New Britain herald., 1917-01-22
YOU GAN BEGIN ANY TIME
Her Side---and His
Their Marital Problem,
BECKLEY
The Brain-Child.
By ZOE BECKLEY

For a moment or two Janet felt
numb. She could not formulate any
reply to Nicolls remarks, delivered
SO calmly yet with such deadly in
formativeness: "Your husband wont
be home. My secretary phoned me
an hour ago. Walt is at Lucy Ben
toms studio
Then Dot Grafton had hustled back
from the telephone booth with the
confirming news, There! It's just as
/ told you, you little idealist. He's
gone out. Probably at this very in
slant he's in some gay party, and we
sitting here plying him for his lonli-
ness and hard work."
Mrs. Crafton's light words released
in Janet flood of feeling. Her numb
ness melted. Hot reaction sent the
| blood to her face, dizzy resentment to
| her brain. She tried hard to mask
| under a lively manner what was past
! ing in her mind. She would not give
! the worldly Dorothea chance to
| gloat Especially she would not per-
nit Roy Nicolt to see how this detec
tive work had shaken her faith and
! stirred her smoldering fears into leap
| ing fires of suspicion.
The rest of the evening was an
agony. 1t seemed to Janet as If the
| stupid play would never end; that
Dot Grafton would never stop her
chatter and let them leave the smart
| supper room they went to from the
| theater. At last however, Nicoll's car
| deposited Janet at the door of her
home.
Don't misunderstood my motives
in having Walt Stedman watched,' he
whispered as he accompanied Janet
tlC
moment alone in the motor. Il SIM
| ply couldn't see you duped in thai
| common, Migrant way. With all your
intelligence, all your love of freedom
and foir dealing, you couldn't ant
wouldn't see you were being made {
| fool Of I had to show you."
Nicol1 spoke quickly and in the low
| thrilling tone he could SO successful,
! bring to bear upon woman. II
spite of her love and her persisthl>
| faith. Janet's heart Writhed under th
ring Of truth Roys words conveyed
A wave of self-pity swept over HOY
With difficulty she looked steadil
back at Nicoll and said: "Walt has III
reasons. He has done nothing [ di'
not know of: nothing that disturb
me- Good niAht, Roy.
But her eyes were miSted, he
throat mao q lump III II e'S liSl N'''
hand fumbled with her key. Sh
would demand an explanation in
stantlv from Walt. She would b
frank She would state the whole SIT
uation, both as she had supposed j
and as Roy Nicoll persisted in seem
it and showing it to her. And wal
should tell her-he must tell her
the absolute truth. With a resolut
lift of the chin Janet opened the door
The apartment was empty. Not
light glowed; not a sound broke tn
\ foTeboding stiffness.
With dulling senses Janet took Of
her things and prepared for bee
Slowly every spark of eagerness to b
convinced. of willingness to be Dla
, Gated died \ sense Of outrn-
, grpped her. She no longer care
even to be proved wrong in her SIS
, picions. She felt angry and desolatc
4 clock somewhere struck 2. T
think that Watcher man, her mate
her comrade, her husband and love
could treat her like this. Sh
slammed her bedroom door, snappe
out her light and crept, cold an
wretched. into bed.
1t must have been an hour late
that Waits careful latch key CRATE
in the lock. The door closed gent
: and he paused q moment. evdentl
listening for some sound of wakeful
ness from his wife's room. Then Il,
turned the knob and came in.