Show by Elenore I C CHAPTER ss 38 Sandy picked up the clippIng fI to hide hid the sudden panic It all alt About I abelT T Read It Madeline Madelino Baw MW It ChrissIe ChrIsie Kelston was wac there ther thIs mornIng to talk abut about a ut It It So you OU see see- ee Mrs McNell McNeil clasped her hands bands rubbing the th thumbs thumb back and nd forth one over the th other She Sh Bald said with frightened resolution I told them It wasn't tru The Th clipping was w a from the th So- So SocIety Society So Society News News-a News a rambling Item writ writ- written written ten with smug mug provincial chatti ness nus Rumor has hns hn It th that t ono one ot of our Dur popular young oung matrons a a bride of lat lait year m may y soon oon enter suIt for divorce Gossip that all was not tranquil on the th matrimonial 1 sea c has bas been floating about the younger set eat almost since Ince nine the th honeymoon days lays The bride brid was formerly one on of ot the much court court- courted courted courted ed members of ot the debutante group being considered considered a particularly particularly particularly pretty example of ot the th titian type She Sir has recently been so- so sojournIng so sojourning in the th Hawaiian IslandS where she h went to convalesce from a serIous illness We Ve W are told on excellent authority that she was besieged with admiration durIng her trip which those thos In Inthe inthe Inthe the know state was taken as the first step tep In the th separation pro pro- proceedings Proceeding pro proceedings The Th brIde brid belongs to one on ot of oth the pioneer families of Santa Bar Bar- Barbara tar tar- Barbara bara bars being belne connected on the pa- pa paternal pa paternal side sid with the th Spanish aris arts aristocrats aristocrats of ot the mission days The groom is one on of ot the th richest young men In the th south lIe II comes of an old and ver very conservative conser fam tam family ii ily As Sandy read her mother watched In II a a pained breathless anxiety She Sh now repeated repealed Its not true of coursel course YoU Yon didn't know of this Sandy didn't answer Did you know v of ot It 1 Of course court not Leaning forward the th warm hand pressing on Sandys Sandy's You haven't taken any such steps have you What chance chanc have hav I had 7 Im I'm only home five day days What rIght have they to print such things Mrs McNeill drew a II long lone reo re- relieved breath They have hav no right of course Papers do these things Sand Sandy I want you to tell me the th truth ate are you thinking thinking- thinking I mean even thinking of divorce You welL said said well 1 I never ne know whether to believe bellev what hat you ou say or not youre you're so daring You in- in intimated In Intimated something like Ilk It while we were away You were jokIng weren't erent you OU 7 Alice Alce drinking her tea tel now put putdown putdown down the th cup with a long lone suffer suffer- sufferIng suffering suffer Inc Ing ironic smile smil expressing to all the McNell McNeil family her utter dis- dis dis disdain d dam dain ln Alice was a violent enemy of family Interference She con considered con con- considered considered her life had been viciously warped At 19 11 when she she was In the th list lists as II a a beauty she had Md fallen wildly In love with young Teddy a handsome light hearted deck deck- deckhand deckhand hand deck hand on a boat plying between Santa Barbara and Santa Rosa Island She wanted to marry him himIn In vain did Isabel Implore What kind of a ls this for tor a McNeil 1 Did I think Id I'd ever live to see se the th day a daughter of mIne could so far for forget torget her up- up upbringing upbringing up upbringing bringing A a sailor-a sailor a common sailor Allot Alice was obdurate So Angus stepped in He H called on Teddy Ho threatened him He had him transferred to Los Angeles Alice Allee recalling this episode with crowing growing ever bitterness as the years went on could become becom per per- perfectly per perfectly furious In her resentment Indeed I If It she sh only knew as much then I as oS she sh knew now She Sh looked at Sandy clo closed ed her hel eyes ees and repeated her smile smil of disdain This plainly said salol Ready to back down are arc ar you ou Awfully 1 brave r ve when youre you're not up against the guns gun arent aren't you ou 7 I want you to answer me inc Sandy Youre You're not trying to put aside your marriage marr TV Ive I've put It aside already mother I told you ou ou so What do you mean H Have e you OU started this suit 7 No o But I 1 mean to What are arc you saying Do you realize what youre you're oure saying A girl brought up as II you were to say lay such a thing You married Ben You knew w what you were wr doIng One On thing thine you n ner er know till you ou try is marriage I You can inako mah a 0 a jest j tt of IU It Sandys Sandy's heart rapped swiftly al- al al most In her throat Other I girls are ar- arjust just as mci- mci perle need as you ou weer remember that They keep their compacts I I meant to keep mine Im I'm not walking out out-I'm out Im I'm not quitting cold Id I'd have hav stuck with any man who was willing to give gl me even evena evna a 0 20 per cent Interest in the or- or arrangement ar arrangement He ic didn't give a 1 d- d 1 Its the th truth It doesn't even occur to Ben Murillo that a girls girl's part of ot It needs to be considered lies lie's the th lord and the master master th tat tat- Important Im Important one All that's necessary Is his happiness I was nothIng but an who should smile when he h smiled doze when he dozed eat when he ate Guess the rest Mrs Urs Mc McNell ell turied turi turned white as 81 the napkin In her trembling hands She Sh said hoarsely Youre beside yourself No Xo Im I'm not beside myself But Im I'm not going to sit all hero and have bo you all 1111 calling me Inc II ft a welcher Tell Tell- TellIng TellIng Tell ins Ing one me m I 1 knew knew-I knew I knew I Of course I 1 should have hav known Everybody ought to know every every- everythinG