Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-05
MY MARRIED LIFE
HOiD Mddge Told DickV
BY ADELE GARRISON

HOiU Mddge
..J'M ALMOST glad you had headache.
after ALL" quoth Dicky. | suppose I
looked my astonishment at his remark, for
he explained Immediately.
"If you hadn't had the headache we
would have stayed at LIS, and the four of
us would have gone to some cafe or music
hall We'd never have broken away from
them before daylight. It's lots more comfy
here IN our own little home, don't you
Think"
Indeed / do" assented heartily, and
then fell silent, wondering how best to tell
Dicky the things which had happened
during the eventful day OF which this mid
night lunch was to be the close.
did not know how to begin, so
plunged into the very middle of things,
"DiclSy," | said timorousy, "you were
right tn morn uR. and | was wrong about
my cousin. ! never dreamed you could be
right but you were. ! am awfully sorry
I went 40 dinner with him. It would have
been much better If had telephoned him
was married and asked him TO call on us
My husband bent a long, searching glance
at me There was more than n hint OF
anger in his eyes.
what do you mean?" he asked Did
YOU find out Cousin Jack wasn't quite so
brotherly as you had thought him?"
There was a sneer in his voice that ordi-
nariy would have stung me to a spirited
rctort. but | was too miserable over the
discovery | had made in the morning to
answer him in the spirit of his question
"I found out he cared for me, had done
So for years. and never dreamed OF It," |
said humby
Dicly was silent for a long while. I did
not dare to look at him. hut my eyes. which
we're resting on the table. saw his hand
| clenCh and unclenCh and clench again INTO
! a formdablc-looking fist All at once he
broya tho silence pNDlOSINelN.
"Tbe hound :" he exclaimed. THE whin-
ing hound lie must be nice specimen,
| this Cousin Jack He didn't tell you he
| cared oh. the venom Dicky threw into
| the word-"when you were free and he had
| his chance but waited until he knew you
| were safely married and then pulled this
| + have loved you madly and secretly
stuff"
"Stop. Dicky!" My voice was firm enough
| now I knew that his anger against JACK
| would be directed against me in a few more
minutes, but ] could not remain silent ana
| let him say such words or even think such
| thoughts of Jack, honorable, high-ninded
| Jack
You are utterly mistaken" | said. rais-
ing my eyes and meeting his astonished ones
| steadily Jack Beckett would have cut or
| his right hand sooner than to have told me
| he cared for me if he had known was
married "
The anger which smoldered in Dicky's
| eyes bazed up again.
"And may ask why he didn't know you
| were married." he asked icly.
Because | dnt tell him until after we
| had had our dinner
"Oh :" The little monosylable might
| have been volumes, so eloquent 1t was
| Very consderate of you, | am sure. But
| unless Cousin Jack is a blithering idiot may
] suggest that he probably saw your wed
| ding and engagement rings and thus was
not so ignorant of the truth as he would
| like to make it appear
| 1t had come the moment dreaded, when
! ! should have to tell Dicky the one foolish
| wrong thing had done during the morning
| ! felt my nerves quiver all over my body as
| I braced myself to tell him the truth and
meet the scene which | knew must follow
If l had been almost any other woman
| would have gone coaXingly to Dicky, ca
| ressed him and pleaded my case so sue
cessfully that he would not have minded the
| revelation. With one part OF my brain L
realized that I could soothe Dckys temper
and avoid the scene which upset me so If
| could only bring myself to the cinging- vine
| attitude so many women adopt success
| fully.
But il is impossible for me to make any
| advances to piciy, or attempt to caress him,
| especially If he is angry at me. SO, instead
| of explaining first the reason for my action
| of the morning, | ruthessly blurted out the
bare. simple truth
"TIe did not see my rings, because l took
| them off when | removed my gloves and put
them in my meshbag. I might as well tell
| you all the rest now. After we had finished
our dinner and my cousin had told me about
his caring l was very much upset, for | did
| not dream of it"
"Oh, of course not" interjected Dicly,
contemptuously. Taking off your rings
| showed that"
| Z, I
self for telling all this, but determined to
go through with the whole thing, "and Jack
called a taxi and we went up to Central
| Park. He wanted to give me time to con-
| troll myself. ON the way ! told him
| | was married. Then he realized that
must have taken off my rings He told me
| | ought to put them back on. and when
| lnnxcd in my hnr for thern thn,, ,rnro rrn.,. ;