Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1913-04-11
CHAPTER vl.-(continued.)

CHAPTER Vl.-(Continueo')
"I don't see how she could do that
, Transparent neck and all l don't
think that's the kind of dress to wear
In q theater It's too sort OF con-
spicuous." :,
81 think Hannah's right" said Josh
solemnly, nodding at Berny. ut don't
seem to me the right thing for a lady.
Looks fast"
what do you know about 1t, Josh
McCrae?" said Hazel pugnaciously'
You're clerk in jewelry store"
Maybe | am" retorted Josh, but
guess that don't prevent me from
knowing when thing looks fast.
Clerks in jewelry stores aint such
gummers as you might think. And,
anyway, don't see that being clerk
in any kind OF store has anything to
do with 1t"
Hazel was saved the effort OF max
ing crushing repartee, by Pearl, VINO
had been silently eating her lunch'
now suddenly launching remark into
the momentary pause.
"Did Uncle Dominick go to the
ball?" she asked, raising a pair OF
Iimpid blue eyes to Berny's face.
An instantaneous, signi1cant silence
fell on the others, and all eyes turned
inouiringly to Berry. Her air of cool
control became slightly exaggerated,
mo, he stayed at home with me,
she replied, picking daintily at the
meat on her plate.
But suppose he felt real hurt and
sannoyed." said Hannah. "He couldn't
have helped it."
Berny did not reply. She knew that
she must sooner or later tell her
sisters of Dominick's strange depart
ure. They would find it out other
wise and suspect more than she want
ed them to know. They, like the rest
of the world, had no idea that Berny's s
brilliant marriage was not the domes
tic success it appeared on the surface
She moved her knife and fork with an
arranging hand, and, as Hazel started
to speak, said with as careless an air
sas she could assume:
"Dominick's gone. He left this
morning"
Gone where?" exclaimed Hazel
This was the test question and Berny
had echooled herself in an answer in
the car coming uD.
"Oh, up into the country" she said
Rnonchalantly. He's wornSout. They
work the life out of him in that hor
rible bank. He's getting insomnia
and thought he'd better take change
now before he got run completely
down, so he left this morning and I'm
q gay grass widow"
She laughed and drank some wa
ter Her laugh did not sound to hei
own ears convincing and she was
aware that, while Hannah was evi
IDENTIFY satisfied by her explanation
Hazel was eying her ponderingly.
"Well. if he's got insomnia" sait
Hannah, he'd better take his holiday
right now. That's the best thing tt
do. Take it in the beginning. Befor.
father took ILL"
Here Josh interrupted her, as Han
nah's "reminiscences of the late con
tractors last illness were long ant
exhaustive.
"Where'd you say he'd gomez" h'
queried
81 can't remember the name," Bern!
answered with skillfully-assumed In
difference; somewhere down TOWARD
Santa Cruz and Monterey, some new
place. And he may not stay there. /
he doesn't like it, he'll just NOV,
around from place to place"
why didn't you go, too?" SAT-
Pearl.
This was the second question Bern
had dreaded. Now suddenly she fel
her throat contract and her lip
quiVer. Her usually iron nerve ha
been shaken by her passion of tn
night before and the shock OF tn
morning. The unwonted sensations c
gloom and apprehension closed in o
her again, and this time made he
feel weak and fearful.
II didn't want to. / hate movin
around" she said. pushing her chai
back from the table. Her voice wa
a little hoarse, and suddenly feelin
the sting of tears under her eyelid
she raised her hands to her hat an
began to tumble with her veil. "Wh
should leave my comfortable fiat [
go trailing round in lot of half-bui
hotels? That sort of thing doesn
appeal to me at all. like my ow
cook, and my own bed, and my ow
bath-tub. I'm more of an old mai
than Hannah. Well, so long, peopl
must be travelling"
She laid her napkin on the table an
gumped up with an assumption
lbrisk lIyeliness. She paid no atte
,tion to the expostulations of her rel
GiYes. but going to the glass arrange