New Britain herald., 1916-01-26
How Madge Told Dicky.


 If you hadn't had the headache we would have stayed at Li1s, and the four of Us would have gone tc some cafe or music hall. We'd never have broken away from them before daylight. It's lots more comfy here in our own little home, don't you think?''
 Indeed I do". I assented heartily and then fell silent, wondering how best to tell Dicky the things which had happened during the eventful day cf which this little midnight lunch was to be the close.
 I did not know how to begin, so I plunged into the very middle of things.
 "Dicky,'' I said timorously, you were right this morning, and I was wrong about my cousin. l never dreamed you could be right, but you were. I am awfully sorry. I went to dinner with him. It would have been much better if I had teIephoned him I was married, and asked him to call on us.''
 My husband bent a long searching glance at me. There was more than hint of anger in his eyes.
 
 Did you find out Cousin Jack wash quite so brotherly as you had thought him?"
 There was a sheer in his voice that ordinarily would have stung me to spirited retort but I was too mlser- able over the discovery 1 had made m the morning to answer him in the spirit of his question.
 "I found out he cared for me, had done so for years, and never dreamed of it." I said humbly.
 Dicky was silent for a long while. I did not dare to look at him, but my eyes, which were resting on the table, saw his hand clench and unclench and clench again into a formidable looking fist. All at once he broke the silence explosively.
 What Diclly Said.
 "The 'hound!" he exclaimed. ''The whining hound! He must be a nice specimen, this cousin Jack. He didn't tell you he cared "-oh, the venom Dicky threw into the word-"when you were free and he had his chance, but waited until he knew you were safely married, and then pulled this I have loved you madly and secretly, stuff-' - 'Stop, Dicky!' My voice was firm now. I knew that his anger 3 gainst Jack would be directed against me in a few more minutes, but I could not remain silent and let him say such words or even think such thoughts of Jack, honorable, high minded Jack.
 You are utterly mistaken" I said, raising my eyes and meeting his aston ished ones steadily. Jack Bickett would have cut off his right hand sooner than to have told me he cared for me if he had known I was mar ried.
 The anger which smouldered in l Dicky's eyes blazed up again.
 And may I ask why he didn't know l you were married?" he asked jelly.
 Because I didn't tell him until after we had had our dinner"
 "Oh!" The little monosyllable might have been volumes, so eloquent 1t was "Very considerate of you, I am sure. But unless Cousin Jack is a blithering idiot, may l suggest that be probably saw your wedding and en- gagement rings, and thus was not so ignorant of the truth as he would like to make it appear
 It had com me-the moment I dreaded when I should have to tell Dicky the one foolish wrong thing I had done during the morning. I felt my nerves quiver all over my body as I braced myself to tell him the truth must follow.
 If I had been almost any other woman, I would have gone coaxingly hi r1n my case so successfully that he would not have minded the revelation. With one part Of my brain I realized that could soothe Dicky's temper and avoid the scenes which upset me so if could only bring myself to the cling ing vine attitude so many women adopt successfully.
 Y But it is impossible for me to make any advances to Dicky, to attempt to caress hi1n-especially if he is angry at, me. So instead of explaining first the reason for my action of the morn ing, I ruthlessly blurted out the bare simple truth. - He did not see my rings because I took them off when I removed my gloves, and put them in my meshbag. 1 might as we'll tell you all the rest now After we had finished our din- ner, and my cousin had told me about his caring, I was very much upset, for I did not dream of it.
 "Oh, of course not intcrjected Dicky contem ptuously Taking off your rings showed that"
 "I began to cry," I went on, loath- ing myself for telling all this, but de- termined to go through with the whole l thing, "and Jack called a taxi and we went up to Central Park. He wanted to give me time to control myself On the way I told him I was married. Then he realized that I must have taken off my rings. He told me I ought to put them back on, and when ! looked in my bag for them they were gone.''
 What stuff is t1is?" Dicky inter-