Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-09-18
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= THE CLINGING VINE =
BY RUTH JENNINGS.
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OF my business, but you're my sister
and hate to see you simply whiting in
this atmosphere. Why, you weren't
bit like this before you were married.
| don't see what you can be thinking
Ola girl of your type to simply turn
into a married clinging vine"
Jocelyn pushed back her hair from
her forehead, pulled it out deftly at the
side of her ears and poked in couple
of refractory hairpins. She had been
visiting the Davisons only two days.
1t was the first visit since Nora's mar
riage fourteen months before. "If Tenn
pie had been poor and you had had to
put your shoulder to the wheel and
help, it would have done you a world
of good"
"But Temple doesn't think it right
for a married woman to work if the
husband has the means to support
her."
Then" said Jocelyn, promptly, che
should have married the doll type of
woman, and not my sister. Nora, do
you forget that your grandmother was
a pioneer?"
Nora sat in front of her dressing la
Bile, in the very daintieSt of negligees,
her chin, propped on her hands, frown-
Ing anxiously at the pretty face that
mirrored discomfort. She could not
help but be bothered by Jocelyn's ar
guments, although she kept telling her
self that she had only done what Tenn
pie had wished. Her whole life turned
on the pivot of what was going to
please Temple. She measured every
standard and rule of life by that, and
still within the last few months she
had felt there was something lacking
in their happiness.
Not that Temple had said anything
to her, only when the monthly state
ments had come in from various stores
where she had her accounts, he had
seemed worried over them. Of course,
it was spring, and she had increased
her summer wardrobe with a rather
lavish hand. But a man would not
understand about that. She thought
of the letter she had received from
Temple that morning. He had gone
to the home office in Chicago for a
week.
"Pm afraid that we shall have to go
a bit slow this summer, sweetheart
they're cutting me down on my COM
missions and l hardly think we shall
have dividends on either of the stocks
fhic nf
hate to ask you to be careful in money
matters, but I've really not told you
the worst for fear of worrying you,
and know 1 can swing it alone. Just
try to stand it this year, and I'll make
it up to you with bully new car for
your birthday"
1t suddenly dawned upon her that
Temple had never discussed any of his
little worries or troubles with her. At
ter few moments she asked quietly !:
"What would you do if you were in
my place"
JOcelyn swung around on one heel.
Dor she repeated. "Start right in
where you left off. Since dad died
and the place came into our hands
Uncle Ted has done as he pleased.
I'm Of age now, and it's up to us to
do as we please, for a change. / want
to run the place myself on fifty-f1fty
basis with you. I'm not going to do
anything except raise crops on it and
put in hogs"
''Hogs" repeated Nora.
"Hogs!" firmly. "Iheres lots of
money in them if they're raised prop
erly, even if they're not romantic.
81 wasn't thinking of that" said
Nora. "I'm going back with you to
help you run it."
Nora did not write to Temple until
she was fairly on her way West.
81 love you with all my heart and
soul. You know that. But I simply
can't bear being the clinging vine, es.
pecially now that your own work is
Stacking up"
The letter reached Temple lust az
he was arranging to leave for the East,
AS he read it a great load of anxiety
lifted from his mind. The home office
had just told him what his work was
liable to be. With big government
order for field tractors on hand, they
had offered him the managership of
this department. In q way, it would
be government service, and Temple
had felt the temptation to take it, be-
cause it would keep him near Nora.
Yet he had felt almost a subconscious
resentment against her. Because she
was the clinging, dependent type, his
very love fettered him when he wanted
most to be free and go with the other
men of his old company guard. Now
she herself had made the way open
for them both. He felt rush of adj
miration for her and sudden confidence
that he had never known before.
AS Nora stepped from the train at
her little home station the girl oper-
ator came from the telegraph office
with a yellow envelope in her hand.
"For you, Mrs. Dawson" she said.
Nora opened it and handed it to
Jocelyn with a little proud smile. I'm
with you in anything that you do and
wherever you 60" Signed "Temple."
0He'd never have sent that 10 a