Show h Margaret are s F Bv By JANE PHELPS CHAPTER 53 One Way to Manage When Whim Miss RI Riggs s told me of her Invitation to my husband and supplemented supplemented supplemented supple supple- It by one to me I was so astonished and angry I could scarcely speak Finally I said Mr 11 1 Garrett did not go to Atlantic City and he will not be able to visit you i YOM i Elsie le frowned at me but but I was was was' determined de de- de determined that Bob should not commence commence com com- com I mence going golnA to see his writer and get Interested In what I called calle her silly trash I would decline for him In I such a way she couldn't expect him now or any other time But he promised and and and- Miss Riggs replied haltingly evidently em em- We lVe have so little time together Miss Riggs that that tha t I am going to beg you ou not to ask my husband to read your manuscript He gets foolishly I i Interested In such things thinAs and I am amnot amnot amnot not willing he should take the time belonging to me to give ive such things His place Is with me in our home home- the only place for a married man to I spend the time he can spare from froll his business But if tr you come with him she I returned blushing furiously I Mv coming has nothing to do with it Dont Don't think for a moment that vulgar jealousy caused me to speak as asI asI asI I did Mr Garrett is too much In love with me has too much e sense to todo todo todo do anything to cause jealousy on my part But I do not care for the Bohemian Bohemian Bohemian Bo Bo- crowd cro he affected before our marriage so shall accept no invitations invitations invitations from nv y of them hereafter Then YOU vou arent aren't Interested in art artand artand artand and literature Mrs Mrs- Garrett 1 she asked with a perceptible sneer I No not In the least not in the sense you mean I am interested in my husband nd my baby my home also In good books and ma magazines we can enjoy together when hen Mr Garrett is at home with me I care nothing about the authors I A A regular Darby and Joan life she replied then laughed disagreeably That she had laughed at me disturbed disturbed disturbed dis dis- dis- dis me not the least bit I did feel feela a little anxious however as to what Bob might sav say when he heard Yet I Idid Idid Idid did not regret the stand I had hall taken and was vas ready to face the consequences conse conse- Miss liss Riggs was part of the disturbing element who caused Bob to bf become ome interested in outside things which took him away from his home and and me Before she left Elsie and me me-by me by bythe the way Elsie had looked shocked and acted embarrassed over what I had said said Miss Miss Riggs Rises remarked Will you please tell Mr Garrett that I have made other othel plans and so shall not be bo able to receive him Certainly I will deliver dellel your message message mes mes- sage lage I replied t How did you dare Elsie asked as Miss Riggs left usI usI usI us I dare anything to keep Bob away from that crowd But Margaret Tom and I go with I all those people and really they are I charming and you are making a mistake mis mis- mis-I mis take I am sure in feeling and acting as you rou do Perhaps you iOU will cut us I j I out too You know I am not I exclaimed although I cant can't help wishing you didn't care so much for them But we can be together we four tour without having havIng having hav hav- ing anything anything- to do with the rest of ot them rd Td hate haJe to be In your shoes Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- rgaret r- r garet when Bob finds out what you ou said to Miss Rises You remember how angry he was about the Creedmore Creedmore Creedmore Creed- Creed more party dont don't you I dont don't see see how you dared risk offending him so sosoon sosoon sosoon soon again about his old friends Miss Riggs isn't an old friend and If she were I much prefer to offend Bob a little now than to have our en entire entire entire en- en tire life Ufe spoiled bv by his foolish notions I replied and then we dismissed the subject Bob did not come home to dinner that night He telephoned that Henry Creed Creedmore more was going to spend the night with John Kendall and that he hew w would uld b be home about midnight I It was a little later than that when he came in looking fagged and acting tired I had a tempting little supper for tor him and white he ate it I told him himI I had been out with Elsie that wo we had met Miss Riggs and she had joined us at luncheon He asked no questions inde indeed d he showed very little lit lit- lit little tle tie Interest in what I 1 said So when I told him that Miss Riggs had made other plans that she could not receive him as she had do he simply simply sim sim- ply nodded wearily and said That's all right I might not have I been able to go anyway Surely not if it John is as ill as he now appears to be He asked me no questions anent the matter and I volunteered no in in- in formation If hE hp asked me I would woul l not deny that I had requested Marion Marlon Riggs not to invite him out to her home to read her manuscript But if he did not I could see no real reason why I should him as to the part I had played in the matter That I was wronging wronging- myself as well as Bob never entered my mind I was only doing what I I. I in my ignorance thought best for our future happiness CHAPTER 54 A Confidence As soon as Bob finished his supper supper supper sup sup- per perVe we Ve retired and and the next morning he hurried away so that he might have time to stop at John Kendalls Kendall's and see how he had passed the night He made no mention of what we had talked about the night