Show Husban an audI and I IBy By iy J Jane CHAPTER 95 A New Tempt Temptation tion to Extravagance When we reached home I Insisted that Vivian come In and take luncheon luncheon lunch lunch- eon with me She accepted without much urging and played with the baby while I helped Norah prepare some extra dishes and make malte the table attractive at- at When we had finished she proposed that so long as sh she had her car we drive right down to Madame Heloise and see If she had anything she Vivian Vivian Vi- Vi vian want d d. d I of course course offered no objection objections and so we started almost almost al- al most ly we had eaten Madame's de fight was evident She was a gOOd judge of human nature as well of human pocketbooks t l' imagine imagine imag- imag ine because she used just the right tonES tons with Vivian who when madame had left lert the room a moment told meshe me meshe she thought madame charming We were there nearly an hour Vivian ordered gowns and a gee Her lIer bill would be over My commission over 30 What an easy way to get ones one's clothes cheaply J I thought just as madame brought out outa a smart dress something on the order of the one Peggy had bought This will just suit you Mrs Randall Randall Ran Ran- dall and so cheap cheap- she whispered only 60 50 and your commissions will i pay over half of it it I consented to I try it on and Vivians Viviana remarks anent its becomingness decided me 1111 take it I 1 told madame Then I said to Vivian I mal make e any alterations altera- altera alterations needed myself Arent you clever she praised I wish I could do such things but I 1 never was ta to sew FAULTY TY REASONING Vivian had an engagement later in inthe inthe the afternoon so could not take me home She however drove me to the subway entrance All the way home I busied myself by bow ow economical I was I 1 had made over half the price of my dress by my cleverness That I might have gotten along without the dress and allowed the commission to go on the old debt instead of increasing it by the difference between the cost ot of the dress and the commission never entered my had But I did think of how jealous Helen would be when 1 told her what an amount Vivian had ordered It would serve right for trying to use Peggys Peggy's When Tom came home I 1 saw at once that his his' ill III h had d departed I had not put the dress away and he saw It the very fery first thing lie scowled as he remarked I thought I told to you not to buy anymore any anymore more clothes until that bill at that French shop was p paid ld I hated to have hIu again and almost without thinking I rep replied You you shouldn't object to my having new clothes when I earn them my- my self What do you mean Ulean You earn them how I 1 explained the commIssion allowed by madame t to him But doesn't she male make Vivian pay asked I I more because of It he I Imore should hate to think you made mon money Y that way Oh no I hastened to assure him what anyone would She pays just I not been have to to But you see had It for me madame might never never have have afford af- af heard of her she can very well I And ford to pay for a rich customer is that the customer not the nice part only isn't charmed any more but I arrangement I of knows nothing the quoted Helen I Well I suppose Its all all all' allright right but even so wouldn't i have been wise i the old bill until we to let it go on w were re evened up I I returned No 1 I needed the dress but but I 1 saw that Tom had understood that the commissions paid fol the I dress Should I undeceive undeceive him I HARD TO DECIDE At first I thought I would be frank and tell him all about it ft Then I 1 recalled recalled re- re called how cross he had bad been been for tor two J days and that if I did tell him he would lie e angry again But there was the other side of the question also How liow In the world would I 1 ever get money enough together to pay the bills I was piling up Tom om himself decided the question by dismissing the subject He asked me about Mr Crandell and I told him ot of my visit to the hospital Of the jelly and then of my meeting with Vivian Morton and that she had lunched with m me Mr Crandell made me promise to come corne every day I said after I had explained explain d how weak he seemed and that h he was in great pain You may not be able to go every ever everyday day but go as often as YOU can It will be impossible for me to go during during dur- dur ing the day and It is up to us to do doall doall all we can for him It I think so too I rejoined J I told him I felt guiltily to blame Ite doesn't feel that way does he Oh no indeed He hear q word ot of it CHAPTER 96 A Quiet Period There now ensued a period of quiet sameness Almost every day I went down to the hospital for an hour usually taking some delicacy Ever Everett tt was doing as well as could be expected so the doctor s said ld but his appetite was poor and he seemed to