Show matrimonial HOLIDAY by F CROWDER syndicate service Y THE time llewlyn reached B BY home it would be too late she could not get him on the telephone to hurry him or to instruct him to stop her pat had already left the apartment she must be on the interurban by this jime time her train might be passing his it anything permanent mother patricia had pointed out the tour is only for eleven weeks ill be home before christmas next mrs law had thought comes the speech about matrimonial vacations right anyhow patricia had said a separation will be good for llewlyn and me mrs law knew better than to damage herself by trying to argue with her daughter in law about any of her modern marriage views anyhow she was not incapable of seeing something of patriciaa Patri cias attitude tu de not that mrs law could understand der stand how anyone could tire of llewlyn could ever find him too secure and dependable but mrs law could and did feel with her own husband an occasional profound weariness just recently in fact she had been considering leaving him for a week or two without her husband without booth unprecedented she had lived under the same roof with him faced him across the same table every day for twenty six years not that she had ever desired to trade booth law for any other man or for no man at all but twenty six years thirteen hundred weeks ten thousand days was a long time the thought of escaping for a fortnight to kansas city had given her a curious sinful delight patricia and llewlyn had been married only three years during the first conversation mrs law had had with her beauteous new daughter the girl had announced llewlyn and I 1 propose to have an annual vacation from each other were never going to start taking each other for granted that with a lot of other theories had rather startled the woman at the time but with the passing of the months into years she had been gratified to find the young couple settling conventionally to the traces she had even come to feel free to mention in patriciaa Patri cias presence that she and mr law sr had yet to spend as much as a week away from each other and patricia had not so much as sniffed As for llewlyn his generous of statement did not she decided come to easy terms with his masculine possessiveness still she help thinking of that kansas city trip that is she help it up to now with patricia gone she felt differently very the telegram had come about noon harry haden begging the girl g irl to rush to milwaukee at once to fill her old place in the act after playing davenport des moines and omaha the company would swing south and to the west coast eleven weeks at thirty five per hardly more than half of what he was paying you before you were married mrs law had objected but the money patricia had said the idea they had tried unsuccessfully to get llewlyn on the phone have to break the news when he gets here patricia had said and flown to packing her bags if you should go away mother patricia had cried llewlyn and dad will have to batch it mrs law had stiffened flamed inside and almost blurted out righteously im not in the habit of running off and leaving my men with suitcase and hatbox patricia had departed on the run she had to be in milwaukee for the eight turn not even a note left tor for llewlyn I 1 llewlyn law a very earnest faced dark haired young man of twenty four was whistling carelessly as he came along fifty ninth street from the train he swung his paper in one hand his hat in the other his mother watching him through parted curtains felt a tightness in her throat why mother you here wheres pat she told him gently he seemed to take it rather stupidly all he said was 1 I see I 1 see he strolled about the room looking at the floor of course come 1110 stay with us while ashes gone he glanced at her and nodded vaguely he fell rather than sat on the divan there was no use being restrained she rushed to him and put an arm about his shoulders dont take it too hard its only temporary three months at the most again he glanced vaguely at her rather as if he did not hear her sure he mumbled three months is no time at all he fell to musing smiling occasionally sio nally to himself mrs law want to say any more she could imagine how brave he was being over this their first separation and further there was the fact that patricia had come within a lire line of marrying harry haden instead of llewlyn law just two weeks ago the haden act had been playing in chicago at the palace mrs law remembered something about there having been a reunion dinner or spree somewhere mr haden had seen patricia again mrs law saw what was happening llewlyn did not go home to the parental menage for dinner he said he wanted to look up some of the guys 1 I only hope mrs law moaned to her husband that he gone out to get drunk the boy knows better than that booth law scoffed but hes terribly in love with pat then he ought to trust her it surprise me mrs law said if he has taken a north shore train to milwaukee to bring her back so mrs law worried dismally she sat up until one waiting for llewlyn to come home she felt so nervous about him since his first high school period of mysteriously late hours to enjoy the exalting sense of virtue and fidelity she kept resolving to forego her er trip she would set an example of devotion after calling Llew lyns apartment a last time and getting no response she went to bed in the morning she urged mr law to telephone when he reported no answer her agitation became almost ungovernable heaven only knew what her son might have done to drown his pain and chagrin her hands han ds trembled her lips twitched her heart fluttered passionately she gloried in her twenty six years of devotion when about ten the telephone rang and the operator with perverse calmness said long distance calling hold the line please she was pr prepared e spared for something of tabloid sensationalism it was llewlyn cheery apologetic he was calling from spring lake in michigan c drove over last night with a couple of fellows he sang out been after me for months have a swell shack on the bay im staying two weeks to rusticate never get my pent house pat to a place like this you know mrs laws voice quavered then youre feeling reconciled to it all why sure there was a brief silence on the wire what makes you sound so queer do I 1 her laugh sue suc cess ful 1 I 1 know how take it patriciaa Patri cias leaving so suddenly and that theatric that mr haden being in milwaukee Llew lyns laugh was a success mother youre suspicious oh no not that though naturally have to get over being natural mother at least you have hava to trust pat I 1 do anyhow harry haden has another girl when he was in chicago he set us up to a spread at the bismarck and we met her and something more mother it if you can keep a secret harry told me he was expecting to lose a player out of his act so I 1 asked him on the side if he use pat her old part you know and I 1 knew shed like a change mrs law made some shocked zoological sort of exclamation and something within her began to shrivel with shame she was thankful she could blush unseen llewlyn was saying what what did you say nothing dear finish your story 1 I have he asked her ashes gone and I 1 can have a vacation in the wild and woolly you ought to send dad over here no women mrs laws face was burning she felt gone your father I 1 think prefers northern wisconsin I 1 might let him go there if he wants to you dare mother not you Is that so she retorted a little defiantly and then declared with a curiously delicious sense of daring now that youre settled I 1 think III ill I 1 take a trio trin myself I 1 |