| Show Margaret Mar ar aret et Garrett Garret t sf s 2 r fo Husband Husband- L Ety By JANE w a CHAPTER 63 when h he wo tA d I A t. t h 1 I 11 n Another Western Trip Bob has been West again and he and John Kendall were discussing his trip In the library As usual I sat inthe In Inthe inthe the living room and through the open door caught snatches of their conversation conversation conver conver- John was talking when my In Interest Interest interest in- in terest became aroused by something something-he he said anent a woman I shall never forget the first time I saw her he said I met her at a so socIal social social so- so cial affair something as you did he remarked to Bob I thought her very beautiful She Is beautiful Bob replied slowly slowly slowly slow slow- ly but it is not entirely her physical beauty which attracts she seems to radiate radiate radiate ra ra- diate a spiritual beauty a beauty of soul as well as body Her Iier personality is wonderful She is the most restful and at the same time the most entertaining entertaining entertaining enter enter- woman I have ever met met met-a. a perfect companion he added after a a. moment Better be careful Bob I should label her dangerous after that description de de- de She would be dangerous and more here here I missed a sentence but I owe allegiance to Margaret Many husbands forget forget again I lost part of Johns John's reply I think her very talented she will do great things things some some day It was Bob who spoke but because he talked of her as talented talent d I Judged all that had gone before bore only reference to her heras heras heras as an authoress I had heard Bob disclaim disclaim dis dis- claim calm any other Interest in her her her-at at least I had so understood the conversation conversation conver conver- and he had spoken of his al allegiance allegiance al- al to me So I gave my entire attention to some Intricate embroidery I 1 was doing only wishing that John Kendall would go so that I might have Bob to myself It may perhaps be hard to understand understand understand under under- stand my viewpoint vl Yet I honestly believe there are many women who feel fee the same proprietary right In their husbands that I did who want to I manage their lives according to the rules they lay down for them regardless regardless regard regard- less of at personality or temperament Occasionally I had felt that perhaps Elsie was right in her estimate of Bob That he was of a different temperament temperament temperament tem tem- than I had trad thought when I married him He would become so ex excited excited ex- ex cited when he talked to John Kendall K-endall or his other friends Sometimes he would pace u uj up and down while he gesticulated gesticulated gesticulated nervously His Imagination would at times run riot in a aay way ay that I with my quieter colder temperament could not follow But I usually blamed his excitement upon the people he was with their Influence instead of upon him I see now that I was vas deliberately trying trying trying try try- ing to crush out all personality all originality my husband possessed But at the time I thought I was entirely Justified in all that I did As I look back upon those years after my boys were born the only comfort I gleam Is that I was honest In the stand I took Honest If mistaken It had b en a very disappointing winter to me and I had not hesitated to so express myself to Bob Surely I thought a wife has a right to express express her displeasure over things In her pus hus husbands husband's bands band's conduct of which she disapproves proves But Bob called it nagging and while he conceded that I did not nag for the things thines s which caused man many women to make complaint he claImed that to be nagged because he omitted to assure me constantly of his love lo and because he preferred the society of congenial friends to sitting alone with me was as bad or worse Bob was at this time as kind as Indulgent in indulgent indulgent in- in as ever But he seemed nervous nervous nervous ner ner- and was very cry Irritable This was always more noticeable after one of his Western trips and consequently Iwas I Iwas Iwas was the more opposed to his business venture with John Joltn Kendall than I should l otherwise have been Then too I often thought he avoided me I 1 would almost say he shrank from my caresses caress caress- es es He surel surely never offered me endearments en- en dearm unless I asked for them 4 I was terribly unhappy nh o over mec it It an b but ca td did y d I not not know what to do to remedy mat mat- I would not concede myself inthe In InI Inthe the wrong and give my consent to I Bobs Bob's desire to entertain and be en enI entertained entertained en- en I by the crowd of people of whom I disapproved neither would I admit that my constant fault finding I had anything to do with my ness Could I once separate him from bad influences Bob would return to m me I would love me as he did when I first I married him him and and his heart was sore soro with the loss of his mother For this reason I now became quite enthused over