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Show t 1 BORROWED HUSBANDS By MILDRED H BARBOUR ' C tin I HE 11 D Peggy's calm announcement that she had left her former husband left Nancy speechless for a moment. "You don't mean It!" she gasped finally. 'Coumk 1 do'" declared Peggy emphatically. em-phatically. ' Reeve'a been a perfect tdd bear lately' He's oblected about my being here so much with Mother and Dad Harding. It's so ridiculous! I won't let any man bully me!" Nancy looked helplessly toward Phillip Hardinir after his brlf greeting greet-ing to her. but hi had turned back to his gloomy contemplation of the Palisades Palis-ades In the cold winter moonlight. I Peggy began to p!ay the piano again. "Well, Peggy !"Jgean Nam y. 'don't you think you've been a bit thoughtless thought-less with P.eee these past few weeks.' He'-i probably felt tremendously net-Iceted net-Iceted with you and the baby away-most away-most of the time." "Oh. he hates Baby," Peggy assured her. cheerfully Nancy promptly decided that Reeve Lewis must have better taste than she had ever suspected. "Hut whut do you Intend doing, Pergy?" Peggy shrugged very baro white shoulders. Mol, Jo ne sals pas!" "Rut you have to do something " Insisted In-sisted Nancy. Peggy pouted " h the Lord will provide," she said airily, running a brilliant scale. over her shoulder she glanced at Harding's Impassive back, and gave Nancy a naughtv wink. "Of course,' It's only n squabble." said Nancy, practically. You'll make It us tomorrow." Never"' declared Peggy vehemently vehement-ly 'I've had about all of Reeve Lewis I can stand! I ought to have left him long ago'" "You could hardly have done that. You weren't married to him lontr ago, I'm afraid you're getting the matri monial habit. Peggy. Collecting wedding wed-ding rinp- I mcs as great a hobby with a woman, as collecting beetles is with a scientist." "oh. well, a new husband occasionally occasional-ly does freshen up your views on life. You ought to try It yourself." Phillip Harding moved away from the window. " I have no doubt but what Mrs. Burrard will marry again very shortly short-ly I've never seen her when she was not surrounded by men. This Dr. Lang well seems particularly devoted." Nancv laughed. "But he's the husband of one of my best friends." That means nothing nowadays." de- !,rei I ".-go. Greater love bath no woman than she who will give her husband to a friend It's all rather il ncr the line of your theory of borrowing bor-rowing husbands ln t it, Nancy?" Not at all! I aim to be a savior of domestic felicity, not a destroying angel." "But none the less, an angel," Insisted In-sisted Harding i k'try pouted. "W'.iat - o nerve to make lovo to Nancy right under the nose of your I former wife who has Just left her sec-I sec-I ond husband. IT Qerry were here " She stopped suddenly, remembering remember-ing Nancy's role of widow. "Who is tJerry " asked Harding cih, yes the girl Mrs Kiirrard went to Chicago to see, wasn't she?" "Mmm!" nodded Pecsy, with a wicked glance at Nancy, which said "I got out of that rather neatly, didn't I?" Nancy rose. "We nuit be keeping the others waiting. The maid told me that dinner din-ner was announced at seven o'clock." "Perhaps we had better got in." Peggy-rose Peggy-rose reluctantly from the piano. The phone v. as r. living unanswered as Nancy passed the library door She took down the receiver. It was a call from the hospital where Constance Stanley lay, bidding I her come at once. |
