Show Margaret Garrett s sc j Husband x f f c 9 O. O I I 1 By JANE PHELPS PHELPS' P 5 CHAPTER 31 The Night of the Musicale To please pleas Bob Dob I took great pains with m my appearance the night of Mrs Roots Root's Roots Root's musicale but I anticipated no pleasurable pleasurable evening rath rather r I r made up UI my mind that I was going to be bored Anyway I 1 was going solely because Bob wished it That I 1 had a subconscious Idea that if I pleased hImIn him himIn himIn In this I would the more easily get him hint to accede to m mj my wishes I 1 did not admit He was all excitement and pleasant anticipation wll Wel ha e a bully time time he said as he struggled with a refractory collar collar collar col col- col- col lar button meet a a. lot of nice people For whom I wont won't care a straw Oh come Margaret dont don't take that attitude Of course you wont won't like them if you deliberately make up your mind not to before you jou see them Be fair give them a chance And Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet he spoke more soberly I wish you jou ou cared more for the people I like like like- my friends It has always been part of my plan that when I married I would have my friends around me me- me make them welcome in my home It It- was none of my plan to have our home Invaded by a a. lot of or gay unconventional unconventional unconventional men and women But I 1 Imade Imade made no reply I would not annoy Bob Bobby Bobby Bobby by disagreeing then but after this was over I would have my say We Ve were to stop for Elsie and Tom Esie Esle looked particularly lovely and bubbled over with good spirits I am Just sure well we'll have a splendId splendid dId time she said as we drove along I Gladys Root always does things Just right I What at do you jou OU call Just right I I as asked j Oh she Is artistic to her finger fingertips I tips and she gathers gathers' the right people I around her furnishes them a wonderful wonder wonder- ful evenings evening's entertainment but leaves them all so free makes everyone everone so j comfortable to talk about their latest I hobby y or to make love to their neighbors neighbor's neighbors neighbor's neigh neigh- ar h j bors bor's w wife e and she laughed e mischievously s I In other words she gives what Tom calls Bohemian parties parties' I I Yes and they're just lovely So I different from the cut and dried so soI society society so- so I affairs Well I shall be glad when It Is time timeto I to go home I For heavens heaven's sake Margaret Why you'll be like all the rest once you get Ket there No one ever wants to go goI I home do the they Bob she rhe called InI Interrupting in interrupting In- In I I a a. discussion Bob and Tom wh were in front of us were having anent some new golfer who had made madean an astonishing score I r Wants what he asked as he turned around Wants to go home from Gladys I Roots Root's she laughed No indeed Why should one want j I to go home when they can stay I there T r I I IThe The very Idea of Bob talking like that 1 I thought Indignant that he I should should speak so so of his home slight home slight I called It Why I was In his home I 1 loved him and he loved me I I Why in the world did he care abo about t I going to oth other r places Now ow he agreed I I with Elsie that he never ne wanted to go I hO horn home from Mrs Irs Roots I was sorry I II I I had decided to go It would have been wiser r had d I declined even though Bob I might have e been annoyed for a few I minutes Just as ag I arrived at this conclusion In ln my thoughts we drew up in front I lot of the studio building in which the Roots made their home Sounds of ot merriment reached us even before the I motor stopped I Hurr Hurry boys I 1 dont don't want to miss anything Elsie called as she ran I on ahead I waited until Bob and Tom had attended to the car then I followed soberly I Mrs Root welcomed us cordially She Introduced me mo to two or three I people then turned me over to John I Kendall You are such a friend of ot Bobs Bob's you jou will know what to do with Mrs l Garrett Garrett Garrett Gar Gar- rett she said as if It I were something to be disposed of ot at will Bob knows everyone here I 1 think so he can look lookout lookout lookout out f for r himself I 1 see that he ha has hai found Maud Warren arren Hes He's fixed for foran foran foran an hour at least You dont don't expect me to do anything for you jou ou and Tom I do you Elsie she rattled on If you yo I do you will be disappointed Hustle around and find fun tun for yourselves Fun evidently was not hard to find for soon I heard Elsie's gay laugh float out from the other side of the room while whilo Tom had made his way to a a. atall atall tall thin abominably dressed girl girl girl-at at least I thought her badly dressed dressed- who John told me was a very successful successful successful suc suc- artist Mrs Root was exquisitely dressed as were most of the women The men were all in correct evening dress The studio was beautifully lighted with softly shaded lights and a famous violinist violinist vio yb- was to play Yet I wished I I were back home and that Bob Dob were with me My Iy lips tightened as I heard his hearty laugh ring out then saw I him bend over Miss Warren and say something at which she too Joined him Someone said Sh Sh S s and all was quiet for a a. few moments until the violinist had finished when the fun broke out again At least they all seemed to think It fun You dont don't appear to be enjoying yourself Mrs Sirs Garrett John Kendall broke in on my thoughts He lie had I been een talking of a new author he had I dIscovered bag Ing Let and had caught aught me yawn yawn- me 5 