Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-06-21

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 it got on her
nerves to have everybody chuckle when
they asked for her husband. They
would say, Hello, Bella! How's Bub-
bles? Still banting?" And Bella would
try to laugh and say, He swears his
tailor says his waist is smaller but if
it is he must be growing hollow in
the back" But she got tired of it at
last. Well, on the second anniversary
of Bella's departure, Jimmy was feel
ing pretty glum, and as l say, I am
very fond of Jim. The divorce had just
gone through and Bella had taken her
maiden name again and had had an
operation for appendicitis. We heard
afterward that they didn't find an ap-
pendix, and that the one they showed
her in a glass jar was not hers! But
if Bella ever suspected, she didn't say.
Whether the appendix was anonymous
or not she got box after box of flowers
that were, and of course every one
knew that it was Jim who sent them.
To go back to the anniversary; l went
to Rothberg's to see the collection of
ANTIQUE furniture-mother was looking
for a sideboard for fathers birthday
in March-and l met Jimmy there,
boring into a worm-h hole in a seven
teenth century bedpost with the end of
a match, and looking his nearest to
sad. When he saw me he came over.
I'm blue today, Kit" he said, after
we had shaken hands. Come and help
me dig bait, and then let's go fishing.
If there's worm in every whole in that
bedpost, we could go into the fish bus
mess. It's a good business"
Better than painting" asked. But
he ignored my gibe and swelled up
alarmingly in order to sigh.
This is the worst day of the year
for me-" he affirmed, starting straight
ahead, and the longest. Look al that
crazy clock over there. If you want to
see your life passing away, if you
want to see the steps by which you are
marching to eternity, watch that clock
marking the time. Look at that infer
nal hand staying quiet for sixty Sec
onds and then jumping forward to
catch up with the procession. Ugh!"
See here, Jim," l said, leaning for
ward, you're not well. You can't go
through the rest of the day like this.
/ know what you'll do: you'll go home
to play Grieg on the pianola, and you
won't eat any dinner" He looked
guilty
Not Grieg," he protested feebly.
Beethoven
You're not going to do either" said
with firmnes. You are going right
home to unpack those new draperies
that Harry Bayles sent you from
Shanghai and you are going to order
dinner for eight-that will be two ia
bles of bridge. And you are not 60
ing to touch the pianola."
He did not seem enthusiastic, but he
rose and picked up his hat, and stood
looking down at me where l sat on an
old horse-hair covered sofa.
Il wish to thunder l had married
you." he said savageTy. You're the
finest girl l know, Kit, without eXcep-
ton, and you are going to throw your
self away on Jack Manning, or Max, or
some other"
Nothing of the Sort" l said coldly.
"and the fact that you didn't marry
me does not give you the privilege of
abusing my friends. Anyhow, l don't
like you when you speak like that"
Jim took me to the door and stopped
there to sigh.
Il haven't been WELL he said heav-
lily. Don't eat, don't sleep. Wouldn't
you think I'd lose flesh? Kit he low
cred his voice solemnly-"I have gain
ed two pounds"
1 said he didn't look it, which ap-
peared to comfort him somewhat, and,
because we were old friends, asked
him where Bella was. He said ne
thought she was in Europe, and that
he had heard she was going to marry
Reggie Wolfe Then he sighed again,
muttered something about ordering the
funeral baked meats to be prepared
and left me.
That was my entire share in the af-
fair. was the victim, both of circum-
stances and of their plot, which was
mad on the face of it. During the en-
tire time they never once let me forget
that l got up the dinner, that l tele-
phoned around for them. They asked
me why couldn't cook-when not one
of them knew one side of a range from
the other. And for Anne Brown to talk
the way she did-saying l had always
been crazy about Jim, and that she be-
lived 1 had known all along that his
aunt was coming-for Anne to talk like
that was sheer idiocy. Yes, there was
an aunt The Japanese butler started
the trouble, and Aunt Selma carried 1t
along.