Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-11-20
Margaret Garrett's
Husband
BoB's THEORY.
CHAPTER LxII.
X By JANE PHELPS j
X x x x X x \; X X x X x X )

must be loveable,'' Bob would some
times say to me when I tested his pa
thence.
1 q am sure am as loyeable as mos
women" | would reply, never ono,
thinking that there were sweet, com
lpanionable women to whom might b,
compared to my disadvantage. As W,
were married it was Bob Is DUTY t.
love me, and | demanded that he do thai
duty; never giving thought to the ides
! that it ism always easy to compe
lagainst inclination.
4 A dozen times that winter he asked
me to accompany him to studio and
other affairs; but as often | refused
And ! always urged him to stay al
home with me, pleading for his love
and the consideration | desired. AS |
look back I wonder at my colossal sell
! fishness. demanded all, and what did
/ give, either of comfort or compan-
ionship? Truly / loved Bob, but it was
love without reason, or regard for his
personality.
In spite of my objections, Bob often
would spend the evening with John
Kendall; either at his studio on in our
library usually with the door closed OF
ten, as was the case when Bob re-
turned from his wes.ern trip, [ would
hear floating bits of conversation, or en-
tire sentences connected with the pub
fishing business in which Bob had con.
fessed he had a share. Always it fretted
and annoyed me, and after John had
gone would disparage him, and Bob IS
other friends. I thought them frivolous,
unstable men and women simply be-
cause their ideas and habits were diff
ferent from mine.
We went out together very little that
winter, but there was no feeling of
cozy companionship when we were
alone. Bob would look thru the maga-
zines, or pore over the newspapers un-
til would impatiently insist that he
talk to me, when he would ask:
What do you want to talk about?
Start any subject that interests you and
l win endeavor to keep up my end. You
never like to talk about things in which
| am interested.
As one can imagine such reply did
not increase my good-nature and often
| would burst into tears, and rush away
to my room. would throw myself on
my bed and wait for Bob to come and
beg me not to cry. Sometimes he came
sometimes he did not. If I didn t do
that / would talk of Della, her faults
and her good points; or / would tell
him of the childish tantrums the boys
had induulged in when they couldn t
have their own way.
Bob was as much or more interested
in his boys than are most fathers, but
just as averse to caring of their little
He planned their future,
what he would do for them; but at the
present they were mere babies, and were
not intensely interesting subjects of
to tired business man.
Bob had made two trips to Chicago, |
One just after the holidays, the other
in March. He had not asked me to go,
neither had propose it, as on both |
occasions John Kendall accompanied |
aim. He had not remained away for long |
But I considered myself terribly abused, |
and was at no pains to conceal my feel |
ngs. Each time he brought both me /
md the boys a gift, but cared moth
ng for his gifts; wanted him.
AS spring came he again broaehed the
subject OF house IN the country. He
'poke OF It one night when we had
Elsie and Tom IN for bridge.
am strongly tempted to buy that
louse | told you of Tom, he said in
pause Of the game, but after a few
words he let the subject drop, as no
me sided with him.
A few days later he spoke Of it
gain. At first | argued against it, es-
'ecially after he had repeated that he
hought it would be nice for me. He
laimed that | was not reasonable, that
le was thinking and planning for the
omfoft Of the entire family.
do not yet know why | objected
o strongly |, of course, would have
'een better eontented had he spoken OF
'uying near father and mother. Finally
ne Saturday AFTERNOON Bob took Tom |
nd Elsie and me over to Jersey to look
t the house. When l saw 1t nesting at
he foothills, lovely lake shimmering
n the distance. nv oDfositiOu NaulShed.R
/ was really a charming place, and a
-o,,.,, ,,..,,ld i,a,,s sl,so,, hard ~ ,,laosal