the new home in the I country It would be too far for John to return to town once he came out and in that way he would see less of his I friends and would of necessity spend more time with me Mother was de delighted delighted delighted de- de lighted that we were to take tak the boys Into the country although a bit disappointed disappointed disappointed pointed that we had not chosen Long Island Instead of ot Jersey Any place Is better than a big city I for growing children she had said when we discussed It together and fi finally finally finally fi- fi nally she and father had had consented consented to rent their place on Long Island and spend the summer with us Had I seriously considered what the invitation might mean I never should have given It Had I known that Bob would feel that because of their presence pres pres- once ence he could absent himself whenever he chose I never should have asked them to come to us I do not positively positive positive- ly know that it made any difference but at the time I was sure that Bob BobI took advantage of the fact that I had company to remain away I CHAPTER 64 An Unexpected Meeting Well Nell Margaret It is all settled at last Bob said one night at the dInner dinner dinner din dIn- ner table I bought the house today So you you- finally agreed I 1 returned There had been some sort of hitch Inthe in inthe inthe the matter of price and Bob lob being a aI good real estate man and so a judge I of property values had held out for his own terms Yes he came to time at last You Youcan Youcan Youcan can get ready to move In any time next month It will take until then to do what is necessary although there is really wonderfully little to do As can be imagined I 1 was very busy after it was finally decided we were to live five in Jersey I 1 had quantities ot of new furniture to buy as well as clothes for all of us for the the- coming summer I Bob was very artistic but the ordinary ordinary nary house furnishings did not interest him He prowled around art shops and bought etchings and pictures until I 1 warned him that he would bankrupt himself if he didn't stop lie He only laughed and told me to go ahead and attend to my part of the furnishings and that he would do the same as re regarded regarded regarded re- re pictures As far tar as al allowing me to do as I pleased go where I pleased spend money and time Bob was an ideal hus bus husband band band so so many women would have said But even in these things I 1 was I Inot not satisfied I should have been happier happier happier hap hap- pier had lad he shown more Interest even evenI exerted a little authority I He would go into ecstasies over an anold anold anold old print or rare etching and spend a aI good deal of time pointing out the I beauty he saw in them But while mildly interested in anything to which I drew his attention he never offered to shopping expeditions ex expedItions expeditions ex- ex accompany me on my I for tor the homely homely- things whIch were needed for the ho house se and which I loved to buy Bob I I think now nov as I look back that must have hated my methodical ways my painstaking attention to detail that it Irritated him I am sure sure proba proba probably bly almost beyond endurance His Isis home was not a home to him It was wasa a place where a determined if loving 10 he complain that woman waited to cared nothing for her and who wept bitter tears at any fancied neglect his friends his I know I grew to hate their ways It u ways because they were For Tor him both was hard going for us to way for tor me to amble along in m my ti I give up to his more advanced ideas I think It tt was almost an antagonism be- be between us at this time an antagonism we both felt but neither acknowledged Ho lIe kept up his Intimacy with his friends In spite of all I 1 said or did and I as conscientiously kept up my objections Our two personalities It seemed would n never ver mate I had met none of Bobs Bob's artist and bookish friends for some time time save save those who visited us at our home until the day I l met Fred Langworth the Langworth-the the theauthor author we saw the Sunday night we dined at the I had been shoppIng shopping shopping shop shop- ping all the morning and still had several errands to do so I 1 had gone Into a quiet restaurant In the shopping district for tor a light luncheon I 1 was scarcely seated when I noticed a man he looked strangely familiar bowing In my direction I did not return the bow as It never occurred to me that It was anyone I knew But as aa soon as as the waiter walter had taken my order and left me the gentleman rose and came over oyer to my table I this Mrs Irs Garrett he asked then added Surely I am not mistaken My y name Is Langworth I met you with your husband at the I remember you now I replied I rather cold coldly Th The remembrance was not pleasant Why Wh do we never see you ou Most I people become regular regular- visitors after experiencing the fascination of the place I 1 was not at all fascinated Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow-Amer Anjer and Embarrassment j 1 |
