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Show A Happy Couple By BARBARA ANN BENEDICT (Associated Newspapers WNU Service.) I HARRIET KNIGHT still felt a little bitter because Stanley Corliss had married Erla. Harriet was sure she would have been a better wife if only because be-cause her own disposition was so much better than Erla's. Erla had a temper and Erla also liked an active, exciting life. Harriet, Har-riet, and unfortunately several other people wondered how long Stanley, her serious-minded architect husband, hus-band, would be able to hold her affection. af-fection. And so when Harriet, who lived next door to the Corlisses, heard the sound of shrill voices and the crashing crash-ing of china in the Corliss home she knew a feeling of elation. It wasn't long before rumors of the Corliss' quarrels reached the ears of most everyone who had an interest inter-est in the young couple. And so they waited, expecting a smashup and saddened because of what they expected. They liked Erla and they liked Stanley and they hated to see their lives ruined. That is, everyone did except Harriet. Har-riet. Harriet waited for the smash-up smash-up hopefully, contemptuously and with a faintly fluttering heart. She still had moments when she thought of herself as Mrs. Stanley Corliss. Meanwhile the objects of the anticipated an-ticipated smash-up continued to survive sur-vive as man and wife, but the stories of their arguments continued. con-tinued. With each report the friends and acquaintances waited silently and unhappily for the announcement "You did? Tell us before we die of curiosity." Kay blew smoke toward the ceiling. ceil-ing. "Darlings, the union is set for life. I doubt if our expectations of a smashup will ever be justified." "You mean," asked Anne in amazement, "that Erla likes being married? That she's contented and satisfied?" "Quite." "But it doesn't sound reasonable! Whatever did she say? Oh, Kay, do get this suspense over with." Kay smiled wickedly. "As a matter mat-ter of fact, I didn't talk with Erla at all." "Didn't talk with Erla! Then whom did you talk with?" "Stanley." "Stanley?" "No other." Kay became communicative. com-municative. "Erla wouldn't tell me a thing, except that she liked being married and planned to stay married. mar-ried. And so, as a last resort, I went to Stanley and he told me the whole story. It's a secret and we mustn't breathe a word. He told me because he thought it such a good joke on us. He knew how we felt and how Erla felt, too. And that's what we didn't figure on that Stanley understood Erla better than any of us. He knew the things she craved and because he wanted to keep her as a wife he set out to provide them." "Provide them? But how?" "Very simply. By picking a fight with her about every two weeks. By storming around and complaining of this, that and the other thing. By appearing to be discontented and unsatisfied. By providing a bit of excitement and romance and thrills. By keeping Erla on her toes, for fear of. offending him. By taking her mind off herself. Girls, every one of the dishes that has been broken, was broken by Stanley, not Erla. Every bit of the storming has been perpetuated by Stanley. I tell you, the man's a genius. He intends gradually to taper off his outbursts until he can discontinue them altogether, but always holding one or two new ones in readiness in case marriage should seem to be palling on his wife. It's merely a case of hubby being the smarter of the two." Anne and Beth sat back and stared in amazement. "Well, I declare!" de-clare!" the former exclaimed. And Beth added: "Wouldn't Harriet Knight fairly go into a spasm if she knew." Kay nodded slyly. "Let's let Harriet Har-riet continue to think as she does. It'll probably do her a lot of good." To which they all agreed. v "Tell us, before we die of curiosity." curi-osity." that the Stanley Corlisses had decided de-cided to call the venture off, Harriet Knight's heart increased its fluttering flutter-ing and her eyes glowed in triumph. But six months passed and then a year and still Erla called herself Mrs. Corliss and lived under the same roof with her husband. The thing became somewhat of a mystery. mys-tery. It was extremely hard to understand, because Erla wasn't the type at all to be satisfied, even though she loved her husband ardently. ar-dently. Their friends puzzled over it, advancing a number of reasons and explanations and finding them all inadequate. The thing was beyond be-yond their comprehension. Why Erla herself, before the wedding, had said, addressing her bridesmaids brides-maids in the utmost confidence, "It probably won't last, darlings. I can't conceive of myself being contented con-tented for very long. It just isn't in my blood. Stanley's sort of a stuffy person, but I love him, and I'm going to marry him at least temporarily." tem-porarily." No, the thing was a puzzle, and their friends became curious. They were fairly perishing to know what it was that had so completely thwarted thwart-ed Erla's natural instinct. They even went so far as to question Erla, in a tactful sort of way, of course. But Erla was reticent and uncommunicative. And finally, almost al-most in desperation, Beth Woodward called a meeting of the three bridesmaids. brides-maids. "Kay," she said to Mrs. Dayton, "it's up to you. You've always been her closest friend. We're all dying to know the reason for it, and you're better able to find out than either Anne or I." Anne Tupper endorsed the plan heartily. Kay was doubtful. "It seems so silly," she said. "Perhaps Erla has discovered she really does like married life, and is happy and contented." "Then explain their quarrels and the smashing of dishes and furniture. furni-ture. You told us yourself they hadn't been discontinued." To this Kay was forced to agree. And in the end she agreed also to make an effort to satisfy the curiosity curi-osity of the ex-bridesmaids, herself included. Secretly she hoped to discover dis-cover a contented harmony in the household of Corliss. The satisfaction satisfac-tion of being able to report such a condition to Harriet Knight would be worth a good deal. And so the meeting adjourned and Kay Dayton set off on her mission. A week passed and she had nothing to report. The remaining ex-bridesmaids ex-bridesmaids became impatient. And then one day Kay sent out two phone calls and within an hour Beth and Anne were grouped about the Dayton Day-ton fireplace, all thrilling with excitement ex-citement Kny passed around ciparcttcs and lighted one herself. "Well," she said, smiling, "I found out." |