El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-22
Married Life the Second Year
Is a
By Mabel Herbert Urner ss' e.. to A ss'ss' Lie

TT ELEM knocked softly on the door
of Mrs. Stevens's room There
= Il was no answer. and she knocked
again She was just turning away,
thinking that perhaps after all she
was down at the beach, when the door
opened Mrs stevens was in a kimond
and showed every evidence of having
been asleep.
~Oh, I'm so sorry I woke YOU ]
should have known"
I'm glad you did," laughed Mrs
Stevens cordially. II always take a
little nap after luncheon. but never
want to sleep long. 1t only makes me
stupid for the rest of the day. Wait
til 1 dress and we'll go down to the
beach"
Helen sank on a couch and looked
up at Mrs Stevens with troubled eyes.
Its something I want to ask you
something I want you TO help me In
And yet"-with an uncertain little
laugh. as she pulled nervously at the
tassel of her parasol-"it seems so
foolish 1 hardly know how to tell
you.'
Mrs. Stevens, instantly interested,
surmising some domestic trouble, drew
up chair beside her.
Why. you know, dear" encourag-
ingly, "if there's anything I can do
But this is so foolish. It's about
that horseback ride Sunday. You know
your husband asked if 1 could ride
and Warren answered oh, yes. Hell
ems quite a horsewoman.' Don't you
remember"
Mrs Stevens nodded.
She Was Terrified.
''Well-Fm-Tm notI I've never
been on a horse in my life. But long
ago before we were married / gave
Warren to understand that 1 could
ride-and I've had to keep up that
pretense ever since. OF course, 1t must
seem absurd that 1 haven't told him
the truth, but the way it all happened
somehow 1 never could He used to
be so strenuously athletic. He skated
and rowed and was an expert tennis
and golf player-and I could do none
of these things. Oh, I used to feel so
Inundated"
Helen hesitated moment and then
went on, her eyes on the figure in
the rug she was tracing with her
parasol.
And one day, he said half teasingly.
half in earnest: What a little house
kitten you arel There's not n single
outdoor thing you can do 1 happened
to be turning the leaves of a maya
zine-and there was a picture of wo-
man on horseback. Oh. 1 don't know
what possessed me but I said: oh.
yes, I can ridei / used to ride a great
deal and I really can ride very we'll
And he answered: Good. That's fine.
There's no better exercise OF course,
that was before we were even engaged.
He mentioned 1T several times after
hut had he 70,
tell him the truth"
Here Helen stopped over to pick up
the parasol that had slipped from her
nervous fingers, and went on more
hurriedly:
We've never been where they've
had saddle horses. so it really hasn't
mattered. until last night-when you
suggested that we will hire horses
from the stable here and go riding
Sunday morning. I tried to get out
of it by saying / had no habit, and
you said you had two and would drive
In tomorrow and bring down both.
And when 1 protested at that, you said
all I would need was a skirt, and they
had those at the stable. So I couldn't
get out Of it. And Warren is so eager
to 60 He says he hasn't ridden for
years. and 1t will do him more good
than anything And that IL we can
make a reasonable arrangement by the
week. we'll both ride every morning
before he goes into town. Now what
shall do? 1t seems to me I can't tell
him after all these years"
Mrs. Stevens laughed comfortingly.
Why my dear, that's very simple
ing instructors out here, and all you've