New Britain herald., 1916-05-04
REVELATIONSOF A WIFE
By ADELE GARRSON


 will always be within reach of your ring
 She stopped, twitched the key to the door out of the lock and handed i It to me with a low bow: 1 The key to the city. madam" The warmth, the luxury, the so1j- 1 tude, appealed to me. A glance at the library shelves had told me she made no vain boast in speaking of the books they held The volumes | had been selected with discrimina- 1 ton. Every one was of value to a 1 student.
 have always avoided accepting i favors when I can possibly help it. 1 To any other woman I should have 1 presented some excuse and gone on 1 my way to the public library, my 1 original destination. But there was 1 something so Whole-souled in Mrs. 1 JnderWOOd's offer that I feared to appear ungracious if I refused it.
 So I swept her courtesy and took ] the proffered key.
 T am honored, indeed" I said. "I l promise not to bend the covers of the 1 books back
 Then 1 can give you the freedom of Harry's library with no compunc- 1 tlOns, she laughed Resides his theatrical library, he has some very valuable books picturing the home life, dress, manners and customs and amusements of almost every people from the ancient Phoehecians to the M Mormons. He says he is going to write play some day, and with those books he can put his scenes in any country or time without taking the rn1 tn
 A Bit of Advice.
 She smiled tolerantly and I shared her amusement at indolent Harry JnderWoods scheme to save himself labOr.
 But he is a dyed-in -the-wool crank about his books," she rattled on. ITO bend the cover of book back is in his eyes a much worse crime than the breaking of any one of the ten commandments So you certainly passed the acid test when you declared yourself on that ques- tion''
 T shall hardly dare to look at the covers of his books, much less take them down." I said smiling.
 Nonsense" she retorted. "I know your kind. I'd trust you with the Morgan collection. You are safe, sane and conservative. But I smash my way through books as I do through everything else, generally leaving a mess behind me-"
 l did not wonder at the bitter note in her last remark after her cOnfi- dences of the morning. But I did not spoke again.
 +o tn1J something ever since I knew you," she said, and there was a hesitation in her voice totally foreign to her usual brusque way of speaking But I haven't the least idea of diplomacy. and I don't want to offend you or make a mess of things just as we have begun to understand each other"
 I had a sudden swift premonition that she had something to say to me concerning Dicky Before the reve- laton 1 had had of her but an hour or two before, l would have bitterly resented any suggestion of hers as to my affairs. Now, with the vision of her experience and her suffering be- ! fore my eyes, l felt strangely humble and willing to listen to her, Don't you think you have earned the right to tell me anythine vou Wish?" l asked quickly. ''Thank you,' she returned earnest l., and then my premoniton was tus- tified.
 It's about Dicky,' she began. He's madly in love with you, you , know, about the worst case I ever saw, and yet I can guess without your admitting anything, just how that uncomfortable temper and jealousy of his have made a general mess of things these first months of your marriage.''
 I started to protest, but thought better of it. Why deny the truth, especially to so genuine a friend as Lillian Underwood had proved to be?