| Show Her lIer Companionate Marriage l oc cv By Oy EDWARD FARNHAM I IAo Newspapers Service fV iI DEAR marriage Is II a loti lot lot- tery said laid Aunt Prue That ThatIs i Is why your Aunt Sue and I never I married Well I 1 prefer to take all the risks risk I that are going June told her great aunt who had raised railed her And two day days later the she had married Wiseman Companionate marriage mar as ai to whose meaning June was wasa a little vague was only a theory then But as It was hanging around waitIng waiting wait walt ing to be set let up In practice her i aunts aunt's parting shot ahot that would no sooner looner get her than he would want some lome one else prompted her herto herto herto to ask him the day before belore the ceremony ceremony cere cere- mony lOony what he thought of Companionate Compan i lonate marriage Suits me right down to the ground he said What about you And with a lob sob lobin i in her ber heart and a smile on her lips she had acquiesced But well we'll keep it quiet she had faltered Sure he had agreed And for five dve years he had added That was waa five years ago And today to to- today day her year five lease of waldue was wal due to expire It was the fifth anniversary anniversary anni annl- of their wedding Two days day ago he had phoned her to pack his hll bag lie He would run up for It was It-was was rushing out of town for the firm firm firm- would be back the next night sure But he had not returned As A. she he watched little year two old year old Buster the party of the third part to their strange marriage contract she the completed completed completed com com- her ber preparations for depar ture tune Through the silent watches of the previous night she had decided that thai she would start for Aunt Prue Prue's early early ear ear- ly Iy this morning had slipped away it was the kindest way of ol terminating their contract he be I had doubtless thought She called a taxi It H was Just striking eight when June and Buster rumbled over the rough road As the driver pulled up at the curb June stifled a cry For there there step step stepping ping out of a car ahead of them them them- was In his stocking feet He lie hopped across the puddles puddle on the sidewalk to a boot and shoe shop and rattled the door vigorously The store was waa not yet open An almost Inarticulate order to the driver and In fifteen minutes minute June was back home moving listlessly listlessly listlessly list list- lessly about collecting a few personal personal personal per per- belongings preparatory to quit quit- quitting quitting ting the house forever The phone rang Yes Della Delia June answered Say June Peg just rang up says say Molly phoned her that Marge Baker has Slann's boots at her house left them behind him or something didn't hear the particulars Hal Hal HalA A loud peal through the bouse house June hurried to the door The gentleman gentleman's gentleman's gen gen- boots said the chauffeur of a smart mart limousine a as as he hurriedly handed banded them In and ran down the steps boots I She caught her ber breath as there fluttered from the toe a little slip of paper which had bad placed there on their wedding night June had been superstitious and so he had worn an old pair of boots for luck When he took them off that night he had scrawled on a scrap of paper Sacred to the memory of ot our wedding day and laughingly stuck It In tn the toe And each anniversary since had worn the old boots for luck luck Just just to please her She set the boots on the hall chair So he had been at Marge Baker Bakers That was the Bakers' Bakers car As she mechanically stuffed Busters Buster's Teddy bear and dancing monkey into her bag the door opened and rushed in a long box under his arm As S he dropped It and came forward with outstretched arms to encircle June and Buster his eye caught sight of the boots then Junes June's f face ce set the open bags being made ready for departure lie He flushed Gosh Cosh 1 Where did these come from A darn pretty mess these boots got me Into this morning Somebody on the train pinched them The ringing of the telephone In Interrupted In him Yes Mr Baker June answered My husband Is just telling me about it now now now- Sorry Mr Baker said My daughter and I left the train at the junction She rushed back for lor her umbrella In the scramble to getoff get getoff getoff off again she made a mistake inthe Inthe In Inthe the berth and grabbed Mr Wisemans Wiseman's Wisemans Wise Wile mans man's boots thought I had left them behind me Luckily the address was In the toe Is that the old duffer duller who pinched my boots casually asked June as 81 half haU laughing half haU crying she turned from the phone to be smothered In two dozen American Beauty roses swathed in white sat sat- satin satin in ribbon But Dut she ahe Irrelevantly in tn this is our filth fifth wedding wed ding anniversary I thought it was to be Companionate marriage So 50 did II And hasn't It been he be asked as al he tossed Buster the end of a ribbon and started the phonograph whose strains of Here Comes the Bride mingled with Busters Buster's shrieks of baby laughter ashe as ashe ashe he dragged the old boots behind him on a white satin ribbon almost drowned voice as with amock a amock amock mock bow low an and a laugh he stepped under the portieres and said WaitIng Waiting Waiting Wait ing at the church church to to renew my vows in the only Companionate mar mare I recognize recognize companionate Companionate until un un- inU til tU U death do us part parti |
