The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-27
Page of
Interest
When a Man Marries.
BY
MARY ROBERTS RtNEHART
AtTuoR OF THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE, THE LOWER
TEN
MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

OF Bedford proposed to her in Londcn
lAlt winter:
OF course one has TO take the wo-
mans word about thing ike that
but the Duke of Bedford had been
mad about Maude Richard all that
winter.
You can see that the burning OF
the letters, which Was meant to pc
reminisceuty sentimental. a sort or
how silly we were but II is all over
now occasion. became actually q TWO
hours euloRy OF Bella. And just
when l was bored TO death, the Mer-
Ger girls dropped in and heard jim
begin to read one commencing Dear
est Kit" And the next day after the
rehearsal dinner, they told Bella
There was very nearly no wedding
at all Bella came to see me in
frenzy the next morning and threw
Jim and his two hundred odd pounds
in my face, and although | explained
II all over and over, she never quite
forgaYe me. That was what made 1t
So hard later--thc situation would
have been bade enough without that
complication.
They went abroad on their wedding
Journey. and stayed several months,
And when Jim came back he was
fatter than ever Everybody noticed
IT, Bella had a gymnasium fitted up
I'm "A corner OF the studio, but he would
not use it, He smoked a pipe ana
painted all day. and drank beer ana
would eat starches or whatever IT Is
that is fattening. But he adored Bella
and he Was madly jealous of her. AT
dinners ne used To glare at Inc man
who took her in, although II did not
make him thin. Bella was flirting,
l. 81 hEN IA
married a year. people hitched their
chairs together and dropped their
voices when they were mentioned.
Well. ON the anniversary of the day
Bella left him--oh. yes, she left him
finally. She was intense enough about
some things, and she said 1t got on
her nerves to have everybody chuckle
when they asked for her husband
They would say, Hello, Bella. How 8
Bubbles? Still banting?" And Bella
would try to laugh and say. lie
swears his tailor says his waist Is
smaller. but if IT is he must be grow
inc hollow in the back" But she got
tired of il at last Well, on the see
ond Anniversary of 3ella's departure,
Jimmy was feeling pretty glum, ana
as / say, | am very fond of Jlm.
/ The divorce had just gone through
and Bella had taken her maiden name
! again and had had an operation TOT
/ appendicitis e heard afterward that
I they didn't find an appendix, and that
| the one they showed her In glass
| Tar was not hers, But II Bella ever
| suspected, she didn't say. Whether
4 the appendix was anonymous or my
she got box after box of flowers that
| were. and of course every one kne"
\ that II was Jim who sent them.
To go back TO the anniversary.
went to Rothberg 3 to see the coffee
tion Of antique furnlture--fnothe'
was looking for sideboard for fath
er's birthday in March--and l me
Jimmy there. boring into worm nor
in seventeenth century ped pos
with the end of a match. ana LOOKING
his nearest To sad When he saw M
he came over
I'm blue to-day, Kit" he said
/ after we had shaken hands. Com
! and helm me dig bait and then let
Z GO ASKING. II there's a worm u
. every hole in that bed post, we coul
GO into the fish business. It's goo
e business.
"Better than painting ! asked
Rut he ignored my gihe and swelie
t up alarmingly in order to sign
This IS the worst day OF the yea
for me" he affirmed, staring straigf
Y I -"
Il crazy clock over there. If you wal
= 10 see your life passing away, II Yo
p want to see the steps by which 70
are marching to eternity, watch ths
e clock marking the time. Look d
n that Internal hand STAYING quiet 70
sixty seconds and then jumping foi
= ward to catch up with the proce'
$ sion. Ugh"
q See here. Jim" / said, leaning fol
a ward you're not well. You can't &
- through the rest OF the day like thi
- | know what you'll do: you'll go HON
= to play Grieg on the pianola, and yo
q won't eat any dinner" He locke
= guilty.
r Not Grieg." he protested feebl,
l beethoven"
A You're not going to do either.
$ / said with firmness. You are goin
t right home to unpack those new draI
n cries that Harry Bayles sent you froI
G Shanghai. and you are going TO OF
!, der dinner for eight-that will b
two tables Of bridge. And you ar
: not going to touch the pianola."
20 ITO ha continued