Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-07-09
The CASE OF
THE CARVERS
By Frank Hurburt O'Hara

paper with a murmur of dainty horror. |
Carver raised his eyes from the sport |
ing page of his own daily and turned |
them inquiringly toward the golden
haired vision in pink.
81 think it's perfectly dreadful" she
exclaimed. Don't you, Dick?"
"Of course. What is it?" he asked,
smiling.
'Just to think of mans being so
inconsistent and false and-and cruel"
young Mrs. Carver went on.
Carver's smile faded His eye
brows lifted trifle. Then he said:
81 don't know what you mean"
He said that aloud. To himself he
kept musing, 81 wonder-?"
Didn't you read it?" queried she, in
dicating with delicate forefinger an
article in the paper. "This Afferton
divorce case, you know. Just think
if you can!-of mans doing anything
like that l don't believe man could
ever have loved girl and then-Oh,
it's shocking! And they hadn't been
married year; were hardly out Of
their honeymoon-like US, Dick"
Carver shook his head deprecatingly
and ffdgeted at his smoking Jacket
and then remarked:
"Who was the other girl? Chorus
or"
''Then you did read it,"
"No-er-why, II glanced at the
headlines"
The big purple eyes across the table
were becoming dim with an opales-
cent mist.
"Oh-h-h, Dick, Dick!" (Her voice
was wavering dangerously Are
many men like that? You seem to
Oh, you aren't surprised, you aren't
shoclsed-Dick!"
"Why, you silly dear" Carver
laughed, jumping to her side and fold
| ing her tenderly in his arms. Non
sense! Why, you just said yourself it
was our honeymoon. You don't know
how much 1 love you, girl. 1 could
not begin to tell you. Just this morn
ing was telling Jack Trent what real
happiness was like. Jack seemed sort
of down and out with the blues.
told him he ought to get married.
ought to get little wife like NINE"
Jack always wanted me, guess.
even away back when we were chill
dren. And he made a game fight,
didn't he?"
She laughed softly as she pressed
his hand.
"But he didn't get you!" said Car.
yer happily, returning the pressure.
Next morning, as he was being
whirled officeward on an L limited, he
rehearsed many times the days of his
cnnrtshaAand then-the marriage and
their honeymoon, and after that, the
home life together, and he vowed that
he would never even speak to Maize
again. He had just been out for
good time occasionally. He had meant
no harm, surely no disloyalty to the
pretty little peaches -and-cream wife in
the suburbs. But from now on, there
was to be no Maize, no reunions with
the boys-nothing.
All day Carver kept thinking Of the
waiting wife. He left early as possible
that afternoon, and after visiting
confectioner for a box of her favorite
bitter-sweets and a florist for bunch
of her adored red roses, he was on his
way back to her, impatient as he never
before had been to clasp her again in
his embrace.
He bounded up the steps three at
time He meant to rush in and
surprise her. But the door was
locked. His face fell. He had not
thought of the possibility of her alb
sence. Doubtless she did not look
for him so soon. She never had failed
to meet him before. He put down
the candy and flowers found his key,
unlocked the door. How lonesome the
rooms seemed
He gazed around, wondering some
what. His eyes fell upon letter
lying on the library table He. picked
it up and found it addressed to him
in her writing. His brow wrinkled.
81 wonder what the devil"
In a moment his eyes were skim
ming rapidly over the lines of large,
distinct characters. This is what the
lines said:
Dear old Dick: Pm awfully sorry,
really am. You will never know how
much it has panied me. But I don't
love you Somehow that sounds blunt
and cruel, but it is the truth l don't
suppose I ever loved you, though l
used to think 1 did. Perhaps it was
your fiery way of making love that
caught me. Anyway, l want you to
be happy-oh, very, very happy,
Dick! | know shall be so as soon as
we can arrange matters honorably and
quietly l must always have loved
Jack, and he, l am sure, has loved
me always, though he's been perfect
brick since my marriage and as still
as a brick, too. When l am Mrs.
Jack Trent, know | shall be happier
and 1 know you will be just as happy.
You men are so inconstant, you know.
Good-by, dear boy!"
Carver stood long time staring
dumbly at the note. Then he crumpled
it slowly and tossed 1t from him.
There was newspaper on the table.
He saw the headline, Mrs. Afferton
SAYS Husband Was Unfalthful." Then
Carver laughed dry, mirthless laugh.
He looked WiStfully at the love.