The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-02-11

NUN MI. OciWb rtCIctaAy
called up, asked II he we're home
and said: Mr.. Selwin was anx-
ious to see him." I did not know
what to say to him as l did not
want to tell him that Dick had
not been home. SO, like any other
woman would, lied glibly: "Mr.
Waverly had to go out of town
this morning on some business OF
his mothers"
"All right, when he returns
will you tell him to call up Mr..
Selwin either at the office or at
his house?"
This was about five o'clock In
the afternoon and l began to get
very nervous. At seven o'clock
l called up Mollie and asked her
IL Dick had been over there to-
day. She told me mo" and
asked: rs anything the matter.
Nargie?"
Nothing. dear; only won
dered II Dick and his mother had
settled on anything yet"
No. nothing has been settled
and | do wish someone would
hurry up and fix things up. am
going crazy with anxiety. One
minute Mother insists she will
never move from the old house
and the next she wants to get out
as soon as possible"
We'll, l guess, dear, that he
will be over very soon." rang
off for fear Mollie would ask
some more questions about Dick.
For hours | experienced again
the anger and terror that comes
to all waiting wives.
For a time | would grow hot
at the thought of Dick entirely
forgetting me. The next minute
| would say to myself that some
thing must have happened to him
that he certainly could not be
SO neglectful of me as to stay out
for SO hours without even a tele-
phone message. Then l would
grow cold with terror at the pic
ture my Imagination drew of him
lying dead or unconscious In
some out-of-the-way place where
he had been left to die by a foot
pad. | would start for the tele-
phone and then my common
sense would whisper: Nothing
can have happened to him; in his
own good time he will return
to find that you have worried
| The scent of those roses filled the
house and caused all sorts of
questions to form in my mind.
For whom had Dick intended
those roses?
A story that Bill Tenney and
he had laughed over the night
before kept ringing in my ears
and it had sinister meaning
that l did not realize as Dick
told it.
1t seems, little book. while he
was on his trip Dick had seen a
mutual friend who had been very
gay as an unmarried man. Say
Bill" said Dick, Il had funny
experience while / was in -.
l met Earl Winthrop there. He
invited me out to see his wife, a
soft-spoken little woman, who
did not seem very pleased to see
me nor happy with Earl. l scent
ed Immediately that there was
some trouble between them. His
wife looked as though she would
dissolve In tears at any moment
and left us together with the
usual feminine excuse of head
ache right after dinner. l did
not stay long as someway l could
not get into the old intimate re-
lations with Earl.
THE next day his wife called
me up at my hotel and asked II
she could come and see me fora
short while.
"Of course, when she came,
poor, thing, II was the old story
of mans perfidy: L don't know
what to do, Mr.. Waverly,' she
said, and I am almost a stranger
in this town and know no one of
whom I can asked advice at this
time.
II don't believe that Earl told
you that / had only arrived from
home, where / had been called by
the illness of my father, yester-
day afternoon. / had been gone
two weeks. returned unexpect-
eddy and went directly to the
house and there l found a woman
who was evidently very much at
home.
Who may you be?' she
asked.
81 am Mrs. winthrop an
swered. She flew to the tele-
phone and called up Earl: Say,
dearie, your wife is here-I'm on
my way After that | did NOT
see Earl until he came home with
you. think he brought you
with him because he was
ashamed to face me.
What shall l do, Mr.. Waiver
ly?' she asked. and then ex-
planned: OF course, | want to see
Earl happy-but--'
Bill shouted with laughter.
'sDick, she didn't say that" he
said.
"She sure did," answered Dick
with a grin.
well, all I've got to say lie
that she is the kind of wife
to have"
CONTINUED Tomorrow
-------------~----------- Il