| Show M w w II Confessions of a Wife YOU KNOW LOVE AFTER LOVING Isn't It strange little book how quickly one falls Into a a. habit habit habit-a a habit that becomes almost n n a part of ones onos dall dally daily life Ufe I have been taking early earb morning morn- morn Ins ing walks ever over since the tho morning after tho the great storm when I wanted to end it all For the last week weel Malcolm Stuart has been Joining me We 0 have visited the old philosopher philosopher pher on the tho board walk e each ch da day The old man waits walts for Cor us and enJoys enjoys enjoys en- en Joys talking to us He must have been a man of ot some somo parts and neither time nor tragedy has been able to break his heart or hurt his hia calm outlook on life lite The other da day ho lie spoke to us about Mollies Mollie's accident not kno knowing knowing know know- ing Ins that wo we knew her Ho had just heard that sho she had been hurt while dancing And the they say Y he said aid his eyes twinkling that the tho young lady ladr was dancing with her own husband No chance for tor anyone to say ay it was a righteous dispensation dispensation dispensation dis dis- dis- dis of providence as ag someone someone someone some some- one would have been sure to say Hay had she been hurt while dancing with any other man man Malcolm l looked at mo me with a n smile which the old man did not catch for tor he lie was off oit on another tack tacit Queer these ideas of lovo love and marriage that get planted in inthe inthe the tho brains of men and women arent aren't they You see as children we are taught that romantic lovo love and the holy state of at matrimony mean the same thing Its It's one of ot the beautiful faiT fairy tales our parents parents parents par par- tell us and then let us learn the tho terrible truth bal baldly ly from someone else Yes interrupted Malcolm l lovo love is a creation of ot the great god of t nature and marriage is a creation of ot society Pretty hard to make God and society coalesce was the quick response of ot tho the old manSir manSh man Sir Sh I am afraid you OU are aro a sad pessimist I said Not a bit of or it young lad lady Ive I've lived If Ive I've loved Ive I've hated hate Ive I've seen man many enthusiasms flower Ive I've watched m my ambitions die dlo and tho the most awful travail of or the soul is when it wakes in tho the act of converting Illusion Into reality Then you OU think love lovo Is la an illusion and marriage a reality questioned Malcolm Xo No o Id I'd hardly say bay that he ho answered It Is only onh that we wo in In- In I silt upon treating treating- lovo love as immor Immor- immortal tal even when we wc graft it on that purely purel mortal state at of marriage Great Scott old man whore did you ou learn all this asked Malcolm The tired old eyes were almost closed as as a a. quizzical smile deepened deepened deepened deep deep- ened on his face Young man ho he said seriously I was once was young oun and I have loved Now I am nm amold amold old an and I have havo been married four times Come on Margie this is no place for you ou laughed Malcolm in mock fear that I would be bo swept into the apparently empty matrimonial matrimonial matrimonial matri matri- net But after atter wo we had hall l Ct the old oll man he said musingly Perhaps tho the old man was right right- But Malcolm l I remonstrated you must remember your matrimonial matrimonial matrimonial matri matri- experience was pretty disastrous dis dis- You t u must not judge the entire institution by it Yes perhaps you are right he answered I wish I could plot blot lot It from tromm m my memory I wonder If you ever er read that old Elizabethan play in which these words occur Oh God oh God that it were possible To undo things done to call back yesterday That time could turn up his swift sandy glass To the tho days and to redeem the hours The quotation set my brain go going goIng going go- go ing in a different direction So those Elizabethans had the same feelings of ot the futility of ot it all aJl that we have I asked It strange that we think in our egotism that no one in all aJl the world has h hid d quite Quito tho the same ex experiences ex- ex as we wo and then plunk we find the tho other fellow has had them all aU Well Nell Ve I answered rather flippantly flippantly flippantly flip flip- I suspect Ive I've got a a. soul for I have a twinge o now and then in the region of my heart that probably would not be diagnosed as angina pectoris Dont said Malcolm I dont don't like you ou when you OU are flippant Good heavens Malcolm I cant can't always be bo soaring I said sald rather petulantly petulant Yes you can If It you OU Just let your wings unfold Margie You aro are an angel No I am not I am a a. very human woman who has forgotten her friend while holding a talk test with you o I must run to Mollie I To he be continued |
