The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-06-25

!
know what I'm going to DO! I'm ohiy
going to order one grapefruit a day
well. if you don't want the girl
70 have graDefruit--Id rather tell
her than do thing like that. JoVe'
YOU can be mighty small,
Warren, I'm not SMALL passion
atelv. That's what you always say
because you know it hurts me. DO
you think your mother or Carrie
would furnish three-for-a-quarter
eranefruit to any maid? You kno"
they're more strict in such things
than ever could be! You always
said I was too good to Nora-that
let her run over me.
$50 you did. But now that you've
got a girl worth six of her--you're
sore about what she eats. You've
got no sense Of proportion, that's the
trouble with you. You get hipped on
one idea, and you cant see anything
else. What's the matter-pinch your
finger
EXasperated, Helen had turned
back the stepladder with a resentful
Jerk and had caught her finger at the
most painful part of the nail. Brush,
ing by Warren. she ran to the bath
ROOM where she bathed the bruised
! nail in witch hazel and nursed her
aggrieved sense of injury
It was after ten. Too hurt and in
dignant to go back to the library, she
turned on her bath and began brood
ingly to undress.
Why did Warren always try to
make her feel small and mercenary?
She was furious with herself, furious
with him, and above all furious with
Emma for being the indirect cause
of it all.
She was in bed, her arm over her
eyes to shade them from the light,
when Warren came in.
Still sulking?" One of his shoes
dropped heavily.
Helen did not answer. and her lace
frilled sleeve shaded her face.
When he had taken his bath, he
threw up the windows and turned off
the lights. Still Helen lay notion
less; she had not stirred
Thinking about that grapefruit
she's going to eat tomorrow" jeer-
ingly. as he got into bed.
Helen could have shrieked. In
stead she bit her lips, and angry tears
wet the sleeve of her nightdress.
Warren gave his pillow punch, set
tied it under his head, drew the bed
clothes around his shoulders and was
soon doing off
But for Helen, who had worked
herself up to a state of feverish
brooding. sleep was impossible 1t
had been an unhappy and humiliating
evening-and it was all Emma S
fault Her resentment against the
girl deepened every moment
What was that? Raising herself on
her elbow, Helen listened tensely A
faint, scratching sound. 1t was Pussy
Purr Mew-shut up somewhere.
Hurriedly Helen got up and began
a shiverng search. The hall closet
the closet in her dressing room, her
bureau drawers-for Pussy Purr-MeW
had troublesome habit of creeping
any place that was left open. Again
the scratching-it was from the din
, ing room.
Helen darted straight to the china
closet. When she opened the door a
fur-ruftled kitten leaped out from the
lower shelf. AS she stopped tc
smooth the rumpled table cloths
Helen saw something on the shell
above that made her gasp.
1t was the grape jelly-iust as
Emma had taken it from the table a
dinner! So she had not touched it,
She had sensed Helen's disDleasurt
at there being none left from thu
: night before, and had purposely no
: even taken 1t out to the kitchen.
Unheeding the cold, Helen, in onl,
her thin nightdress, for a long tim,
rrouched there on the floor, whit
y Pussy Purr-Mew, grateful for her re
lease, purred exubcrantly but unno
ticed against her.
At least in this she had bee,
:, wrong. She pictured Fmma's hur
u surprise in the morning when sh,
found the jelly locked up. It was
reflection on her honesty, which aft
err all, Helen had no real reason t.
S doubt.
/ When she arose, stiff with cold |
II was not to go back to bed. but to &c
II the key of the locked cupboard. Til
toelng out of the kitchen, stealthilv sh
$ drew the chair before the refrige,
l. ator. In the dead silence it creake
= alarmingly as she climbed up to tn
shelves.
Il 1t was a cold, shivering task, bu
l. she got the jelly back to its accu:
D toned cupboard Then, numb wit
cold, she crept back to bed.
u Ell, what's that?" muttered Wa
Is rem, half aroused by the sudden chi
y as Helen cuddled against him fo
warmth
Dear, II was wrong about tina
N Jelly Emma hadn't touched it
q was in the china closet. And II VI
u locked the rest and put 1t back
Il But apparently Warren was IN