or of the ladle ladles ladies Introduce you u to some somo I never care for affaIrs of thIs Kind I replied They bore me CHAPTER 32 The Musicale Musical When I said sald 1 I was bored John Kenned Ken Ken- dall dali opened ned his eyes very wide de and seemed surprIsed and remarked I an and Perhaps tf ps you d do not care for artists literary people Mrs Garrett I 1 am quite sure I J do not noton to too bad Bobs Bob's friends are on all In that set set that that Is Is all Il his Intimate Intimate Inti Inti- mate friends Bob never cared much for ordinary people l I I should say that h he did I said looking around very ery clever but not really fair i Iri Mrs Garrett There is a a. Bohe Bohe- mia mla AND a Bohemia The one Is a cheap imitation of ot that overworked word this Is the real thing There Is no one here who i 13 Is not educated re refined refined re- re fined accomplished I 1 never attend one of Mrs l Roots Hoots affairs that I dont don't go home with new Ideas or old ones dressed up In new clothes It does m mo good clears the cobwebs from my rain brain and gives me something to think about for tor days But I am very domestic My home my husband are all the entertainment I require I replied stiltedly Walt Valt until you have been married a few years You will not be averse to talking to someone besides Bob oc occasionally occasionally oc oc- will she Bob he asked Bob and Miss lIss Warren had come over to us Margaret I 1 want YOU jou to meet Miss Warren Miss Warren my wire I r am sure you will enjoy talking to each other Then Now Now John what was it you asked me me I told Mrs Garrett to wait walt until she knew you better and she wouldn't be so o keen for your society as sh she ap appears ap ap- pears to be at present Bob laughed and then Miss Warren commenced to talk Bob had told me meshe meshe meshe she talked so well was so Interesting that at first I 1 listened hoping to see what h her r attraction was But It seemed to me she talked for lor effect t that at h her r conservation was as us sImply ot ol great reat authors musicians and others ot that sort She said nothing of ot the things in which most women are in interested In- In Once when I 1 spoke of Mrs Roots Hoots studio being charmingly furnished fur fur- fished she said quickly Yes but it Isn isn't t comparable to her mind such mind such such a silly remark We Ve talked a while longer longer longer-at at least she slie did I did I dont don't think I 1 said half a dozen words I 1 could not keep my eyes away from Bob nor my thoughts He was here there and everywhere He laughed and talked in a most undignified undignified way so It seemed to me And once or twice I 1 considered going over overto overto overto to him and asking him not to be so hilarious Your husband seems to be enjoying himself immensely Miss Warren re remarked remarked re- re marked her glance following mine I told Mr Kendall that he was wasted as a business man man man-he he should have been an author or orI orI or- or I I am better hettel satisfied with him as asa a business man I 1 haven't much Interest in- in terest In authors and people who call themselves Bohemians I 1 remarked ungraciously Then fearing faring she would I think I did not care cane for bO books ICS was illiterate I added We Ve read the best authors together of course And then I I wondered at the little gleam of I amusement which came Into her eyes Mary Harden Haiden was going to sing I never tr had heard her and for the first time that evening e roused myself to toan toan toan an appearance of ot interest Bob was wasI I leading her to the piano laughing and talking a as they went Then he re returned returned returned re- re turned to meShes meShes me wonderful Miss Warren whispered not so much her voice olce as asher asher asher her personality You must see her In Thais Mrs Garrett After Miss Harden had finished singing we we- had supper It seemed that with t the coming of supper u everyone y r r f threw w wf off f all restraint tr n and talked and laughed regardless of or whether they knew each other or not When I spoke of it it Bob whispered Mrs Root noot has no one at her parI parties parties par par- ties whom it Isn't all right to know I Dont Don't be he a prude Just join in and ha have ve a good time Well go as soon as supper Is over I said in a low tone as a big blond man with hair like a lions lion's came camo over and asked to be presented not to me but to Bob Garretts Garrett's wife wile He lie then insisted upon taking me to supper and told Bob to come on with Miss 1 Warren War Val ren lIe He wa was a playwright lIe He jf ten one very successful plaIt pIa nt at that time at work on ano could talk of or nothing else wished he had let Bob Dob take m me mc Bob sat Rat almost opposite nv pi I wasn't having a n. good Once or twice I I caught hl he smiled at me but mos mo's time he lie appeared to have forg existence e and bad had only for tor the others with whom Jl J Jand and laughed I never had be beer r ran an affair Everyone talked it seemed to me yet ret et no loud or boisterous I had to ac playwright tried to keep m my by describing the plot of hi hij 1 and the wonderful stage sett settin n devised But after a a. while whilo hc to sense that I wasn't listen he began to talk of or the p j We Ve are so glad to o back he said to me e Welthis Welt WeIr his mother she made madewe e us we belonged to her None of of who grieved when she passed was no wonder Bob could n nold no n old gay self for a a. while TJi Ti the happiest mother and ton sor have known She made u welcome as if It we too had call her mother some mother some of Tomorrow Tomorrow Ye We Wont Won't Go Hot Hor 1 Morning 1 a i ito |