| Show Mararet Mar liar aret Carrett's f s t I I 1 Husband I By JANE PHELPS a 4 i BOB IS SYMPATHETIC CHAPTER 77 Bob looked Incredulously at me mo The mirror broke how did It happen 1 My Iy hairbrush slipped out or ot my hand and broke It ft I replied conscious conscious conscious con con- that I had blushed over the telling queer but It Is s fortunate that you weren't badly hurt Did you have a doctor No Xo indeed that would have hae been too silly Della Delia did what was necessary necessary sary ary for me I I. I shall shaU be all right Ina in ina Ina a day or two although It does ache pretty badly I waited until we were at dinner I before I 1 said anything about the night before Then I asked I Did you ou have hav a good time last I Inight night Ye Yes Yea a very ery good time In fact the I time pawed p so fast I did not realize that I would miss mw my train until too I late Where did you go 1 iTo I To the Castor Ca tor Was It a stag party No Oh do tell me all an about It it who was there pretending an Interest I Ito in to no wise felt Oh Elmer and his wife wire Kendall and aDd Creedmore and two or three Ladies la ladies ladles la- la dies to make an even evea number his hia tone was wa studiously careless but I imagined I caught a note of or anxiety Who o were th the women Anyone I know 1 Marion Riggs and Bod Maud faud Warren Oh Ob then you were the odd man No o. o John Kendall brought a guest with him A lad lady tody Yes Y e What hat was her per name Dame Win Will m you ever learn that it annoys me the to b be questioned Margaret It was an authoress from Chicago Weare We Weare are aN publishing her work Did you know her before last I night i I had met her yes What was her name You haven haven't t told me What difference does a name nam e make Hers was Deveroux I believe If It you weren't such uch a foolish woman woma n you OU would have been invited As lon lonas long longas s as you care nothing about bout Joining USI us I T dont don't quite see sea the reason for al althis all this interest You were there Isn't that reason n enough Bob made some careless reply an and I we talked of ot other things Well Veil h he e hadn't lied to me I 1 thought he ha hamade had I made no secret of that woman womans woman's a presence presence presence pres pres- ence and had even intimated that tha t had I 1 gone she would not have bave been bee n there Surely I had nothing to wo worry ry about I was taking the right course and before long Bob would see tee things thing I In their truo true light would realize that tha t he his time belonged to me You look as If you hadn't slept a aall ataU at atall t all aU he said after dinner You Yon better bette r go right to b bed d. d Im I'm going as soon a aI as asI asI a I read the paper I was really worn out and gladlY y followed his suggestion I was suu aUl I awake ake when he came up I Dont you want to come com and talk tall with me a little while I asked hoping hoping hop hop- ing log to delay him Im too sleepy he answered wit with witha h a prodigious yawn I should hould fall fal 1 I I asleep and without another word h ne he e closed his door and after a few tew moments mo mo- ments menta all aU movement in his roo room ceased and I knew he was In b bed beo d. d I had not yet become becom accustomed t to d being alone at night had not ceased to feel chagrined that that Bob should de- de alre sire to be away from me It seem a aIn In n a way unnatural Father an and d end and ha had mother were ere old fashioned I always alwa's occupied the same ame room I knew Bobs Bob's father and mother ha had bad d done the same Was it a a. sign h he want wanted didn't care car for tor me because he his own room I knew that man many y people married d people o occupied separate sepa sepa- in th the rate rooms room or single beds same room but I always had sup supposed supposed sup 1 posed they weren't happy together toa j t My hand ached I 1 felt feverish and I I couldn't go to sleep J Truly Bob Dob had not appeared very much interested when 1 Y asked him about the tho Chicago authoress Yet he had seemed so attracted so gay when he talked to her Somehow I Iwas Iwas Iwas was uneasy I certainly must do something to keep Bob at home To keep him away from those undesirable undesirable undesirable able friends seemed almost an nn impossible Impossible Impossible Im Im- possible task yet it was one on I must accomplish There was no one to whom I could appeal no one I could ask for ad- ad ad ad- vice Mother always took Bobs Bob's part and Elsie Elate dear careless creature always nl- nl al always ways was laughed at my forebodings and at my attempts to make malte Bob do as I wished We Ve were to play cards with the Baldwins the n next night After that I would see what I could do But I had not much faith I had been disappointed disappointed disappointed dis dis- appointed too many times But neither neith neith- er would I 1 give up My Iy home was wan all the world to me Bob was my king I must be happy and ho he must do as I wished to make me so Queer reasoning do you OU think Perhaps you who read never have loved with a selfish absorbing love that desired nothing but th the same kind of ot love in