before To Tobe Tobe Tobe be perfectly honest I was delighted that he had not He probably thought something had occurred to tomake tomake tomake make Miss l Riggs change her mind I and unless he saw her hel soon there might never be any explanation of the matter Bob was to to the station to he had told meet J Johns John's mother mother SO so me and although I said nothing about it I hated him to be so friendly I considered it an altogether unnecessary unnecessary unnecessary sary attention All such things kept his interest In John Kendall and his other friends alive alive so so I disapproved Dinner time came and the telephone rang Dont wait walt for me Margaret Bob said Mrs Kendall endall Is here and I am going to take her out for a bite of ot dinner while Henry Creedmore is with John This was the third night Bob had remained away from home borne at dinner dinnertime dinnertime dinnertime time and I turned away from the I telephone my mind filled with bitter i thoughts toward those whom I considered considered con con- conI I to blame for what I called his I defection It was the third evening he i had devoted to people for tor whom I cared less than nothing Surely it i iwas was most aggravating He came In about eight o o'clock clock and I we wo spent the remainder of the e evening evening eve- eve e- e ning quietly together In the library I IlIe He lIe looked very tired but very handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some sand land I told him over and over how much I loved him how bow he meant everything in the world to me Then I told him that by spring we should have another in our little home He was very tender and dear about about it cautioned me and at once taking proper care of myself not worrying worrying wor- wor etc I shall be all right and very happy happy happy hap hap- py If you will do right by me and stay with me and love me as I 1 love you I told him Then over over and over I assured him that all I cared for Inthe in inthe inthe should care the world was that he I cared as happiness only for me my for fOI himI him I dreamed that t this s constant ne never er reiteration of my love lore might tire him I that he would become annoyed because because be because be- be him To hear cause of my caresses music to tome tome tome sweet sa say he lie loved me was me why Vh should he not feel leel the same That women crave the expression than do men Inow Inow I Inow of love far oftener now believe but at that time I Judged Bob by myself taking no acco account nt of or orthe the difference in temperament his desire desire de desire de- de hard day at the theoffice theoffice theoffice sire to rest after a mind he hap hap- hap office or the frame of to be in To say I love you I darling had become as much a mati matter matter mat mat- i ter of course with me as to say good morning or 01 good night I John Kendall began to improve al almOst almost almost al- al most as soon as his mother arrived Cd i Bob Dob had said so much to me about calling on her that one afternoon I I asked Elsie to go with me Mrs Irs Kendall Kendall Kendall Ken Ken- dall was a very dignified very handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some old lady with the manners of ofa ofa I a grande dame She spoke in glowing terms of Bob and of his devotion to toI I John I 1 dont don't know how I can ever evel repay I him she said feelingly I wanted to tell her that she could I repay me by persuading Bob to give up some of the people with whom he spent so much time time her her son Included but but hardly dared daled It was one thing to talk to a young oung woman like Marion Marlon Riggs and quite another thing to express express express ex ex- ex- ex press my opinion to this dignified matron She served tea and cakes and while John and Elsie chatted of the social matters in which they were Interested she talked to me I told her of Donald Donald Don Don- ald and she declared she was very fond of children and hoped she might see him before she left for homeI home I am going to try to keep her now that she is here John broke in tn He was in an invalids invalid's chair and looked very thin and old I shall stay as long as you need me my dear deal boy she replied th then n explained that Johns John's father fathel was not well and needed her as soon as It I was wise to leave John I shall not notI worry when I go now that I have I met his friends she added turning again to me A Mr MI and Mrs Root I and a Miss 1 Riggs called yesterday Charming people all of them I Elsie heard and flashed a laughing glance at meI meI me I I am glad you were pleased with them Mrs Kendall but I do not care for them They are altogether too free tree and easy to please pleas me She looked surprised and both Elsie and John looked a bit distressed but butI I didn't mind They belong to a Bohemian class of people of whom I disapprove more because of their Influence on my husband husband husband hus hus- band than for fOI any any other reason I II went on not appearing to notice the l I look of surprise on her face although I It had not escaped me Bob is too sensible to be influenced by anyone John Kendall said quietly The Then he added smiling humorously Even by you OU Mrs Garrett I have known him many years jears ears and I have never known him to really give In to anyone's opinion on any vital subject He doesn't say much but I notice he usually does as he thinks right irrespective Irrespective irrespective Irre irre- of anyone else I He fie is married now I returned I and has me m-e to consider then we weI left I sorry I had called and with I my mind made up to tell Bob what had hadeen een said I To be continued I |