The Mena weekly star., 1917-11-29

the husband of Mme Fyfe, the famous soprano" he replied slowly. "Weu. can't say that's a particularly pleasing prospect"
 Then why ask me what I'm going to do with it?' she flung back inpatient ". "ltH be an asset--like my looks and-and"-
 She dropped her face in her hands choking back an involuntary sob. Fyfe crossed the room at bound and put his arms around her.
 Stella, Stella '" he cried sharply Don't be a fool"
 "D-don't be cross, Jack" she whis. pered. Please. I'm sorry. I simply can't help it. You don't understand"
 "Oh, don't I?" he said savagely. q understand too well: that's the devil of it. But suppose that's woman's way-to feed her soul with illusions and let the realities go hang. Look here"
 He caught her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet, facing him. There was a fire in his eye, a hard shut ting together of his lips that fright. ened her little
 Look here" he said roughly. "Take a brace, Stella, Do you realize what sort of a state of mind you're drifting into? You married me under more or less compulsion-compulsion of circum- stances-and gradually you're begin ming to get dissatisfied, to pity yourself. You'll precipitate things you maybe don't dream of now if you keep on. Hang it, l didn't create the circum- stances! I only showed you way out. You took t. It satisfied you for awhile; you can't deny it did. But it doesn't any more. You're nursing lot of illu- sions, Stella, that are going to make your life fuil of misery"
 I'm not" she sobbed. Its because haven't any illusions that--that- Oh, what's the use of talking, Jack? I'm not complaining. l don't even know what gave me this black mood just now. I suppose that queer miracle of my voice coming back upset me. feel-well, as if were q different per son, somehow as if had forfeited any right to have it. Oh. it's silly, you'll say. But it's there I can't help my feeling-or my lack of it"
 Fyfes face whitened a little His hands dropped from her shoulders.
 "Now you're talking to the point" he said quietly. Especially that last. We've been married some little time now, and, if anything. we're farther apart in the essentials of mating than we were at the beginning. You've committed yourself to an undertaking, yet more and more you encourage your self to wish for the moon. If you don't stop dreaming and try real living, don't you see a lot of trouble ahead for your self? It's simple You're slowly har- dening yourself against me, beginning to resent my being factor in your life. It's only a matter of time if you keep on until your emotions center about some other man."
 "Why do you talk like thatY she said bitterly. Do you think I've got neither pride nor self respect?n
 "Yes. Both a-plenty." he answered. But you're a woman. with a rather complex nature even for your sex. If your heart and your head ever clash over anything like that you'll be in per feet hell until one or the other gets the upper hand. You're a thoroughbred and high strung as thoroughbreds are Ii takes something besides three meals a day and plenty of good clothes to complete your existence. If l can't make it complete some other man will make you think be can. Why don't you try? Haven't l got any possibili- ties as lover? Can't you throw a little halo of romance about me for your own sake-if not for mine?'
 He drew her up close to him, stroking tenderly the glossy brown hair that flowed about her shoulders.
 "'rry it. Stella" he whispered pas sionately. 'Try wanting to like me for change can't make love by myself. Shake off that internal apathy that's taking possession of you where I'm concerned. If you can't love me, for Gods sake fight with mel Do some thingv
 Looking back at that evening as the summer wore on Stella perceived that it was the starting point of many things, no one of them definitely out standing by itself, but bulking large as a whole Fyfe made his appeal, and it left her unmoved save in certain super