Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-07
THE EVENING STORY
THE BINDING TIE.
Copyright. 1917. by W. werner.)

Copyright. 1917. by W. Werner.)
Now comes the last act. in which APP
pears the mother-in-law to avenge her
daughters wrongs. then the curtain and
our little drama is ended"
Though there were no listeners, Deane
Roberts uttered the words aloud. he
spoke YEARLY in spite of the half-cynicai
smile that curled his lips. Then he ADDED.
Brute. But the term referred neither
to the mother in-law nor to her daughter.
He was thinking now Of Mabel as she
looked when she turned back at the door
"a tear-stained, pathetic Mabel; justly
angry Mabel. brought to the present state
goodbye, Deane. I'm going home to
mother. She'll take care of me. She
didn't want me to marry you, anyway.
you know. and she won't stand for this"
down the stairs and Mabel was gone.
Yes. he knew Mabers mother had OBJ
jected to him. 1t was just like Mabel to
throw it up to him now and add agony
to agony. He was confident that his
cause was as good as lost. As usual,
Mabel seemed to have everything on her
side. In such affairs it never seemed a
difficult matter to make the man appear
to be in the wrong, Deane thought. Then
he caught himself up. This time he
was in the wrong He had done
a cowardly thing. 1t had all come
about so suddenly. so Unexpectedly, that
he scarcely realized what he had done
until it was all over. Such a seemingly
insignificant thing to stir UP such a
rumpus-
Mabel had been lying in the hammock
on the back porch when Deane came out
to her. He had left the kitchen light
burning.
Turn out the kitchen lights" said
Mabel
mo. 1 can't see you if do" Deane
responded in the loverlike tone he fire.
quently employed when speaking to her
. A few moments later he went into the
house and Mabel again spoke. Turn
off the light, will you, Deane?"
No, want it on" he replied. as he
stepped into a tiny adjoining room.
scarcely big enough to hold cot and
chiffonier.
Though the room was SO small some
sort of breeze usually sought it out. no
matter how stuffy the rest of the fat
might be. For this reason Deane slept
turned o. the light and started to re-
move h when Mabers voice. slight
ly quei now. reached him again
with: 'Deane. turn out the kitchen
light. You surely don't need il now
with the one in your bedroom on"
Il want ii on he insisted. Il want
it on SO I won't stub my toes when | go
to the bathroom. You persist in keep
I'll trip over it and I've got to have a
light"
With bound Mabel was out of the
hammock. all the listlessness for which
the warm evening was responsible for
gotten. She darted into the kitchen
and reached to turn off the light just
as she touched the switch her hand was
stayed by smart spat on her bare
wrist, where the loose sleeve of her
light gown had fallen away. The smit-
ten arm dropped like dead weight
For a moment Mabel stood gazing at
her husband in white. petrif1ed aston
ishment Then the color surged back
into her face and it began to pucker
like the face of a little child who has
been punished. She held out to Deane
a white arm, the Wilderness of which
was now emphasized by the streaks of
red etched there by the smarting little
blow. See what you have done" she
cried and ran sobbing into her bedroom.
Mabel. Mabel. Let me in" Deane
called in contrition. as he turned the
knob of the door. only to find it locked.
Il want to kiss it, Oh 1 don't know
how ! could have done such a thing, 1t
must be the heat that makes me so
ugly
Il never want you to touch me
again, Go away" Mabel commanded.
He sank down on chair near the
the room he was well aware of what
Ma Del was doing, even before she APP
peared with her travelling bag and gave
her ultimatum.
ried life, going over il scene by scene
There's something wrong with our
life. It's not that l don't love
her. Great guns. What will life be
last. Well. anyway. the creams spill
ed now Mother-in-law won't get
around tonight. so / may as well turn
in and get some sleep. if ] can"
The ring OF the doorbell arrested
him. Before he could reach the tube
to call down the door of the fiat
opened, and his astonished gaze rested
on Mabel. He observed that in one
hand she still carried the travelling
bag, but what fascinated him almost
to the exclusion of everything else was
that she held by the other hand
round little boy who looked scarcely
big enough to travel on his short, fat
legs.
Well" he CALCULATED. sinking back ,,
into his chair and still gazing, not at !
the wife. who but a moment before he .
had so feared was lost to him forever, :
but at the round, little boy, who re-
turned his gaze from grave. gray eyes !
I've come back" said Mabel
Yes" said Deane. rubbing his eyes !.
But the round, little boy was still /
there. Am I seeing things. or is he j
really there? Sitting alone. thinking j
over a dead past. is enough to make a |
fellow see almost anything" Then a |
full realization of why Mabel had left |
him returned. and he came back to the !
subject that had been occupying him |
for the last hour. But what made you |
come back without your mother? /
Wasn't she at home~ he asked,
He's real. It's Jimmy. 1 came be- /
cause mother made me and because of |
Jimmy.
"She made your"
Mabel nodded. she said to tell you
that she'd never back me up in leaving |
you. no matter what you'd done, be-
cause you'd never do anything to war
NJ haf ha nj 4