Evening star., 1913-06-15
THE DAILY STORY.
Her Husband.
Her Husband.
Copyright. 1913, by ". Werner }

themselves away from fascinating
| bargain counter at /, had lunched at q
fashionable restaurant and chatted
with couple of acquaintances," and
now they were finishing out the after
Don at the concert hail
| There was a thin, rather inattentive
| audience. composed mainly of women
wearing some fine spring gear. and
| Eugenie's eye wandered constantly
from the performers. Though the music
throbbed insistently, she was scarcely
| aware of 1t. Her thoughts were oc-
eupied with whether she had not made
a mistake in having maline instead of
roses on her new hat
| Her mind veered suddenly from the
subject OF the hat to the fact that two
"ather loud tones under cover of a
| crescendo passage in the music Said
/ one:
But she's not living with him, is she
when she's at home with her mother
all the time? Doesn't that look"
They say he only draws a thousand
year. was the reply "I just saw
her In Colson's buying lace at IS
yard. hink OF it! People are saying
The color streamed into Eugenies s
| face. "Why, they're talking about me-"
| she thought with indignation. ~"I
bought that etght-dollar lace, and Rod
mans salary, at Westmore is $1,000 a
year | wonder who that woman is.
| How dare she discuss me like that.
And what are people saying generally?
l never dreamed they said anything.
why should they comment on my stay.
| ing at home? It's my own affair And
Rodman doesn't object
| Yet was she SO sure that Rodman did
not object? There had been something
In his last letter. mere phrase, which
came to her now curiously. Yet she
had read the letter through only once.
you seem to be getting farther away
each day. Those were the words.
Reading them she had not stopped to
think what they might mean.
Her thoughts went back to that
morning seven years ago when she met
Rodman. They were in attendance at
| the same university. She had special
lied In music and he in mathematics.
He had wooed her throughout their
and then she had married him. Her
mother had been unwilling. She had
had higher aims for her daughter than
| marrying her to the assistant principal
! in a country high school.
Eugene had been married two years,
| and most of that time she had spent
at home with her mother. She did
not like Westmore; she wac much hap
pier at home and Rodman got along
very wef without her. Occasionally
she went to see him, but she did not
| like the fare at his boarding house,
and there were no theaters to amuse
her. She always was glad to get away,
even at the expense of leaving Rodman.
He was slight of figure. a little
bowed at the shoulders, with hair pre-
maturely gray at the temples. Rod
! man was not man who would do
great things or attain marked recog-
humble. She had found him rather
like profound volume which she could
lay aside at will and take up again at
the same point she had left off. He
was always there. She was sure of
him. 1t had never occurred to her that
he might not be just as sure of her.
And yet there was that phrase of
his: You seem to be getting farther
away each day" She had thought that
he meant only mere distance, for West
more was a whole days journey from
her home town. 1t came to her like q
pang that he had in truth i'm
piled more.
Again there was burst of crescendo
her. Hes either a fool or an angel.
In either case the result is inevitable.
OF such stuff are divorces made!'
The speaker laughed And the other
replied: IF she were older she'd know
better. I should think her mother would
warn her."
Eugene touched her mothers arm.
Mother. I'm tired of this. Let us CO."
she said.
They rose. AS they turned to leave
their seats Eugene recognized in the
women who had discussed her two of
| her mothers most fashionable acquaint-
| ances. She hurried by without speak
| ing. In the lobby, her mother gained
| her side.
"Eugenie. you did not bow to Mrs.
| Altscheler and Mrs. Burgess. They sat
right behind u.s. said Mrs. Graham
Eugenia said nothing. She was too
1 t1n II
much taken up with this new thing that
had been thrust upon her notice. ''Of
such stuff are divorces made." IF she
were older she'd know better" The
words stung like annoying insects in
her ears. Dlvorce! 1t was evident peo-
| pie were saying things-were expecting
| some such outcome from the fact that
she and Rodman were so much apart
| She had been certain of finding let
ter from Rodman on arriving home. And
seventh day since he had written. "How
strange" she thought. 1t has never
happened before. He may be ill., Then
came maddening conviction: He may
! simply be growing Indifferent
II will go to him. she said aloud
She filled travelling bag. Her mother
| was at the door receiving parcel from
| messenger boy. She turned a delight
| ed face.
Eugene. they've sent our pur-
chases-'' she said; then with a kind
of wall, "Oh, where are you going?'
I'm going to Rodman, mother I've
| just about time to make the train. 1
| must see Rodman."
| During the long night journey to West
more Eugene thought much of her mar
| ried life. "Rodman gave me all. What
have given him? 1 have spent his
money for things / could never have
had use for had lived in Westmore
have been a bad wife. II Rodman
| should be i'll or grown too Indifferent"
she walled. "Oh, shall 1 never get
! to Westmore"
The train got in on time, at 8 O'Clock.
| A cab was waiting. She overpaid the
| man to hurry her to Rodman's board
ing place. Outside of ROdman's door
she hesitated with a sickening feeling
| lest what she hoped to find might not
| await her. Softly she turned the knob
and looked In. 1t was a large dingy
room in all its early morning disheveI-
ment At his work table, close to the
| one available window, Rodman sat-
His back was toward her. His head
| was on his arms. And in the stiffness
| she distinctly heard him sob. With
quick movement she went to him,
| leaned over him. lifted his head to her
bosom. pressed her face to his.
ROdman, my husband, I've come to
you-and I love your
| Eugene"
| Looking into his eyes she saw amaze
ment, wonder. surprise die out of them
and give place to a great Joy and
thankfulness. He smiled. And she
kissed him before the smile could go.