Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-30
House Of

victims to revolt, to raise the sacred standard
Of domestic liberty, equality, and"
Carlyon suddenly found his tongue.
Make divorce more easy--why, it's confound
ed lot too easy as it isl There was the Carraway
business-d'you remember? Oh, | suppose you
were in the school room then. Well, anyway
it was plan, the whole blessed thing. Mabe
Carraway dragged me ind no more to do with
it than you had-and the Old Man stopped my
allowance, and there the deuce of row
and every bit of the evidence was paid for And
you want TO make it more easy!"
| You need not tell me about the Carraway
case. know too much about it already"
BY jovel" Carlyon murmured to the ceiling.
Make divorce more-why, you'll be wanting to
divorce me nextl"
"If thought it my duty, Reginald, hope I
should not hesitate to make an example of you,
even at the cost of much pain and unpleasant
ness to myself. But do not let us be PERSONAL
at present. After dinner 7 am engaged to adj
dress meeting Perhaps you would like to ac-
company me. The subject is The House of Bond
age"
"The house of-P
| "Bondage," returned Alethea, in her clearest
platform tone. ut signifies marriage, the mar.
riage of those who have no true bond of sympathy
sympathy of soul"
| Carlyon had perhaps learned the difficult lesson
OF patience in pursuit of big game. At any rate,
his lesson stood him in good stead now. Quite
number of remarks rose to his lips, but he
knew better than to utter them. He picked up
his cigarette case.
I'll have smoke, if you've no objection. Al
Alethea,' he said. Another night I'll be charm
ed to go and hear you spout-most-ah-most in
terestin', I'm sure. | hope you take your ex-
amples of wife-beatin' from personal experience
eh, what? 'Trifin', did you say? Well, perhaps
I'm not feein very serious tonight-sight of you
expect. I say Ally, can't you chuck your
spoutin' and take to theatre-eh? Can't?
Oh, never mind
But when she had gone he sat staring at his
unlighted cigarette "Marriage-'The House of
Bondage!'" he murmured. "Oh, by jove"
IL.
Carlyon had reason to regret the wilds of Can
ada during the next few months. The League
OF Freedom, he found distinctly an institu
ton to be reckoned with in the domestic circle
Alethea, the light-hearted, the frivolous, waved
the standard of liberty and equality to some pur.
pose. In the days before the fatal expedition
which had left Alethea to become prey to the
needs of Divorce Reform, it had struck Caryon
at times that perhaps she might be a little too
fond of pleasure, a little too empty-headed. He
was so sincerely fond of her that he would hardly
admit the damaging fact to himself, but now he
recalled, with keen regret, the memory of her
unceaslng gayety, her pranks, her wllfulness, her
charming fits of childish temper, her still more
charming repentance. Carlyon hardly saw her
unless circle of short haired and rather oueerly
dressed enthusiasts hemmed her in, like a body
guard of modern Amazons. These ladies plainly
looked upon him something of an enemy He
was a Man-and a Man they had no sympathy
for him. He felt that they regarded him as
trampler, and did not exert himself to be pleas
ant to them; and they pitied dearest Alethea.
In moment of unusual expansion Carlyon
took his sorrows to the sympathetic ears of his
younger brother Jack, who has enriched modern
fiction with several novels-published at his own
expense-and perpetrates occasional verse in the
magazines. Jack laughed at the whole affair
my dear chap" he said, when he had had
his laugh, you must put your foot down"
Carlyon looked doubtfully at the tip of an i'm
macuate boot.
''Won't work, Jack, I shall be dragged on
the platform dreadful example of wife
heater."