, 1910-05-12

Howard was too busy eating to an.
swer. AS he gulped down a huge piece
of bread, he growled:
Nothing. as usual-same old story.
nothing doing"
Annie sighed. She had been given
this answer SO often that 1t would
have surprised her to heal ANYTHING
else. 1t meant that their hard hand.
to.mouth struggle must go on. She
SAID nothing. What was the useo It
would never do to discourage How
ard. She tried to make light of 1t.
: VI course 1t isn't easy, / quite
understand that. Never mind. dear.
Something will turf up soon. Where
did you go? Whom did you see? Why
didn't you let drink alone when you
promised me you would?"
That was Coxe's fault" blurted
out Howard. always ready to blame
others for his own shortcomings.
'fou remember Coke! He was at
Yale when I a A big, fair fellow
with blue eyes. He pulled stroke in
the varsity boat race, you remem.
ber?"
81 think l do" replied his wife, in
differently. as she helped him to moro
stew. What did he want? What's
he doing in New York;" ;
Hes got a fine place in a brokers'
office in Wall street. I felt ashamed
to let him see me low down like this.
He said that I could make a good deal
of money If only I had a little capital,
He knows everything going on in
Wall street. If I went in with him I'd
be on Easy street"
How much would 1t require?"
Two thousand dollars" q
The young wife gave a sigh as she
answered:
I'm afraid that's a day dream. Only
your father could give you such an
amount and you wouldn't go to him,
would your"
Not If we hadn't another crust in
the house." snapped Howard savage
ly. You don't want me to, do you?'
he asked looking up at her quickly.
mo, dear" she answered calmly.
Il have certainly no wish that you
should humble yourself. At the same
time / am not selfish enough to want
to stand in the way Of your futurs.
Your father and stepmother hate me,
I know that. | am the cause of your
separation from your folks. No doubt
your father would be very willing to
help you If you would consent to
leave me-"
Howard laughed as he replied:
We'll, if that's the price for the
$4,000 / guess I'll go without it. I
wouldn't give you up for a million
times . ,OO0i"
Annie stretched her hand across
the table.
Really she said.
You know 1 wouldn't, Annie" he
said earnestly. Not one second have
I ever regretted marrying you-that's
honest to Cod"
A faint flush of pleasure lit up the
young wife's face. For all her as
sumed lightheartedness she was badly
in need of this reinsurance. If she
thought Howard nourished secret re-
grets it would break her heart. She
could stand anything, any hardship,
but not that. She would leave him at
once.
In a way she held herself respon-
sible for his present ~predicament. She
had felt a deep sense Of guilt ever
since that afternoon in e Haven
when, listening to Howard's impor-
tunities and obeying an impulse she
was pow erless to resist, she had flung
aside her waitress apron, furtively
left the restaurant and hurried with
him to the minister who declared
them man and wife.
Their marriage was a mistake, OF
course Howard IA in no position
to marry. They should have waited.
They both realized their folly now.
But what was done could not be un-
done. She realized, too, that 1t was
worse for Howard than it was for
her. 1t had ruined his prospects at
the outset of his career n threat
ened to be an i~rreparable blight on
his entire life. She realized that h
was largely to blame. She had done
wrong to marry him and at times she
~reproached herself bitterly. There
were days when their union assumed
in her eyes the enormity Of a crime.
She should have seen what a social
gulf lay between them. All these
taunts and insults from his family
which she now endured she had foo
ishly brought upon her W head. But
she had not been able to resist the
temptation. Howard came into her
life when the outlook was dreary and
hopeless. He had offered to her what
seemed a haven against the cruelty
and selfishness of the world. Happi-
ness for the first time in her life
seemed within reach n she had not
the moral courage to say No"
If Annie had no education she was
not without brains. She had sense
enough to realize hat her bringing up
or the lack of it was an unsurmount-
ahia horinr 70 her aver, being ad-