Atlanta Georgian., 1913-03-10
Married Life the Third Year
BY MABEL HERBERT URNER

| ing seem to grow heavier, as though
ne was feigning sleep?
She waited a few moments. then
crept out of bed, felt for her slippers,
TOOK her pillow and the counterpane
"hlch covered the bed in the daytime
ana went into the front room.
II was narrow antique sofa. attrac-
i've as a piece of furniture, but most
uncomfortable to lie on. But if she
could not sleep here, at least she could
breathe. She had opened all the front
windows and those in the library ad-
joining but still the heavy, damp air
did not stir the curtains. Yet Warren
had expected her to sleep in that stuffy
room on night like this!
No Capitulation.
But surely he would not let her lie
out here all night on this hard, mar
row couch! He would soon realize how
unreasonable he had been and would
want the window open, for even he
could not sleep in there long without
air.
From outside came the mingled night
sounds Of the city, the occasional rum
| Die or a distant elevated, the hoarse
SquaWk of an automobile, or the drag
| ging hoofs of a weary cab horse.
But Helen was straining for the
sound Of the opening door and for
Warren's slippered step coming after
her Already her back ached with the
hardness of the narrow sofa, her head
| ached and her throat ached, too. with
forced back sobs. Oh why did Warren
let her lie out here?
| Then came the thought that perhaps
he had already opened the window, and
was waiting for her to come back and
find 1t open. Softly she stole to the
bed room door and softly turned the
Knob But the window was still closed.
The room was suffocating, and Warren
under the many covers was snoring
| heavily.
He would be really sick If he slept
in that room all night. For the mo-
ment Helen forgot herself and thought
only of Warren. The helplessness of
a man asleep always arouses the moth
er-fnstinct of the woman who loves
him. And now when Helen quietly
! opened the window a few inches her
only thought was of him.
Again she went back to the front
room couch. For now, although the
bedroom window was open, this time it
!
Gus feminine illogicalness she would
not let 1t benefit her
There are times when all women lose
their sense of proportion, and this was
one of the times when Helen lost hers.
Perhaps it was partly because she had
been tired and unstrung all day, and
this incident of the closed windows
had only helped to unnerve her, for
now with an unreasonable perverse-
| no oh 1At ,t,,,NI -. 1
Warren came after her.
Warren 8 Sound Sleep.
But he did not come, and she lay
there nursing both her grievance and
| her unhappiness. At length her
| thoughts grew confused and she dozed
"a troubled, unrestful self conscious
ness.
In the last hour 1t had grown much
colder, a sudden change of temperature
that often comes toward morning The
! curtains which had hung so Imply
were now billowed out by sharp
| north wind. And Helen in her half
doze lay there shivering under the one
thin counterpane.
At length a sound of splutterlng
steam aroused her. 1t was morning;
| Maggie was turning on the dining
room radiator. Fearing she would sur
| mise some quarrel II she saw her there,
Helen rose hastily, gathered up the
pillow and counterpane and hurried
! back into the bedroom.
Warren was asleep. 1t was only 6
and they never got up before 7.
Helen aching all over and nearly sick
from the almost sleepless night on the
hard couch longed to creep into bed
and rest.
But that would be a weakening;
when Warren awoke he would think
she had come back during the night.
AS she stood there shivering unde
cided Warren suddenly yawned and
opened his eyes.
Hello, you up? What time is it?"
He drew his watch from under the
pillow and squinted at it sleepily.
! "Why it's only 6. What's the matter?
What're you getting up now for?"
I'm not getting up, dear" as Helen
crept into bed. Il was just going to
see what time It was
MY. you're cold. Why on earth
don't you wear some sensible flannel
night gowns instead of those thin
things. nothing but a bit of lace for
| sleeves. Never saw a woman yet that
dressed with any sense
Then he turned over heavily. Nov
| don't be jumping up again. | want to
sleep"
So he did not even know that she
had spent all those hours on the front
room couch! He had slept through
the night and had not even missed
her