The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-28
Married Life
the Second Year
ey MABEL HERBERT uRNER.

Helen slowly drew out her hat pins
and laid them on the dresser before
her. Although she was casing into the
mtrror she hardly saw her reflection.
How could Warren have spoken to
her like that? How needless to humil-
late her before the Stevens. She was
cunning one of the hat pins through
the hem stitched edge of the bureau
cover and She went over every Incl
dent Of the drive.
Just because she had screamed when
those dogs had darted almost under
the car! How could she have helped
it? And yet 1t made him furious and
he had flared out at her before them
all.
"Shrieked like Commanche Indian"
was one of the things he had said.
Her lips quivered as she remembered
MRS. Stevens look of surprise at War
ren's anger, then her kindly effort to
put her at east by claiming that every
exhibition of nerves make a man an
cry.
And then they had stopped at the
road house and Warren had hardly
spoken to her and had shown his dis
pleasure by ignoring her in the most
pointed way all through the evening.
And when they reached the hotel he
had helped her out and left her stand
ing there on the gravel path while he
called out:
Stevens, don't you want another
smoke before you go to bed?"
For a moment she stood waiting,
thinking OF course he would go with
her up the steps; but he had deliber-
ately walked off with Mr.. Stevens and
left her standing there. And she had
made her way up to their room with
burning sense of Indignation.
And now she realized that she had
not even taken off her hat. She drew
out the hat pins she had so carefully
woven into the bureau scarf and
reached up to unfasten her veil.
The door opened and Warren en-
tered. Helen did not turn. but their
eyes met lin the mirror. His was still
hard and angry.
What on earth have you been do
ing? You haven't got your hat off yet.
thought, you'd be in bed by this time"
He took off his coat and drew
chair to the open window, put his feet
on the sill, and lit a cigar. Helen laid
her hat on the shelf of the narrow
closet, folded up her veil and started
TO put it in the top drawer. But it was
cheap oak dresser, the kind preva-
lent in summer hotels, and the var
nish had stuck and now the drawer
refused to open.
She could put the veil somewhere
else, It was not necessary to open the
drawer just yet, But she dreaded the
long sullen silence which she felt War
Ten was falling into, so she asked qui-
city:
Warren, can you open this drawer
for me? It is stuck somewhere"
Without answering he lowered his
feet and put his cigar on the window
sill, came over and jerked the drawer.
But it obstinately refused to open.
Again he tried, but still without sue
cess. With a third effort one of the
cheap brass handles came off in his
hand.
With a muttered oath he fastened
back the handle and tried again. Ev-
erything on the bureau swayed peri
lousy.
"Oh, wait-wait," Helen caught
powder box as it was sliding off. Don't
you will knock everything Overt"
But unheeding, Warren gave another
vicious jerk and bottle of toilet wa
ter came crashing over the hand mir
ror breaking the mirror and splitting
most of it's contents.
AS the bottle tottered, with a scream
Helen had darted forward to catch
It.
That's right, scream some more!
You're doing we'll for one night" And
with a jerk it sent the brushes and
other things sliding to the floor, and
then the drawer came open.
Warren stalked to the window and
resumed his chair and cigar. While
Helen gathered up the wreckage.
She was fiercely indignant now Not
because of the broken mirror but be-
tcause of his renewed anger that she
had screamed again.
This time she would make no effort
no appease him. If he cared to be sui
1en and silent the rest of the night
sshe would not humiliate herself by
making an further overtures.
She wished now that they we're at
home. However hot and sitting their
apartment was, at least she had the
refuge of her own room. But here they
had only this small hotel room.
She turned out the light after slip
ping into bed, and only the faint re-