The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-06-28

''Oh, if you can't-if you don't want to
be serious" she flashed, 'I''-
''Wel?' he objected. with a half
laugh. IF anything could be more
serious
That isn't the point at ALL" she in
tcrrupted. with little impatient ges-
ture, "and you know it. You are ut
terry aggravating and ridiculous, Bill
ly"' she declared, with pink cheeks.
Little pale gold wisps Of hair had been
loosened by the drive home in the wind
and now blew about her soft. throb-
bling neck in bewitching restlessness.
The fine veins in her temples pulsed
with excitement, and her eyes, awhile
ago gray, had deepened to black. Her
lips. red and moist and vaguely tremu-
lous, lost nothing by their sudden ac-
cess of gravity as she went on:
Waving preliminaries, the subject
is just this, Is love-rOmantic love,
that is-a possible thing without teal-
ousyT"
Mainwaring stared at his wife oddly
for an instant before he spoke. Ger
tainly not" he delivered authoritative
ly. After 4 seconds silence he leaned
over and imprisoned one of her hands
in both his.
Mrs. Mainwaring pulled away from
him impatiently. II disagree with
YOU" she remarked, with abrupt cold
ness
"Oh, it is possible, of course, where
no cause exists" he commented. with
masculine complacence.
That point necessitates a definition
of the word cause"
"As matter of fact, what would be
ample and sufficient reason with one
person might amount to so much wind
with another"
Jealousy is merely an acknowledg-
ment of superiority in some one else
she submitted positively.
In which event-a tribute to the de-
linquent ones good Judgment, an es-
sential tribute. l rather think your
point of view is somewhat 0uixotic.
There's no accounting for peoples
tastes, you know. l have seen them
walk over pearls and take the stones"
Il don't see
Let me Illustrate. I once knew a
man whose wife was beautiful and
clever and good He openly abandoned
her society for that of another who
was neither attractive, Interesting nor
in any way good
POSSIBLY his wife bored him with
her very projections"
''She did not bore other men"
And was she JEALOUSY"
''In proud. silent way | presume
she was"
Did she exert herself to hold her
husbands love"
Most women who love men do, don't
they?"
Geraldine made no response and for
several minutes afterward was silent.
Presently she suggested, Perhaps aft
er all, if she was, as you say, clever,
she was not jealous of her husbands
attachment"
"Geraldinew
"Yes?"
"Just suppose now, for instance, that
THAT | were-to''-
Don't be absurd. Billy We are not
trying to get personal. are WEI"
THAT is the only way to arrive at
correct conclusions"
personal applications are biasing,"
remarked Geraldine, with sage look
They are vital, and they tell"
She laughed deliciously and tossed
her head into one of its ravishing
poiSes. Then l am still determined to
disagree with you on the original ques-
ton" she said. There is nothing
that could make me Jealous of YOU
Billy"
MainWaring contemplated her with
Swallowed eyes. Then l am very
much afraid" he returned, in defect
ed tone, that you do not care for me
in the right way, the real way"
ION the other hand, my dear. you
ought to consider this the very highest
compliment | could pay YOU radi-