Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-29
Their Married Life
By MABEL HERBERT URNER

had been struggle for its possession
Then came a scrawl in Bob's large
vertical hand.
II can't spare my wife another
minute! She's been writing to you
} for half an hour-and that's quite
: long enough"
Then again in Louise's hand:
You see. how he tyrannizes ovel
! me? Hereafter I shall write un.
hattering things about him so he'll
: have no desire to look over my
J shoulder. I'll finish this tomorrow
Bob says the taxi's waiting - we're
going for a long drive into the ooun-
| try"
The next page was dated "Wetlnes-
day.:
Bob has gone out for some
! theater tickets. It's the first time thai
I've been really alone. And Heller
there's something I want to ask yor
something l couldn't ask anyone
else.
"You know first attracted Bob b,
my aloofness, by making him fee
that he was never quite sure of me
At times l used that aloofness as a
deliberate lure. I think every woman
has done this; it's part of the game
A feigned coldness to the man she
loves is a woman's most effective en-.
ticement.
But now that I'm his wife, to what
degree must 1 still keep up this pre-
tense? That is what / want to know
now. Can | let him see all the emo
tional intensity of my love? Or must
keep on pretending that l am just
a little cold and reticent? Must ]
keep up the subterfuge Of being pur-
sued?
There are times in the last few
days, when L have let myself go
just a little. / may have only imag-
ined 1t, but it seemed to me that BOZ
looked surprised. There might have
been even suggestion of withdrawal
on his part. 1t was only momentary
of course. and SO slight that 1 may
have been wrong, yet it checked me
instantly.
L am expressing this very badly
but 1t Is all very subtle. Yet l feel
sure you'll understand what I have
written-and much that I haven't
Write me freely and tell me some
thing Of what you have learned In
these four years of your married
life.
"Oh, want to keep Bob always
my lover-as he is now. And If tc
do this means that I must show my
love always little less than he shows
his, that 1 must feign a constant
elusiveness-it will be hard, cruelty
hard! Yet 1 will try!
| LOUISE"
well, what's che got to say? Let's
hear it," demanded Warren. who had
now finished his mail.
oh, can't read you this
why can't you?"
The Reason Why
why, dear, it's-it's a very per-
sonal letter. I'm sure Louise wouldn't
want me to. But they're very happy
l-and still at the Walton. They're
so comfortable there. they're not GO
ing on for a while"
Fine! But let's hear the letter. u
Dear. I tell you can't! II
wouldn't be fair to Louise
THE sentimental effusion of a
bride, eh? Lot of maudlin rot! I'll
| bet 1t fairly oozes with gush, All
right you needn't read it. Guess we
can survive without hearing it, eh
Purr- New" shying a crumpled en-
Velope at Pussy Purr New, who was
regarding him with grave interest.
Louise couldn't gush if she wanted
! to-" retorted Helen Indignantly
And she's not sentimental in the way
you mean
Huh, an women are alike. She'll
probably have Bob strfeited before
|
| Helen caught her breath. He was
answering the very question Louise
had asked.
Dear, don't you think man
should WANT his wife to be affec-
tionate? If she loves him why
shouldn't she show it?"
We'll, no man wants to be eter-
nally slobbered over" brutally, as he
rose from the table. wonder if I'll
/ N n,, H. -.
| give him that thin suit to press"
! When he had gone, Helen went back
! to the breakfast table and again
read Louise's letter. All morning she
pondered over it. "Oh, / want to keep
Bob always my lover''-that phrase
haunted her. Could any woman keep
her husband lover always? Certainly
she had not. Then how could she ad.
wise Louise?
When finally she sat down to
write her, she had the feeling that
anything she might say would be only
words, that in this she was patheti-
| cally unqualified to offer advice.
Louise dear:
l think the lives Of most women are
made up of pretenses and subterfuges
to hold the love of some one man
that's what We're all striving for. But
not always in the same way.
Assumed coldness and elusiveness
| may be the ruse of one woman, while
| another impassioned ardor may be
more effective.
81 know Bob is much like Warren
but you and l are so different.
I haven't your independence nor per-
| haps your pride. I've never been able
to assume aloofness with Warren.
I've always been demonstrative and
emotional. l can't help it-I know it
pals on him and I hate myself for
my weakness Often he withdraws
from my caresses, they irritate and
annoy him, and vet his very with
drawal makes me lavish them on him
all the more.
Eyes; l suppose all men do like to
pursue. 1t is the unattainable, the
thing they are not always sure of, that
| appeals to them most. And if you
have the courage to school yourself
to little coldness and reserve, if you
can hold Bob always in the attitude of
| the pursuer-it may keep him more
the lover.
THAT is what every women wants
Ito keep her husband lover always.
And yet, how dsmally most of us
fail! l don't believe any woman ever
had all the love she wanted, and she
always feels that she might have had
more if she had been different
Yet none of us can play a part
for very long. We may keep up a
pretense for awhile, but we always
end by being-just ourselves.
"HELEN."
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