Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-03

spirit and the tears ready to gush from
my eyes, / heard her coaxing him in her
submissive and insincere tones, while
he blamed and scolded her.
Half an hour afterward my Aunt
Bridget came to me In my mothers
room. Never in my life before had
been so pleased to see her. She, at
least would see my situation with a
woman's eyes But l was doomed to
another disappointment.
Goodness me, girl" she cried
what's this your father tells me? One
Of your own guests, is 1t? That one
with the big eyes, I'll go bail. Well,
serves you right, [ say. for bringing a
woman like that into the house with
your husband-so smart and such a
quality toss with her. If you were
lonely coming home, why didn't you ask
your aunt or your first cousin? There
would have been no trouble with your
husband then-not about me at all
events. But what are you thinking OF
doing%'
Getting divorce" I answered,
firmly, for my heart was now aaame.
II I had held a revolver in my Aunt
Bridget's face, she could not have look
ed more shocked.
Mary O'Neill. are YOU made" she
cried. Divorce, indeed! No woman OF
our family has ever disgraced herself
like that. What will your father say
What's to happen to Betsy Beauty?
What are people going to think about
me?"
| answered that I had not made my
! marriage, and those who had made, 1t
| must take the consequences
What does that matter now9 Hun
dreds of thousands of women have
married the wrong man Of their own
free-will, but if every woman who has
made rue bargain were to try to get
out Of it your way, where would the
world be, l wonder Perhaps you thinks
you could marry somebody else. hut
you couldn't, What decent man wants
to marry divorced woman even if she
is the injured party?"
! Then you think l ought to submit
tamely submit to such infdelities?" l
! asked
"Sakes alive" said my Aunt Bridget
''''Nt Ni'N 'oi YOU tAO Men are DCfEE~
amous animals and we women have to
make up our minds to It. Goodness
knows I had to, when the old Colonel
used to go hanging around those Eng
lish barmaids at the Cock and Hem
! Be little blind. girl-that's what nine
wives out Of ten have to be every day
and every night and all the world over
VIII that make my husband anv
BETTER" l asked.
Il don't say 1t WILL" said my Aunt
Bridget. 1T will make you better
though. What the eye doesn't see the
heart doesn't grieve. That's something
isn't it,"
To Take Martin Advice.
When l went to bed that night nv
whole soul was in revolt. The church.
the law, society. parental power, all the
conventions and responsibilities seemed
to be in conspiracy to condone my
husbands otfense and to make me his
scapegoat doomed to a life of hypocri-
sy and. therefore, immortality and
shame. l would die rather than endure
it. Yes. | would die that very day
rather than return to my husbands
house and go through the same ordeal
again.
But next morning when thought of
Martin, as | always did on first awak-
ing, | told myself that / would live AMI
be clean woman in my own eyes,
whatever the world might think Of me.
! Martin was now my only refuge, so
would tell him everything. It would be
hard to do that, but no matter. would
crush down my modesty and tell him
everything. And then, whatever he told
me to do. should do IT,
knew quite well what my resolu-
ton meant, what it implied and in
VOWED. but still | thought. Whatever
he tells me to do | will do it
/ remembered what the Countess In
Rome had said about a life OF Com
plete emancipation" as an escape from
unhappy marriage, and even get l
thought. Whatever he tells me to do
! win do IT,"
After coming to that conclusion. l
felt more at ease and got up TO dress.
This is an extract from a long Install
nnent of 1.-THE Woman Thou Gavest Me-"
in HEARST'S MAGAZINE for March.
Get II from your newsdealer and read
the whole of this compelling story.