Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-05-01
Adventures in
MatrimOny

BY LEoNA DALRYMPLE.

Ono Cause of Quarrels.
Mary and [ have had ironic proof
of the contagion of ill-temper. AL
unwlttingly we started on something
that linked Mary, mother, dad, the
cook and myself in q correlated mud
| die of friction. It all started in a
difference Of mood, more often than
not the cause of misunderstanding
| / had come home rather earlier than
usual-about o'clock. Mary and
l were to dine with mother and dad.
We had plenty of time to spare, and
after had bathed and shaved myself
into coolness we decided to motor
until 6 o'clock. Which sounded in
nocent and pleasant enough and GER
| tainly quite devoid of any such pos
sibilities as it eventually developed.
! If 1t hadn't been for the tennis club
and a knock in the engine-mother
wouldn't have quarrelled with the
cook about the tomatoes-all of which
seem utterly unrelated-and wasn't.
Tennis or Dancing?
The cloud no bigger than a mans
hand of which we read in every sea
story lay in the fact that Mary was
in a glow of vivacity and good humor
and I was rather tired and absent
minded
AlISs ItiN %, 0liC bt5cil Ae'ulShiiSAJ
"has invited us to join the tennis
club. I'm simply tickled to death.
It's awfully exclusive, Peter, and
really very few people have the
chance to join"
Now | must confess that I received
this only with my sub conscious
mind Afterward when Mary had
very carefully and politely repeated
the whole conversation for me, l did
remember 1t, but at the time [ had
lust caught the noise of a faint tap
ping In the engine of the car, and,
man-lilSe, was bending all of my at
tention to place 1t.
And" my wife declares she went
on in sprightly, pleasant tones,
there's to be a series of dances-the
first one in O week. We're to go as
guests of the Hayes. Are you WILL
ing2"
"Willing to Join the tennis club?"
I answered absently. Surely! 1
like tennis lot"
II wish you'd listen," said Mary.
"I don't think you caught in the least
what l said. l said, Were you will
ing to go to the dance"
Peter Inattentive Again.
"What dancer" | asked stupidity.
1T spoke of 1t a minute ago-the
tennis dance.
"Ohi" said 1, and caught that con-
founded tapping in the engine again.
I was fairly sure 1t was valve tap
and listened intently.
| came out of my abstraction with
Mortified sense of having missed
something else Mary had said.
What do you think3" she was say
ing.
IT don't know" I said rather cau-
tiously, what do you say?"
"I told you minute ago what
think" said Mary: ITS merely for
you to say now"
She waited quite some time and
felt that I was trapped.
did YOU hear what I safd?'' In
quired Mary coldly.
ITO tell you the truth, Mary" ad-
mitted, IT didn't. l was listening to
q valve tap in tho engine"
Again"
'Why do you say againf"
because" said my wife, formally,
I've been chatting along ever since
we left the house and you've either
answered in monosyllables and grunts
or you haven't answered at all, and
when you did take the trouble to
answer you answered wrong. should
think when q man takes his wife out
for n ride ne should at least pay
some attention to her instead OF con-
centrating on some horrid old tappy
thing In an engine"
felt very guilty. Mary's cheeks
grew very red and she relapsed into
silence. That was the beginning.