Show r HARDENED BY CUSTOM The Divorced Woman Did Not Feel Comfortable Com-fortable About tier Children The conversation took place at a table ta-ble in a Chicago restaurant within earshot ear-shot of half a dozen persons so it is tc Oe presumed that it is not to be considered consid-ered particularly sacred The woman in the brown dress had evidently just come in from Denver The one in black had met her at the depot There was an animated description of the details of the journey what time she started how tired she got what n terrible draft there was and so forth interspersed with exclamations ex-clamations of sympathy from her hearer hear-er Then pho loaned forward and asked with more than ordinary interest Have you seen George since Her companions face took on an expression ex-pression that seemed to betoken resignation resigna-tion to all the evils the human race b destined to come in contact with Yes twice she answered And the children No I havent seen them U Nor his wife HfOt bufr they say sho is quite pretty t and sensible too The woman in brown sighed I I never hoard a word of it until I about a week ago You cant imagist I what a shock it gave me He was married mar-ried in December wasnt he Yes just a month after yon wore She sighed again Id like to see the children but Im afraid I couldnt bear it It makes nc difference how good Georges new wife is she wont be like an own mother tc tho poor little things Its against al reason you know that The woman in black admitted that the argument was indisputable And Id never feel right again thb speaker continued apparently giving her conscience a few affectionate little pats and lulling it to rest When J left George I tried to get tho children for myself but you see I had no idea what I should do I knew it would be out of the question for me to try to struggle along with all three of thorn I had faith enough in him to believe that ho would do the right thing by them even though my own life with him had been a perpetual martyrdom If t tel only known that I should marry mar-ry agn so soon and so well nothing on earth could ever have compelled me to give them up But yon see I didnt know So all things considered I guess Id better go right on east As I said it would be a terrible trial to see them under the charge of somebody else and hear them call another woman mother moth-er It would break my heart The two women finished their lunch and went out The baldheaded man at the end of the table dropped his fork with a clatter Well he said emphatically its my opinion that those three children are better off with that new mother if shes anything short of a amazon than they would be with that woman Heaven grant she wont be like their own mother The little audience looked as though it agreed with him individually and collectively Exchange |