The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-02-10
HIS WOMANLY Wife
By ELIZABETH SEARS.

| big, cushioned, bamboo cnalr peloIe
her driftwood fire with sigh OF con-
tent She held a package of business
papers in her hands. Dorothy always
dreaded business details. 1t would be
real relief when Thurston should
take it all off her hands. Meantime
the fire snapped and the embers
glowed seductively.
She was tired. Positively worn out.
Thurston had upset her so that after
noon. He had been so impetuous ana
she was not used to scenes. she
dropped the papers in her lap and
clasped her hands behind her head.
She loved the fragrant smell OF burn
ing wood. She loved to watch the
dancing, brilliant flames that nothing
but driftwood could produce.
She held out her dainty toes to the
heat and lazily congratulated herself,
as she admired them, that she had
never adopted the mannish styles
either of dress or of manners that SO
many women did Tom had never ap-
proved of 1t.
Her clinging black dress hung in es-
sentially feminine and well-built lines
as she sat there; but it was not at all
becoming. She did not look we'll in
black, yet she had worn it faithfully,
even devotedly, ever since Tom S
death
Her mother had spoken her mind
plainly about it.
"You look like a fright in black,
she had said, with the brutal frank
ness which Is permissible to rela-
tives. tom himself would not wish
it If he knew how unbecoming 1t was. '
was"
Thurston had said almost the same
thing that afternoon when he mad
asked her to marry him in a month
and go with him to Japan.
tom himself would wish you to
be happy" he had urged. She loved
Thurston with every fiber Of her be-
ing, but he was a man and could not
understand her feelings about 1t.
Tom would wish her to be happy.
That was just 1t. II he had been
brute or anything Of that sort, 1t
would be different. He had been
more than good to her. always. She
remembered, with choke in her
throat, all his affectionate little
ways.
Thurston was not always quite
reasonable. He had shown more than
trace Of a horrid temper. He had
been unnecessarily severe when he
had denounced her reasons for delay
as absurd, quixotic, unreasonable.
Surely It was not unreasonable to
wish to show proper respect to ones
husband.
Thurston, too, had reminded hel
of the fact that she had been
widow.more than year; that she had
mourned her husband faithfully and
with sincere grief.
She felt a thrill Of conscious virtue
at the thought. Not many women
would have worn black SO constantly
and so long when It was so unbecom
ing. She had really been very fond Of
Tom. Not, of course, as she loved
Thurston; no one could expect It They
wero 90 different She could not hell
but love Tom. He had been so goot
to her. He had loved her so com
pletely.
II had his every thought" she muir
INJURED. She remembered the day hi
had brought her home the very chail
she sat in, especially for her comfort
And even when he had gone to Japar
that time he had been 80 worried
about leaving her. She had wanted
to go. She had always longed to SEE
Japan. but Tom had been 80 tied dow
with that tiresome business he hat
+ thought the trip might not be pleasan
for her. But he had promised to g,
again just to take her, the dear boy.
The Grantleys had gone in the SANE
steamer. Mrs. Grantley had told he
!. how worried and busy poor Tom hat
been. If she had known the Grantley
were going at that time she woul'
have gone too. She would have en-
joyed the trip with them even II Ton
| had been too busy and occupied t
take her about. Dear Tom. He ha
never encouraged her intimacy wit
Helen Grantley. She was not his styl
Of woman, though she was undeniabl
handsome and brilliant in Ceopatr
sort of way She was so popular wit
most men. But Tom could never bea
any woman who made herself notice
able in any way.
mo woman ever suited him SO wei
as his brown-eyed, womanly wife.
How often he had said that. Tom ha
never dropped his loving ways. True
they had been married but two years
but she had known men who had bee
positively coarse to their wives in ia
. less time than that.
1t was so odd that Thurston woul
= not understand the way she felt.
would be so mean, so disloyal I
poor Tom to forget him SO soon. n
not to forget him. exactly; sh
would never do that-but to live an
be happy and be loved while he
no, decidedly, Thurston must wal
Men were SO selfish, the best c
i them.
TIL.