Show fra Margaret s sc y S Sy ia c Husband Rv By ay JANE PHELPS P J a. a I CHAPTER XI Agony of Spirit I But But you know maam ma'am he didn't expect you ou He never ne thought about I your being here waiting you see so he wouldn't hurry Hurry I repeated Why Vh Della Delia I do you ou know it is nearly half halt past 12 12 Yes maam ma'am but that aint late late late- for men I I 1 must do Something I said paying no attention She was ignorant ignorant igno Igno- I rant she didn't understand the difference difference differ differ- ence between my Bob and other men what use of wasting words words' I It mal makes es no difference how long I Ilive Ilive Ilive live how o old d I get I 1 never shall shan forI forget forget for for- I get that night the first I was ever separated from my husband At 2 I o'clock I could endure it no longer lonser and called up Tom Langley y A servant answered answered an an- I s and said that Mr Barton had been suddenly called away on business and had bad gone almost as soon as u he had I returned from the country Who Is it calling c the servant I asked after her explanation Never mind I 1 said and hung upI up I r was glad Elsie had not answered I my fear for nw t ought that had I l been in Elsie's l' l place and some home woman who had refused to give her name had called caned Bob at 2 o'clock inthe Inthe in inthe the morning I 1 should have resented it it I 1 was absolutely numb with fear when at a a a. little after 3 I heard Bobs Bob's key ey in the d door or and he came in In a long longI drawn whistle escaping him hem as he saw I the place lighted Oh Bob Bob where have you been II I thought you ou were killed I cried as asI asI asI I uig myself on his neck For goodness goodness' sake Margaret I w what's rial's the matter Why hy didn't you stay with your mother as you said you rou were going to I I knew you ou would be lonely and r I wanted to surprise you I sobbed I drenching his weskit with my tears I Surprises arent aren't always the pleas- pleas things in the world he re returned returned re re- I turned turned grimly There Im I'm here so stop top crying and lets let's go to lied After this when I am out go to bed and go goto goto to sleep like a sensible woman instead I of a a. silly girl One would think you were 10 19 I instead of 29 I know that Bob meant nothing nothing- by that speech I know it now but then it hurt me dreadfully Would he have hs h's hesitated to stay sta out if I had been 19 I Was Vas that what he meant I lie He led the way into the bedroom and we went to bed almost in silence I 1 I tried to tell him that it was only my great love for him that made me come com I home that it was that same great love which made me anxious But he wouldn't listen and when I asked him to tell me where he had been what kept him so long he wouldn't answer Ask me in the morning I want some sleep was all he would say After he was sleeping soundly I II I leaned over and kissed him lIe He probably probably probably I ably had been disappointed in getting the business he had expected and that I was the reason he didn't want to talk And he probably hadn't had any anything thins to eat cat since dinner I The tears came into my eyes as I I thought of my housewifely plans all 11 forgotten In fear for his safety The Then I chicken the mushrooms all spoiling on the table added poignancy nancy to my I grief I should have put pul them in the icebox Then came the thought I No year old girl would vou have cared what became of them they didn't have sense enough And Ancl corn corm com I forted by the thought that I was doing as a younger younKer woman would have done I I r finally went to sleep not caring that the food foor 1 T had prepared would be only fit for the garbage pail But what iDID I T IDID I DID mind was that Bob could find ANYONE ANYTHING that could interest In in- in interest 1 terest him for that length of time I without me Why I r couldn't even be f J contented with father and mother without him hire I Ihen When hen we went in to breakfast the next morning morning- Della Delia wore a I 1 Itell tell you so air that was most ag as After Aftel she had waited and left teft the room I said to Bob I Now dear tell ten me all about abolt it Did you get the business determined determined determined deter deter- mined to show that I was interested though it was really more curiosity to know what he had done where he had bad been than interest Yes I think I shall land it he said his mouth full of food But why did it take tale you ou so long I persisted Then rhen I got sot my first Insight in insight In- In sight bight into what Elsie had termed the unevenness of my husbands husband's tion Oh after we finished talking Creedmore took me to a studio affair a a. friend of ot his was giving to Introduce a new singer She had hail a a. voice too I I. I can tell you you And without even noUns noting the look of horror with which I listened he launched forth In the most enthusiastic praise not only of the womans woman's voice but of the woman her her- herself her I I I self She was lovely in her dank daik foreign way he said as he stopped I for breath and so young How Flow old was she I asked astonished astonished aston aston- I that Bob should praise another I woman to me and praise her so fulI fulsomely ful- ful I couldn't have done clone such sueh athing a athing athing thing to save m my life I About 18 18 and again he sang her praises with kindling eyes eye until he I looked at his watch and with an Hn ex exclamation exclamation ex that he would be late at atthe atthe I the office rushed from the time table He lie I kissed me as usual however er and when I whispered that I 1 loved him so that I I couldn't stay in the country he replied 10 re- I plied All Al right then dont don't sa say you arc I 1 l going to stay star unless you ou mean it it II 1 cried for an hour then realizing I that I couldn't