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Show c5PST2r the Devoted Husband By BARBARA ANN BENEDICT (Associated Newspapers WNU Service.) jj-v TOW take my Bert," said the dominating Mrs. Har-I Har-I vey. She sighed wearily. "He's such a darling husband, hus-band, comparatively speaking, of course. But so helpless. I've often wondered how a man would really get along without a woman to take care of him." The ladies of the Tuesday club nodded and murmured their assent. That is, with the exception of Linda Swain. Linda was the newest member, mem-ber, and also the youngest. She had been married less than a year. She said, "Men seem pretty capable to me." "My dear," Mrs. Harvey squeezed lemon into her icjed tea and smiled indulgently, "my dear, no one . blames you for your attitude now. I 'When you've been married as long as I, you'll have a change of heart. Oh, I know how you feel, darling. "We were 'all that way once. So very much In love, so very sure our husbands were all we thought them to be loyal and devoted and interested only in their wives. But there, I've said enough. Don't let me disillusion you, Linda darling. Be happy and innocent while you may." "I am happy and not the least bit disillusioned," said Linda. "So don't feel that you have to pity me, Mrs. Harvey. I don't want Jay to her? Was Jay actually interested in Anne Clayton? It wasn't an impossibility. im-possibility. Such things had happened hap-pened before. She shuddered as thoughts leaped into her mind ol other women who had gone blindly ahead, loving, adoring, not even suspecting sus-pecting their husbands of falsity. Only in the end to have the hurt more, poignant, more lasting. There was a dance that night at the country club. Linda had always been a little proud to think that the women who attended the country coun-try club dances were infatuated with her handsome husband. She liked to think that he was hers forever for-ever and ever and that she was envied. en-vied. Tonight it, was different. She followed fol-lowed him with her eyes. She tried to stifle the hurt when she saw him dancing with other women, smiling into their faces. She tried not to notice that he seemed to enjoy being be-ing with Anne Clayton. She fought against sudden knowledge that his attentions to her, his wife, were dutiful. duti-ful. And when toward the end of the evening she saw Bert step through the French doors on to the veranda, saw Anne Clayton follow a moment mo-ment later, she could not resist the impulse to satisfy the burning curiosity curi-osity that was eating her soul. It was a beautiful summer's night. The great expanse of golf course that fell away at the base of the veranda was flooded with soft, silvery sil-very moonlight. A section of the veranda, the end near which Linda stood, was in shadow. She saw dim figures leaning against the railing a man and a woman. The girl was Anne Clayton! Clay-ton! There was no mistaking that baby-like profile, etched as it was against the bright moonlight beyond. be-yond. Linda clutched at her throat, felt suddenly weak and sick. Then it was true! Seized by a sudden, uncontrollable fury, Linda suddenly sped across the veranda. There was no definite purpose in her act, no recognizable emotion, no desire other than to satisfy sat-isfy a primitive instinct by clawing at the face of this brazen hussy who had robbed her of faith. At the sound of her step the couple near the railing turned. Linda came upon them abruptly, reached out and telt her hands entwined en-twined in the golden blonde hair of Anne Clayton, and knew a great feeling of satisfaction. Then and only then did she look toward the man. And in that single instant a great weakness and nausea claimed her. She Wavered, gripping grip-ping Anne's hair more securely for support; felt sudden relief and shame and guilt. For the face of the man who stared back at her was that of henpecked Bert Harvey! Tonight-it was different. She followed fol-lowed him with her eyes. be interested in me and no one lse. And I want him to know other women, if that's what you mean." Mrs. Harvey smiled blandly and glanced around at the circle of faces. "That isn't all I mean, Linda, darling. dar-ling. Oh, there's no need of feeling hurt about it, or believing that your married life is going to be different from the rest. Take my Bert, for example. There was a time when, had I been a less broadminded person, per-son, we might have ended in separation. separa-tion. And the truth of the matter is I'm glad it happened. For from that day to this I have used the incident inci-dent to shame him into doing any- thing I ask. Oh, yes, that little wayward way-ward act of Bert's has its uses. There is, for example, no need to worry now for fear that he will ever stray again. I'm just as sure that Bert's only interest at this moment is with his family as I am that I'm sitting in this chair." Linda bit her lip. She wanted to say she thought Bert was a martyr for even living with such a person. While she tried to conjure up a less direct dig, Mrs. Harvey turned toward Anne Clayton, who was one of the few unmarried members of the club. Anne was young, extremely ex-tremely pretty and had been admitted admit-ted only because her career on the legitimate stage was beginning to attract attention and her membership member-ship might reflect some glory on the organization. "And you, my dear Miss Clayton, I'm sure this conversation must be extremely boring to an unmarried lady. And yet I'm equally sure your opinion would be a valuable one, especially " Mrs. Harvey looked coy "especially since you are so well acquainted with Linda's handsome young husband." Linda was furious. She might have forgiven most anything but this! Such unadulterated, direct insinuation. in-sinuation. Anne Clayton laughed nervously. She had long since discovered that a woman's attitude toward life and love and things changed with matrimony. matri-mony. The talk of these older married mar-ried women sickened her. Yet it was as much to her advantage to be a member of the club as it was ' for these ladies to have her. She laughed resignedly, without looking at Linda. "Please! After all, a single lady would hardly be qualified to express a worthwhile opinion about such a weighty subject." sub-ject." It was the fact that Anne Clayton evaded the issue that set Linda to thinking. That and the insinuation in Mrs. Harvey's voice. Then, too, there was Anne's nervous little laugh, her direct refusal to meet Linda's eyes. The tiling at first seemed silly, absurd. She even smiled a little at thoughts of Jay being false. Yet the inevitable questions kept popping pop-ping into her mind, pounding against her brain. Had she been a little fool? Did these women know things that she had been blind to? Were they laughing at her, V-;tying |