The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-02-29
Helen and Warren;
Their Married Life
Bv MRS. MABEL HERBERT URNER
Originator Author OF The Journal Of
lected Wife" Alone" ETC.

my spare time Next month l hope to
make enough to buy a large rubber
plant for the parlor.
Yours gratefully,
| Mrs. John W. Baker.
Helen turned the page in disgust.
Perhaps there were women who
thought soliciting pleasant. Per-
sonally she would rather go out and
scrub.
! Was there no way for women to
earn money at home that did not in
volve some form OF peddlinS? Even
the jelly and homemade bread had to
be sold. To ask any one to buy any
thing had always seemed to Helen
form OF beggary. 1t was wrong idea,
but one that she could not overcome.
A deep chime from the dining-room
clock-half past ten. Helen put down
the magazine, Strengthened the papers
en- the table and went into get ready
| for bed. Not for moment had the
! haunting dread of returning the
| blanket left her, and the sight of the
| box made her sick at heart.
| In bed she rehearsed the scene of
| just what she would say when she
went back to the store. She thought
| Of the clerk, courteous. middle-aged
man. She had taken full half-hour
| of his time, and then he had to order
| the special size of the blanket she
| finally selected. How COULD she ask
him to take it back?
1t was almost twelve before Warren
came in to undress. Helen kept her
eyes closed, feigning sleep. while in
surly silence he moved about. When
be got in bed, he settled himself heav
lily, his back toward her, and with
more than his share of the bedclothes.
A dead silence. Then the sound of
rafting paper from the library. An
other interval of silence, and again
the disturbing flutter. 1t was the
wind-blown pages of a magazine that
lay by the open window. The sound
was faint. but it was insistently an
moving Warren stood it for about 10
minutes, then he started up.
wait, dear, you lie still, I'll fix il"
Helen slipped out of bed and felt for
her slippers
Cropping her way through the dark
to the library, she found the flutterlng
magazine, laid a book across it and
started back.
A footstool, unseen, stood in the
way She stumbled over it, tried to
catch herself and fell heavily against
the table, knocking off china ash
tray which crashed to the floor Strug-
Cling to her feet, she ground under
her hand a piece of broken china.
"What the dewitt" Warren rushed in
and switched on the lights.
Blinded by the sudden glare. it was
several seconds before Helen saw the
crimson stain on her gown. Her hand
was cut and bleeding.
"Come in here!" Warren hurried her
into the bathroom
1t was not deep cut, and 1T was not
painful, but it was bleeding freely.
With the faintness that the sight OIL
blood always brought. she turned her
head away as he held her hand under
the warm water faucet.
Got any collodion?" He flung open
the medicine chest.
Il don't think so. l gave Anna |
the last when she cut her thumb.
What have you got? Court plaster!
Never keep anything here"
There was no court plaster, ana |
Warren bandaged the hand with witch |
hazel and absorbent cotton. But the
red stain kept seeping through.
Helen yedIieu III ooii0 SNpiS
of tenderness, but he was froWnlngly |
intent on the bandage. With child,
a kiss on a hurt finger is often the
best curative, and in many ways Helen
was still very much OF child.
For a moment she almost wished the
cut was deeper, deep enough to make
him express some real concern.
Hurt much?" CURLY, as he tied the
bandage firmly around her wrist.
She shook her head. 1t did not hurt.
but unstrung by the fall her pulses
were athrob. She longed for the sooth-
ing comfort of his arms.
where's the stopper for this?" as
he put back the bottle of witch hazel
Helen found the cork on the floor
Now hereafter. look where you're