Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-08
yHEN Tom Minor died his wife.
. Beatrice. looked forward TO

n
wv Beatrice. looked forward 70 a
calm rather uneventful. semi
SOLITARY life. That is she expected to
live only for her children until they
should need her no longer and beyond
mat point she did not allow her
thoughts to rove. She dreaded the
loneliness that might then BE- hers
She did not dread life without her
husband nor did she mourn Rim deep
~ for hers had not been a happy mar
rage Tom had grave faults. some Of
them amounting almost to sins his
wife thought Whether they did or not,
they made her so uncomfortable and
unhappy that. while her husbands sud
den death was shock to her. she was
conscious that with the pity she felt
for him because ne had been snatched
OUT Of life. there was mingled scarcely
any pity for herself She had long been
aware that her children. Jack and Jean.
were the dearest things in life to her.
She had them. and Toms departure
had been an unexpected solution Of the
knotty problem Of their ioyless mar
ried existence. She remembered CRATE
fully now that the true condition Of
affairs had been unguessed by the
world at large. that there had been no
open scandal.
For the first year Of her widowhood
she had thrust from her as absurd the
possibility Of her marrying a second
xirns. ~ love my freedom too much"
she acknowledged to herself To her
friends she said I do not want to put
anybody in Toms place" To them,
the sentence meant one thing, to the
nvidow, another. She added mentally
lord forbid" remembering Tom and
his ways At the expiration Of her sec
ond year of freedom she began to
aiehfen her black and found that with
khe DOMINIC OF soft and becoming
aavendars and puppies her spirits rose
Life seemed still bright and the world
place i'm which 10 have good time
and 10 make the most OF ones self and
ones opportunities. Why must she.
because of one mistake or error in
Judgment, be doomed TO live solitary
existence until she was an old woman?
Somehow the children. as dear as ever,
satisfied only one side Of her nature.
Instead OF thinking that she would live
for them and them only. she began to
appreciate that as they saw more OF
life and other people they would live
for others besides their mother Then
abe would be even lonelier than at
present.
One Lesson Enough.
So. gradually nut surely grew upon
af
all, there might be a second springtime
for her. For a while she turned from
the idea, for with her was also the
recollection Of her conjugal infelicity.
But soon she persuaded herself that
she would not make such a mistake
second time. Surely she had learned
her sad lesson we'll The scars she
stiH bore from the FIRE that had burned
her. had made her wary and watchful
Of all things that might scorch her. and
she was not TO be fooled a second time
BY any man. She was no longer an
Ignorant and foolish girl. but woman
made wish by suffering And, as other
people were happily married, probably
her experience had been the exception,
not the rule. Surely she might still be
as happy as these welded friends Of
hers. She was stin young. she told
herself for thirty three is not old.
Her two years Of peace seemed TO
nave rejuvenated her. and 1t was only
when she was very tired that she looked
her age. While her income from Toms
life insurance was sufficient to pro-
vide her and her children with the ne
cessities of life If she was careful she
aid not like to be careful Now she
must economic in order to have
enough to spend on pretty clothes she
loved and which she felt were her right
As her children grew older they would
cost more than now for she owed them
a good education and the advantages
which other young people had. How
she would have TO struggle to give them
these necessities and herself the lux
uries for which her soul longed. Yes.
she would do wen 10 marry again
But she would rot be Nasty with
ewes made clear by past experience in
rnatrimony. she would study every pos
esble sutton She would recall each Of
Toms faults and would consider others,
which he might have had hut which,
strangely enough. he had overlooked fin
forming his character And If any man
had any of these. or lacked any Of the
admirable traits. which she expected
from the man or her choice she would
exclude him Immediately from her call
culations
An Exaotina Creature.
A woman. unless she is in love IS an
exacting creature, and she has often de
cided against some man for as slight a
reason as an unfortunate trick of man
ner. lack Of some small courtesy, or
some taotless speech A man can
scarcely understand this and Il IS this
trait in women that makes him md her
incomprehensihle