The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-03-14
w WRITTEN
IN PENCIL
By CL1RISSA M1CklE

wretchedly poor-I don't care, 1 will
say it would never have married
him, so there!"
There was no one to hear this pas
sionate outburst of Bob Pages youn,
wife, unless one counted BOb's homel.
bull dog Flinders who crouched on tn,
dusty rug before the empty fireplace
his dubious eyes fixed on the girl
flushed pretty face and his black lii
curled in it's habitual sheer of derision
Nellie had always thought Flinders
sarcastic expression was cute to de
gree but tonight as she saw his steady
gaze fixed on her, as if he suspected
curl Of his lip above his row Of little
white teeth-she hated Flinders be
cause he was Bob's dog.
1t had been a miserable day, a day
! like a hundred others since she haG
married Bob Page. Bob had left hasti
ly to catch his train into town ano
Nellie knew that he had scarcely tasted
, the wretched breakfast which was the
| best she could prepare after several
months of experimenting In the
kitchen
Nellie Page was like thousands OF
other girls in her station in life. Her
father made just enough money to keep
, his daughters hands free from the
"soil' of homework, to save her from
the drudgery that her mother had suf'
fered when they were first married.
Henry Borden had so provided that
Nellie could have accomplishments OF
snowy sort, depending upon the
beauty and charm of his daughter to
consummate the sort of marriage that
would lift her above all the petty de-
tails of economy and housework There
fore Nellie Borden was a brilliant
pianist and could sing prettily; could
paint a little, embroider exQuisitely.
could make a concoction of creamed
eggs in the chatting dish-and that was
ALL
Nellie didn't fall in love with man
who could Immediately place her at
the head of retinue of servants who
might relieve her Of any responsibility
in the home-making. Nellie fell in
love 'th struggling young lawyer
and DO Page was struggling, slipping,
sliding, scrambling to keep a foothold
on the running board of an overcrowd-
ed profession. But he stayed there
though he had to wait for his money
and that made them behind with their
butcher and baker and grocer and Mel
lie grew peevish and Bob became more
tired and careworn as the months went
around and he saw how impossible it
was for poor man to make any head
way when he had wife who loathed
housework because she did not under
stand how to do it properly, who
couldn't prepare meal fit to be eaten
and who persistently reminded him
that they were poorer than their
neighbors.
Nellie Page was slowly becoming
that most unfortunate Of women, a
disconnected wife, and Bob was being
as slowly disillusioned of his dreams
OF love in cottage.
Nellie reread a letter she had re-
ceived from her mother that morning
In the epistle Mrs. Borden had said
that she and her husband were about
to take little southern trip and II it
were not for the fact that Bob needed
his wife at home they would take Mel
lie with them. Nellie rebelled now
because she could not CO. She had
nothing to wear and she was ashamed
to tell her father that Bob was so slow
about collecting his bills.
Suddenly she jumped to her feet
and tossed the letter into the waste
basket. She looked at the clock and
saw that it lacked two hours of Bob's
homecoming. IN do tit will
brighten him well-and serve him
right"
For half hour Nellie Page worked
busily and at the end of that time she
packed suit case, dressed herself for
/ journey and sat down and scrubbed
l note to her husband She wrote it in
pencil on a scrap of paper and she
to convey within a small
space and in a few words all her dis
content with their mode of life and
her disappointment in him and she
told him that she was going away.
That was all. This note she placed on
his desk in the living-room, exchanged
one defiant look with Flinders, and
went out of the house.
She was vexed that she had to walk
he quarter Of mile to the railroad
station. One of her neighbors passing
swiftly in a motor car, apparently did
not see her and Nellie's discomfort
with life was deepened.
There were not many persons going
INTO town on that train but the woman
IN the motor and another one who
lived next door to the Pages subur-
ban cottage were in the same coach
md in the semi-darkness of the win
er afternoon sat down in the seat be-
hind Nellie without recognizing her
She pulled her thick veil more closely
around her face and leaned back
against the big fur collar of her coat.
The train started and the voices of