The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-09-05

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time enough If she let her know Dams
plans tomorrow?
When Dan heard the condition of Of.
fairs that night he looked his aston
ishment. You accepted an invitation
without knowing whether 1 would 90
or not!" he exclaimed.
There was a new note Of defiance In
the wife's tone. IL certainly did" she
retorted. Il do not mean to miss the
things l enjoy Just because of a within
Of yours"
But suppose l do not want to go?"
Then l shall go without you" de-
clared the woman firmly.
There was a dead silence for a
minute. Then Daisy went on with:
Il would, however, like to know, for
the sake Of courtesy, what l am to
tell Mrs. Jackson. Common polite
ness demands that you accept or de-
cline"
And uncommon politeness has
moved you to leave me out of your
arrangements" affirmed her husband.
The wife laughed with forced mirth,
then grew grave. See here, DAN"
she urged, do, for once look at the
matter sanely and, If possible, unset
fshly. You like one kind of thing, /
like another kind. Why may not each
of us enjoy life in our own way? You
like to stay at home and read, and
l prefer to go out and have a good
time. Is not my right to live my
life as good as your right to live
yours?"
you mean," asked her husband,
that you want me to say you may &C.
cept any invitations without consult
ing me, and 1 am at liberty to decline
or accept them as 1 please?"
"Just that"
For a moment the man knew that he
felt in his innermost soul a throb
of relief at the possibility that here
after he need not go about to all kinds
of society affairs with his wife.
His wife's voice checked his u
ings. Really, Dan," she was saying
TREMENDOUSLY, when you remember
that in a few months l won't be able
to go out and have fun, l do not think
that you need grudge me the enjoy
ment Of this little outing now"
With a pang Of remorse the husband
drew her to him. Forgive me,
dear!" he pleaded. II was a brute to
forget. OF course we'll go to the
Jackson's weekend party, and any
where else you want to go, and you
shall have all the good times you
want now, for"--his voice softening-
when you have a dear little child who
needs you, you will not want to go
away from home any more"
His wife looked at him gravely. ~
am not SO sure OF that" she said
calmly.
And her husband had the wisdom
to make no reply.
During the weeks of the following
summer when Daisy's physical condi-
ton prevented her going into society,
Dan set aside, as often as was prac-
ticable, his work, his books, and all
his personal inclinations in order to
minister to her whims and fancies.
He walked with her and drove with
her, for they had taken a furnished
cottage in a quiet country place for
NAS ANotSN A1S huSW IudI Fig
was wearied by the monotony Of their
daily life, for, as she cared little. for
books, and was not well enough to
meet the few city people who were
summering in the nearby village, one
day was much like another. He won
dered sometimes whose fault it all
was. One day a man met on the train
was talking of marriage, and dropped
a sentence that fingered in Daniel
Drayton's memory for months after
ward.
Married life" affirmed his new &C.
quaintance, must have something
more than love to hold two people to-
gether. A couple who are congenial
may be comparatively happy, even If
they do not feel a passionate love for
each other; but the most ardent love
viii faint and die If it is not backed
by congeniality of taste and interests.
Were l a woman l would rather that
my husband were my friend than my
lover. A real man does not go back
on a friend, but husband and wife
who are not comrades and chums tire
OF each other, and"-with an express
sive gesture-"smash something-the
marriage VOWS, or their W lives, un-
less, Of course, there is the one great
tie which makes their smashing things
a crime"
And that tie" queried Dan, "is?"
"A child or children, sir!"
They do not always hold their par
ents together" Drayton reminded
him.
No" said the other bitterly, they
don't, except when the parents are too
decent to let the children pay for
their mistakes"
In his W room that night, after
a dull evening with Daisy, Dan sat
by the open window, smoking and pom
dering. He dwelt on the evening Just
past, and recalled how Daisy had
talked a little of what some of her
friends were doing in the mountains
or at the ~seashore, of what the maya
zines said of the fashions for the
coming autumn, of how she would like
to have her furs remodeled for next
winter. Dan had yawned, but not
openly, as Daisy did, for he did not
want to hurt her faaun0a piff he