The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-04-12

'hSi oiHCeS, well grOOmed ana pros
porous, some household, the life OF
some woman, conferred about each OF
them. How many OF them. through
neglect and indifference, were break
ing the heart of that woman?
At last saw him step from one OF
the elevators. Ny pulse throbbed
wildly. How strange to have him
pass me in that way-withOut even
glancing toward me, Secure in my
disguise, I followed closely, fearful
OF losing him in the crowd.
At the corner he stopped to buy
paper. 1 had thought he would
take the subway. so I had no diff
ficuity in following him there. But
when he reached the entrance. he hes
itated. glanced at his watch, and then
, turned back and crossed the street to
a drug store.
Instintively I knew it was to tele-
phone-but to whom2 Was he going
to telephone me that he would not be
home for dinner, as he had so often of
late? Or was the message for her?
As 1 passed the drug store, I could
see three telephone booths in the far
end. l knew he was in one OF those
booths. The flashing thought that
might secure the adjoining one and hear
the message made me enter the store
Needless OF the risk. Through The glass
door Of the first booth l saw the head
and shoulders of man I did not know.
In the second was my husband. Quickly
I slipped into the third. At first 1 could
hear nothing, then quite distinctly 1
heard his voice. Ring them again,
central.
Hello. This is Mr.. Kennedy, Ellen.
Ask Mrs. Kennedy 10 come TO the
phone. She is out? Well. when she
comes in tell her that I have been de-
tanned at the Office and may not be
home until late; for her not 10 wait din
ner. That's all. Good-by'
A pause. Then: Hello. Central.
Give me S2O5 River" Again a pause.
Hello. Oh. why, 1 am through earlier
than I thought" with a strange gentle
ness in his voice. I'm on my way up
now. Yes. in half an hour or less. Yes"
with a tender little laugh. "Good-by."
Blindly. with trembling limbs, I fol-
lowed him from the store, across the
street, back to the subway. There was
a crowd at the ticket window. Would
he he gone before I could get through?
A local was drawing out-had he taken
that? No, he was there on the platform,
waiting for an express. In a moment
one dashed in. I followed him into the
same car. It was crowded. could see
that he was standing about the middle
of the car. Some one had given me a
seat near the door. and. as the train
sped on, closed my eyes ''S2O5 River."
The number seemed floating IN red mi
black waves beneath my closed lids.
That was her telephone, From that 1
could find her address. l need not fol-
low him, and yet 1 knew that / Would.
had no resistance then against the
force that was sweeping me on.
moments stop at Fourteenth street,
and the train plunged on with a deafen-
ing road Forty-second, Seventy-sec-
ond-whee would he get OF? I could
see only his hand and arm as he held
TO a strap some distance away. His
glove was unbuttoned and partly turned
back. showing his wrist. There was
something I'm that glimpse OF firm white
flesh between his cuff and glove that
strangely increased the faintness was
so desperately lighting.
Al Niuety-sixth saw him making his
way toward the door. Dizzily followed
Out Of the subway. across Ninety-sixfh
Was he so eager 70 reach herr A little
farther on and he entered one of the
large apartment houses that faced the
Park. Everything blurred before me as
I walked to the end OF the block and
looked back. In some part of that
building was my husband with another
woman! Even now he was greeting
T,,Iv 9TH
have been sick for over week That
day broke me down
July 10th.
7 have always thought that books in
which women wiring their hands and
walk NJ and down the room crying 20
God-God, What can 7 do? How can
I bear it," are melodramatic and alb
surdly unreal. I know now that they
may be very real. The hysterical things
I now do and say when I am alone are
more tensely emotional than anything I
have ever read.
While I was sick. in a strained. awk-
ward way he was very kind TO me. II
was as though he was trying TO make