| Show Alicia Hammersly A A Woman Who Wouldn't Remarry By Idah Idali McGlone Gibson Giblon u. JI The TT e Meted Holed W I r Alicia Hammersly nee ace Alicia Atwell and commonly called AlIx is telling the absorbing absorbing ab ab- ab story of her girlhood She Is en- en Aged to Hallet Hammersly On the mornIng mornIng morn- morn Ing log of her wedding day she wonders r. r tu she really knows the man she Is to marry Alicia's thoughts lead Iud her to seek ber mother for consolation She finds rind her mother In the attic seated before an old trunk which Is tilled filled with memories As Alicia enters her mother is fondling a pair of ot baby shoes shon Alicia's Alicia mother consoles con con- soles poles her and point points out the great happiness happiness hap hap- to be found In a marriage based kased upon understanding but warns warn Alicia that it is something very different from the day daydreams daydreams dreams of an engaged girl Alicia meets yell Nell ell 1 an old sweetheart ot of Hals Alicia prepared dinner as usua usual one night and awaited Hals Hal's return Ha Ho was due at C. C By 8 S o'clock he had not come At AtC AtI I C 9 Hals Hal's father called Alicia learns that Hal Is at St Whites White's gambling house Dawn was breaking when Alicia worn out with her lIer night vigil and a. a anxiety lety heard beard Hals Hal's I footsteps footstep In the street He made light of ibis his neglect and dropped exhausted into bed Alicia sat the night out out thinking thinking thinking She wondered about the child that was coming comin to them Hal 1111 weary from hs lili hours at the gambling table fu of the explanation due Alicia and withOut with with- Out ut a a. thought of ot the child that was coming com corn ring ing went suddenly to bed Long after arter Hal CaL was asleep Alicia stood by the tho window window win win- dow watching the dawn At last lat she fell on the divan to be awakened by a contrite list Hal at 8 S. Haying Having seen Hal at NeUI Nell NeU I Marshalls Marshall's the previous afternoon without Hat Hal having baring seen her Alicia chanced to ask where he had bad spent pent the previous aft art He lie replied that he be had bad attended i Ime some oene races This untruth shocked hocked Alicia far more than an open admission would hava bave done Alicia and Hal quarreled furiously furiously fu fu- fu- fu over oyer Hals Hal's returning home borne so late i and land neglecting her Alicia declines to ac accept cc- cc his bl apologies and assurances assurance that he will not repeat the Incident Hal Is as- as and perplexed at her ber anger anser 7 HALS HAL'S HABITS PERSIST I l tried very hard after Hal went away that morning to interest myself in putting put put- ting our apartment in order and In the making of or the little clothes for tor my ray baby but but I could not For the first time L 1 was sorry a baby was coming to me I told myself I did not want it and in inthe inthe the next breath I upbraided myself for tor even thinking of such a a. thing In later years I 1 came to know that the woman who has no children 1st isi Isal al alwa always s san an unhappy woman but that morning I wanted to be free free free-free free to show Hal that 1 I could be as thoughtless of him as he was of me Of course that was not a avery aVery very tery high purpose or ambition but it was wasSo wasa So a very humane one During the morning the thought came cameto to me ne that I could write a story story story-as as 1 had thad often done In school days upon days upon some corne of the problems that came to a woman in my ray position and then and there I sat down and wrote 1 a story which II ix caned called Her Marriage The whole thins thing just unrolled Itself I wrote as rapidly as IUS though I were writing a let- let ter I became so Interested that I did not realize that I had eaten no luncheon luncheon luncheon lunch lunch- eon and it was nearly dark before I realized how time had flown lown and that 1 must prepare dinner I X carefully put away my ray manuscript because beuse I did not Intend that Hal should know anything about it When hen he came home borne I met him with A smile as though nothing had happened 1 because I had de- de that it would not help matters to prolong the disagreeable tens tenson on Now ow youre you're like your our sweet self my toy dear Hal said cheerfully I knew you ou i would be all aU rl right ht and Im I'm not going coing to toi be neglectful again Youre You're looking fine Mix AUx and youre you're the best little cook inthe inthe in inthe I the world If It I wasn't so all aU In we would go to a show this evening Did you go to the funeral this afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon Hal Xo No 0 Again I understood that that was like my husbard He never would do a disagreeable disagreeable dis dis- dis agreeable thing if it he could avoid it it- it never ne-er give himself a bad quarter of an hour hourI I wrote Nell a little lUtle note he said saying that I knew she would not miame mia m me me among her many other friends toda today today to to- da day but that you and I both would do doall doall all we could to help her in the future Poor girl I hardly know what she's goIng goIng go- go Ing lag to do I was not long left in doubt however for a few days afterward Nell Marshall came over to see me She wanted to tell me that she was leaving to take up a a stage career Hal seemed quite horrified when I told him of ot this Why surely you ou think that she is fitted fitted fit fit- ted for something of that kind I said m very good looking She sings a little and dances well nell Perhaps but I hate to think of anyone anyone any any- anyone one that I care for tor going on the stage Not long afterward I learned that Hal had man managed ged to raise which he had given to Nell to tide her over her first tint few months until she was settled in her I new work The days went on In endless monotony for me I did not have that ecstatic feeling feeling feel feel- ing of expectant motherhood that some women talk about Perhaps it was be because because because be- be cause In some way I felt Celt daily that Hal Halwas Halwas Halwas was losing the buoyant Interest that he had had in me before we were married I grew very despondent as the time drew near I knew very few people in the town where we were living Two or three times he had brought his men friends home to dinner but the effort of p preparing pre preparing pre re- re paring the meal and the knowledge that I would have to make a greater effort to put the house In order afterward made me fo foO apathetic that I presume I appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap stupid before his friends besides I had a feeling of which at last made me roe ask him not to bring anyone anone el else e to the house More and more he told me that Tie he was busy at the office More and more often he did not come home to dinner More and more often he stayed out until very late although never did he remain l dawn awn I knew that he was playing cards because there was many a time when he left me with very little money Hal was never miserly or stingy with me When hen henhe he had money I was welcome to all of ot it but he often was thoughtless about giving me money unless I asked him I 1 hu husbanded banded the check my ray father gave me carefully but at last it seemed to me that I could stand It no longer and 1 I told Hal that I must go home must home must go home for the birth of my child Tomorrow Tomorrow-A A Mothers Mother's Advice Copyright National Newspaper Service |