everything everything thing and there'd be b no mistakes made Some Som thIngs thing you cant can't know Could I know that he h was going to tell tel mo me m where to head In Inon inon Inon on every ery Gods God's blessed thing Could I know ho he h was laughing up his sleeve at the th visions I 1 had of our marriage At Yosemite a II man picks up my shawl when It drops and Im I'm Immediately ly called to our room and given a a lecture on wife wifely I de- de deportment d He orders mo to be bemore bemore more not cIrcumspect circumspect not to flaunt myself before betor strangers Would ho he have hav dared that when we 0 were ere engaged And at Tahoe an acquaintance offers his cigarette case I 1 take one My husband comes up and orders order before everyone every one Sand Sandy put that back backi backlI I laugh lIe snatches It from me m with a calm cairn calmI I dont don't Ike your OUr conduct I dont don't wish you even to pretend to smoke And at Riverside I dance twice with the In same cam man He H comes come up ready to kill me me He H says BaS say before thIs perfectly cultured fellow tellow Get your things s Were We're leaving Those Thos are ore all very ery trifling mat mat- matters matters matters What lire life but a a trifle If you look at ot It that way what does It matter whether an atom like Ben or I Is happy Sandy was now gl glancing reso reso- resolutely reso- reso resolutely resolutely at her fork tork the th tines tine worn thin these thes forty or fifty years Cars She wished Alice would get ret fi- fi finished finished tl drinking teal tea She Sh dIdn't dare raise rals her eyes She whispered to herself hysterically Lord Im I'm goIng to bawl Another mInute and ond Ill I'll bawl bal Her mother beginning again I repeat Sandy thes these are all alt trifles Every wife wit ha has to adjust herself to new the new life The Th early early years are the th hardest After that that- that Oh after yes yes after that that you ou diet die All tho the feeling and ond the th defiance denance Is killed and you just lust hang on- on ona ona on ona a ghost an ghost an unburied corpse Wo- Wo Women Wo Women 0 men did that years ago They're not doing It now You cant can't tell tellus tellus us today that Its It's a holy and ond sac ed union when two tw people hate each ellch other when other when they bring out all the th meanest and ugliest traits You cant can't tell us were we're doing right td t to keep that up fOr life I tell you ou Sandy that you OU must rise to your problem You must bear and grow noble nobi In the bearing of these little unpleasant traits In your husband In time you can change chani him And forgot torget once and for tor all this Idea of divorce You were In full pos pos- possession pos pos- possession possession session of o your senses when you OU made your vows Maybe Mayb I 1 was In full possessIon of them They didn't amount to much That's all Ive I've Iv got to say for them If It Its It's my senses that I got me m Into this jam they're not going to keep me In It And Id I'd I never have hav married Ben Murillo it you hadn't all treated mo me m like I a scarlet sister because I lOot got caught In R a B storm You made mad me feel Id I'd dug due the th graves crave under both of o you Oh you ou did didi I X admit I was a II weak little fool to have fallen for tor It I made madea II a mistake Why hy do I have hav to spend the th rest of my life abiding abiding- by It Why cant can't I wipe wip It out the same as a other errors are ar cor- cor corrected corrected cor corrected I dont don't see sc why marriage with only two people concerned should have hav ot be b perpetuated when Its It's a a grand fraud like mine minIs Mrs Mr Mc McNell McNeil ell very whit about the lips her h r eyes down saId thickly Promise me m not to act rashly Sand Sandy PromIse to wait a awhile awhile while I 1 do ask uk It Your family must mu tb he be considered and the th prinCiple a you were taught Will you prom prom- promIse prom prom-Is Ise me Sandy thought bitterly She knows I c cant can't nt refuse retus herl her She knows Im I'm the th dupe dup of my at at Oh Oh Lord Lord- Lord She Sh was subdued and uncommunicative uncommunicative uncommunicative the th rest reit of o the th hour she spent In the th old Id home Walking back she be was Wal burning with agitation Toward 4 o'clock that after alter afternoon afternoon noon she h went out to f the th garden It was sultry oppressively sultry ly warm She began beean to pick sweet peas She Sh turned with that feeling of Im- Im Impending impending Im Impending pending evil ono one on sometimes has halo Her IIer mother was coming up the rood road She Sh reached Sandy gasp gasp- gaspIng gasping gasping ing the th perspiration running down her cheeks cheek What In the th world bring you OU here mother You didn't walk all the way Part of ot It It was I I was day Of ot couse cou e not Of Ot course court noU not Now youve you've worn yourself out Come ml Sandy ran Into the th end ened and shaken at the th look on Isabela Isabel's face She Sh searched for fr a little br brandy brandy-a brandy a a little wine Mu- Mu Murillo Mu rillo rilio had a 0 a good rood stock An empty three bottle botti thre empty bottles She Sh called to Ira I I think soy my mothers mother's going to f faint Where Is the th damn stuff tuft anyway Its If all locked up Mr Ir Murillo hll has the only key Oh just like him She Sh brought a a gIll glass class of water Isabel smiled She Sh seemed to re- re recover recover r cov cover r Half Halt an an hour later Sandy sent her h r home horn In a machine that she called She Sh told fid herself herselt Poor darling Isabel Iaabel It was the tho th heat Just the th heat het I I But early the next morning he I went to t her mothers mother's home As A she h opened the door she h saw her sister Madeline going up the staIrs Madeline was as crying What the th matter Lord has anything an happened Madeline swallowed bitterly WIth streaming eyes eye she sh glared at Sandy Youre Your satisfied now I hope youre you're satisfied now nn An |