enjoy what I brought better than the hospital f food I Little Torn Tom was getting to be such a aI big boy hoy In some ways he was less dare more In others I was awfully I proud of him and so was Tom He I Iwas I was very mischievous and 1 it t tools tool a I II great deal of Norah's time time to look after I I him so leaving more of the housework to me I expected another addition to our family In the spring and was al I ready Wondering it if it wouldn't be better bet bet- betI I ter to move again and get a larger i apartment Torn Tom probably would have another raise by that time 1 figured and we might move further downtown i Central I had met some people who lived near park and I had ever since been I planning to live near them The park would be such a safe place for Norah to take Torn Tom Jr to play I had argued again with Tom about the money he sent his mother and ad yielding to my wishes he had written her her on once e more to o live with I us but ut she had refused so decidedly that Tom would never ask her again I 1 did not realize at the time I what It might mean to have another constantly in my home or how wise Mother Randall was to refuse to live I with us I I I FEBRUARY FIRST I had been very miserable for a a. week I or two so much that so I had gone nowhere nowhere no- no where save to the hospital occasionally I I had ordered everything over the telephone tele- tele phone so that tha t my bills were larger than they were when Peggy was with I us Tom had given me the fifty dollars to pay for my rose colored dress with the remark There Now you dont don't owe anything for clothes And please Sue he added added add add- ed dont run In debt for tor things to wear wear again Wait Vait until I can cari give you the money This working for a dead horse never appealed to me I Now was my time Had I been ot of stronger fiber r I should have haye told him I of my debts But I hated to quarrel and also I feared he would in Some way stop any credit I might have So I took t the e fifty and said nothing I Bimble's bill came In after he left for the office I had added considerable ble to It in January so that I lowed owed I them nearly 60 A few ot of the things I 1 could have told Tom if they had been orl 01 a separate bill But he was a bi bit curious at times and once or twice had asked ed to see house bills so I didn't dare say anything about them I would would- tell him I must have certain things and save ave the money he gave gaYe me toward the bill r I never stopped to think that I II was I treating Tom unfairly that I bad haa no right to do as I did Also that It was I making me deceitful and dishonest I One little lie seemed to lead to so many I had not been an untruthful child or YOl young ng girl but that untruthful I was becoming becoming be- be I coming a deceitful untruthful Woman there could be no doubt I I did not I realize it It however until later I 1 INSINUATING KINDNESS Car Caret had been more than han 1 Ii kind to me Another thing about which I 1 deceived Tom rather another thing whiCh h I lid did not tell him Flowers fr fruit it and bonbons were sent me I Although o no L card rd was in se I knew V U III too WO ne would wouw I occasionally call me up and say he hadan had I an errand In our vicinity and might he call Always I gave him permission I I slon sion but not always did I 1 tell Tom lIE He might fuss and as long as I knew I I I had no thought of wrong what was I the use saying anything about it ft 1 Tom was o out Jt a good deal now SInce I taking the position of manager he I t seemed to have very little time of h his s 11 I own lIe He occasionally spent part of I an evening at the talking over ov r some business matter with Mr Crandell Cran- Cran I dell but oftener he remained down downtown downtown town with some town out business man so he said I was not satisfied when he told me I I this I remembered that night when the stenographer had been one of the I party as a companion for Tom and I II I resented his remaining out Perhaps i that had something to do with my willingness will will- I to receive attentions from Carol Ca- Ca I rol Blacklock I dont know I 1 am amnot not tr trying ing to excuse myself however I liked a good time I liked nice things t He was very willing to give me the good times and whenever I spoke of anything I wanted but couldn't afford l he urged me to get it Your husband will surely allow you to have thus and so whatever it happened happened hap hap- to be and I 1 foolish and wickedly wicked wicked- ly extravagant would Immediately plan some way to get the desired article article arti- arti cle of clothing That Carol Blacklock was deliberately deliberately urging me on to do this I never even dreamed I had lived in New ew York three years but because of my m I limited acquaintance and Toms Tom's ideas I was still little wiser ill 11 many ways than when I c came e there a bride Tomorrow Tomorrow-A Reason for Unhappiness |