persist and not look unattractive when he came home l I I tried to comfort my myself by hy thinking i that nothing in the world no one I would have kept him out had he ku known wn i iI i I was waiting for fo him I CHAPTER 12 I A NC om EI EIsSe Langley e ang sy I t mooned the the house e al aU all the morning Della Dalla fixed me a tempting lunch luncheon on and then just as I 1 had about bo t made up my mind to go out Elsie came Such a queer thing happened last night she told me after we had talked a while white Tom had to go o to Boston on the late train About 2 o'clock some woman called up and asked for him One of the servants answered red and although she asked the woman who was calling she would not give II her name I wouldn't think thin an anything thing of it H only that it was so late and Kate Irate said the woman was waR terribly ag agitated agitated trembly trembly she called it Should I t confess that it was I What hat could it have been do you suppose she went on Tom is the most generous soul in in the world and it mi might ht have been heen someone asking help of or some kind And again ag it might have been some l some girl The slight hesitation before the last word decided meI me Tom Elsie Elsh I 1 tel telephoned phoned You What In the world were you calling Tom at 2 o'clock In the morning morn morn- morning k II in for ing I J told her the whole miserable story 1 not ev even n omitting the spoiled chicken and mushrooms which h Della Delia had thrown out She laughed merrily un until until un- un til she saw how seriously I T had taken it all I tell you ou ho hI was temperamental temperamental tempera tempera- mental she said when I T finished telling telling tell tell- ing InA of Bob Bobs good time at the studio Most men would either hav have said I nothing about that part of It or would have left out the ravings I You dont don't mEan meau that it is a proof I of Bobs Bob's love lov that he told me I might ht call it that Yes you Yes Yes you ou He was terribly enthusiastic about I her T asked how old she he was and I he told me only J 19 9 Ten years younger than you you you- in ph to tell because because be be- Oh he didn't mean me be- be cause of that T J wish you jou ou would re remember remember re re- re member that Bob and I arc ale almost th the same a age e. e Ill remember Why dont don't you ou ask her to dinner Margaret Jar arft Theres There's no better way to kill a mans man's enthusiasm I for another woman than to let him see a lot of her with no obstructions thrown In hi his way and and no no talk against her hor I kno know because Ive I've tried It and she laughed her merry lau laugh Ih Oh I 1 would not want to a ask ak k her herto herto herto to dinner I T dont don't care for that sort ort of person at all T cant can't seo see how I Bob can But he lie wont won't much longer longel He Ie loves his quiet quit home and T I intend to keep it quiet for him him 0 Bob doesn't love continued quiet as much as you think Dont Don't go to that extreme Margaret I told you Bob was a creature of moods You should know this better than r. r Dont Don't let him get bored wha whatever ever you do It would be dangerous Dangerous What do you ou mean Just what I T say W When hen hen a man is bored he is apt to do most anything And I dont don't know lenow that I blame him Bored nored with his wife and home Im I'm afraid Im I'm awfully dull dun Elsie but I dont don't understand nor nor believe believe your theory Well Ve II we all have to learn I guess you will be no exception Margaret Marg-arf t. t You see when you married Bob he was still grieving for his mother You never nover own even v n knew mew him before she died did didou you vou No he she dIed lust a week or two before J I met him I thou thought ht so Well Veil a nature Ilk lIk always to the extreme Bobs Bob's goes m He lie HeIs Heis lieis is either cither ver very happy or very miser miser- able He lie of course couise has not been I miserable because he Ito had you But Buthe Buthe he naturally has been more quiet He lie was devoted to his mother so Tom says and it has taken him some time timeto I to pull him himself together But Dut now that he has commenced to take an interest In things you rou ou will find him quite different dif dlf ferent if I 1 am not terribly mistaken I was angry with Elsie l for talking I to me as she did She was no older 1 I Ithan than I 1 was wa and why should she be b. beall beall I all the time giving me advice What if she had been married ten years ears and andI I I only a few months She couldn't know Bob as well as I did Anyone to hear her calk talk would think I wasn't going to make Bob happy Why that was as all I lived pd for Didn't I tell him hint so every e da day Angry though I T was I r tried not to show it it I had few Intimate friends and Elsie wa was awfully good company 1 and I T adored her children childr So even though she so terribly misunderstood Bob Dob I t would not quarrel with her I would show her that I neither had to entertain singers and artists and others of that ilk or read abstruse books on psychology to hold MY hus hus- band I would hold him because of m my love and the home I made for him hm She coul coup could l do all the keeping vp up in in tho those thoe e ways she wanted to I would have none nohe of it Well I r must be going goins she re remarked re re- marked after an hour of further chat But remember what I tell you ou Dont Don't let Bob become bored either with you ou or a too quiet life lire He has a lotof lot lotof lotof of surplus energy and hes he's bound to spill it somewhere Better have it done at home homo or with you The more mOle I thought of the wa way Elsie had tasted talked the more positive I was that she was wrong and that that- I was I right So as soon as Bob nab came camo home I I told him as usual how I 1 loved him and how I lived only for him II To be continued |