return I I BOB MEETS MARION RIGGS CHAPTER 78 The next night when Bob came home I reminded him that we WEl were engaged for tor the Baldwins to play bridge I 1 know It it he answered but I wish we e weren't Im I'm in no mood for tor bridge But I promised I replied almost hoping he would insist upon remaining remainIng remain remain- ing at home with me Oh well we'll have to go all right Then What in the world did you say to Marion Marlon Riggs that time she lunched with you and Elsie What did I 1 say I haven't the slightest idea Why Oh I met her In the street today and she was so cool so different from her usual self that I 1 stopped anc and asked her the reason I feared she might have become dissatisfied with the house I 1 sold her or something 01 ot of that sort And And She told me that you yoU be begged ged hernot hernot her hernot not to read her manuscript he Interrupted Interrupted in interrupted In- In that you said I became foolishly interested and that you were not willing I should take the time from you to go to her That you said the only place for me or any other married man was at home with his wife And that of course after you expressed yourself in that manner she couldn't receive me Well Vell isn't it true But what must she he think of ot you and and me She will imagine you Jealous and me a philanderer Nice position She will Imagine no such thing I took special pains to tell her that Iwas I Iwas was not jealous that I knew you cared too much for me to do anything of which I disapproved But I 1 also Informed her that I did not care for that silly Illy Bohemian crowd you use used to affect att affect et and that I should accept no invitations from them and didn't wish you to to toSo So So that was the reason she ehe sen sent the message she did didI I suppose so You manage to place me in very embarrassing situations Margaret 1 I have made mado an appointment to go down to Miss 1 Riggs' Riggs place a week from Cram tonight She also extended the tho Invitation to you although I told her you would not accept Indeed I shall not and she Is a bold woman to ask you you youIt It was time to go to the Baldwins Baldwin's PO so 0 we could not talk longer But I 1 knew I had made Bob very angry He was not himself at all He acted peeved and unnatural all the evening Mr Baldwin and I 1 came out way say ahead and I knew they laid his ill ill- nature to that but I knew better I 1 Iwas 1 was wag sure he was annoyed because of ot what I 1 had said to Marion Marlon Riggs anent his visiting her After the game we wo had a delicious supper and before it was over Bob was more like himself But on the I way home he again began talking of what I had said to Miss RIggs how I had embarrassed him etc I was almost al- al al almost most glad when he went Into his room and closed the door In the tho night I was awakened by fretful cries I 1 got up and found Donald burning up with fever I woke Bob Dob and sent him for tor the tho doctor Hes a pretty sick boy the doctor doctor doc doc- doctor tor said as he leaned over the crib For days we watched and prayed For days the doctor came and went but held out no hope Then finally the fever broke and our boy was saved Bob had scarcely left the tho house Once or twice he had gone Into in into into to attend to some come pressing business and had flown back on the next train Somehow we seemed nearer together during those dreadful days and nights than we had been since the first months of ot our marriage When Donald was out of or danger I said Mid Why hy cant can't we always be like this Bob Like this What do you mean Oh you have seemed so different You have been BO so like I 1 want you to be You know how I 1 love you dear how all the happiness I have comes from you how miserable I 1 am when you do not give me all the love lovo I 1 have a right as a tL wife to expect If It only you'd always be with me Dont be silly I have remained at home canceled all engagements be became be- be cause came of or Donalds Donald's illness It would be a very foolish proposition for me to remain here unless I was needed Oh I 1 didn't mean Just staying at home I meant the way you OU acted i toward me I know you love me mc Bob I I Iwas was always saying that to myself to give glue me courage and that you love to be with me but sometimes sometimes some some- times It seems that you are aro too easily Influenced to give Ive up to others to allow them to dispose of your time Im past seven Margaret I dont don't dontI need you nor anyone else to ten tell me what to do with my time I I was very glad you gave up goIng goIng going go- go Ing to see Miss Silas Riggs I I haven't given up the visit I wrote her that Donald was III and that a as aa soon as aa he was waa better I W would come 6 I l shall go tomorrow night s if It she Is s ready to receive me me meSo i So he had only postponed th the visit I 1 so dreaded to have him make Tears filled my eyes and I went into I Imy J my room and closed the door I must not allow him to sea ace m me cry too often Stop that crying Margaret he said sold in is a few minutes minute Im absolute absolute- IY ly ashamed or of you You are a perfect J I I cry baby j To be Le continued I I |
