Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-20
THE WIFE MEETS THE OTHER WOMAN.
By JOSEPH DUNN.
Chapter 1.-The Woman Alone"


Chapter 1.-The Woman Alone"
With weary detection Margaret
climbed the three dark fights to her
back hall room. The smoke -blackened
roofs shut out the daylight from the
one small stained window.
The first glimpse of the mail that
had been thrust under the door
brought to her throat the sick clutch
ing that always came with a rejected
manuscript. Inside was the usual slip
without even a personal line to take
away the sting.
Would she have the heart to send it
out againl She had put into it her
best work, for she had written about
the things she knew. 1t was a story
of sordid boarding house--the life
she was living. Having woven into it
her own struggles, her heart aching
loneliness, her starved ambition, she
had called 1t "The Woman Alonep
She was still turning broodingiy
through the manuscript when there
came the clamorous clang of the din
ner bell. How she loathed the long
table crowded with garrulous board
eps. There was no escape and she
started down to the basement. The
entrance OF Mrs. Devlin cut short the
complaints of her boarders, who a
moment before had been demanding
something different once in while"
Jimmy Dale, a fresh young shipping
clerk whose seat was beside Mar
garets, annoyed her by obnoxious at
tentions throughout the meal and
Margaret was glad to rush off without
her dessert. Hurrying up, she closed
the transom over her door to shut
out the sounds OF disturbance down.
stairs.
That same evening, several miles
across the city, Mary Kennedy stood
before her silver strcwn dressing
table examining the faint lines under
her eyes.
There was in her heart the dread
chill that comes to every woman with
the first signs OF fading youth. She
tried to comfort herself with the
thought that youth meant less to her
than TO most women, for she had so
much in her home and Horace.
Yet this very reinsurance brought
more poignant worry. For months
Horace had been becoming more alb
stracted, more absorbed in his work
and less interested in her and the
home. II was the price of his sue
cess--that she must pay.
Horace's heavy step on the stairs!
Eagerly she ran out to meet him.
Anxious solcitude was rewarded with
a kiss, given absently. Horace pleaded
he was dead tired and asked Mary to
hurry up dinner. AT table, Horace
was unusually loquaeious. He told his
wife how Doyle, lawyer disbarred
through his efforts because he col
lected 500 from magazine for Mar
garet Warner and kept it, was vowing
all sorts Of vengeance.
Il do wish, dear, you would be
more careful" was her plea.
An echo Of the proceedings came
with letter from the Star request
ing Kennedy to write a series OF arti-
cles on the abuses in the courts
through interruptions attorneys. II
had always been Kennedy's ambition
to write, and in this offer Mary saw
an opportunity to bring them nearer,
arresting his growing abstraction.
Reluctantly Horace promised to send
typewriter home so that she might
copy the articles.
Another week and they were we'll
into the work. Accustomed to his
Office stenographer. he was at first
amused, then impatient at her many
errors. He suggested regular STE
nographer at the house, but did not
press the point when he saw her hurt
disappointment. But the same eve
ming, in getting reference book from
an upper shelf, she slipped on the
library ladder and, in catching her
self, sprained her wrist.
Reluctantly she conceded to
stenographer.
Remembering Margaret Warner
and her statement that she was often
forced to do tipping, Kennedy de-
cided to secure her services. He
PhOhCu Htt duu sic Slduty dCGCptCu
his offer Of evening work. The next
evening Kenneth greeted her cordially,
sensing her embarrassment and try
ing to put her at ease. The work
went easily and we'll and an arrange
ment of three evening a week was
agreed upon.
Tonight she was too happy to rebel
at the sordidness Of her home sur
roundings. In the six months since
Margaret had come to New York
there had been many days of bitter
encouragement. Only pride and
grim determination goaded her on in
her ambition to be famous writer.
Her work with Kennedy came as an
alternating respite from the worries
of the weekly bills.
Kennedy's pride in his new work
knew no bounds when the Star COM
plimented him on his first article. but
Mary's enthusiasm was somewhat
forced. Instead Of bringing them
nearer as-~she had hoped. the work
was only widening their estrange.
tient.
That II was most unwise for any
wife to depend solely upon her hus-