to steep waa the evened tones of their voices as thav srgued about some mslter In which they were Interested. And 1 sleepily sleep-ily wondered what Clifford would sap h ha knew what Burns had said to me. and If ha said those sort of things to Mabel Hortoo.alKr-Lola Gardner. CHAPTER C. 1 shall not see you again. Mrs Hammond. Ham-mond. I am leaving In the morning I had hoped to remain a day or two loo gee. but T find It Impossible." Bums Maveon remarksd as ha roea to go. Tha clock hsd Just struck 11 and a and Clifford hsd talked business every moment since dinner. 1 had Laaawa soma gaacy work |
