South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-20
SECOND YEAR OF
MARRIED LIFE.

! New York, May 16. 1911.
Dear Helen:-Your last letter re-
ceived Friday. Have been intending
/ to write you, but have been quite
busy. Hope you are enjoying your
visit. Everything here is moving
along all right. Have been taking
most of MY dinners at mothers Glad
| to hear Winifred is well. Give her
my love. Hurriedly yours,
WARREN.
! Helen had received this short notice
almost a week before, and not one
word since. Every day she looked
eagerly, tensely, for a letter but none
had come.
She had been at Carterstown almost
three weeks now and in that time she
| had received only two brief notes
from Warren. And this last almost
a week ago.
Her birthday ne had entirely ig-
nored.
But, at least her people did not
know this; and she was more than
ever fiercely glad of her strategy-of
the flowers she had sent herself so
that everyone would think they were
from him.
| What could this silence mean? Had
he really forgotten her birthday or
had he remembered and not cared ?
This last note was dated the 18th. the
day after her birthday, and yet he
had not even referred to it.
She Re-Read the Note.
Again she read the note, hoping to
read into ii something between the
lines But even her vivid magma
ton could find nothing underlying
those cold, stereotyped phrases.
Could it be that he was really
missing her very much, and was too
proud TO say so? Had he purposely
written this cold little note fearing to
write more, lest she should read be-
tween the lines? Might it be that
even now, he was wanting her to come
back?
And because, in her letters. she had
said nothing Of returning, he was also
rigidly refraining from any reference
to her return?
Like the foolish little woman she
was, Helen let her imagination run
riot along these linese. 1t is so easy
to believe what we want TO believe.
And now she brought to bear ev-
erything she could to bolster up this
| belief 1t might be that all along ne
had been hurt-deeply hurt that she
had wished to come on this visit at
ALL and that his seeming indifference
about II had been ony his way of
hiding the hurt. And now he might
| continue to write her brief, cold notes
until she, OF her own accord, came
back TO him.
was that what he wanted? Was
that what he was waiting for was
that why he didn't write? was ne
trying. in this way, TO make her re-
turn? Her heart leaped at the
thought
How many women have tried 10
persuade themselves that the neglect
and coldness of the man they love Is
only an expression of his hurt prloe'
And how often they have let this De-
lief lead them TO further overtures'
20 further concessions and humllla-
tionsl
The Delusion of Women.
Ii is one Of the inconceivable things
OF woman's nature that when she Is
separated from the man she loves
however cruel he may have been TO
her she dwells not on his cruelty, but
on his rare moments of tenderness.
! She cherishes those moments anc ives
them over and over again. Ana so
she feels and keeps burning~the flames
of her love.
| she -persuades herself that in those
few gentle tender moments was shown
the real nature OF the man. And tnat
all his selhshness and harshness Is
not the true part of himself, but only
the result of an unfortunate combi-
nation of circumstance" which have
tended TO irritate and eXasperate ana
make him not himself.
How grimly the gods must smile.
and weep too, for very pity, wnen
woman tries TO make excuses Tor
/ neglect and mistreatment from the
man they love. because he Is mot
/ himself'-because OF the worry OF
his business. or Of his health, or of
innumerable other things
She will neve- admit 10 herself the