Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-11-09
Margaret CARROTS
e5m
ONE WAY TO MANAGE.
By JANE PHELPS
CHAPTER LII

| When Miss Riggs told me of her in
vitation to my husband, and supplement-
ed it by one to me, was so astonished
and angry I could scarcely speak. Fin
ally I said:
tMr. Garrett did not go to Atlantic
City and he will not be able to visit
you"
Elsie frowned at me, but I was de-
termined that Bob sould not commence
! going to see this writer and get in
/ terested in what I called her "silly
trash" would decline for him in
such way she couldn It expect him
now or any other time.
"But he promised, and" Miss Riggs
replied, haltingly, evidently embarras-
sed.
| "We have so little time together
Miss Riggs, that am going to beg you
not to ask my husband to read your
manuscript. He gets foolishly interested
in such things, and L am not willing he
should take the time belonging to me
to give such things. His place is with
me, in our home. The only place for a
married man to spend the time he can
spare from his business. ="
"But if you came with him!" she
returned, blushing furiously.
"My coming has nothing to do with
it. Don t think for q moment that vul-
gar jealousy caused me to speak as L
did. Mr.. Garrett is too much in love
with me, has too much good sense to
do anything to cause jealousy on my
part. But l do not care for the Bohem-
ian crowd he affected before our mar
riage, so shall accept no invitations from
any of them hereafter"
''Then you aren't interested in art
and literature, Mrs. Garrett?' she ask
ed, with perceptible sneer.
''No, not in the least, not in the
sense you mean. 1 am interested in my
husband, my baby,my home. Also in
good books and magazines we can en-
joy together when Mr.. Garrett is at
home with me. l care nothing about the
authors.'
ga regular Darby and Joan Life, }"
she replied, then laughed disagreeably.
That she ad laughed at me, disturbed
me not in the least bit. / did feel
little anxious however as to what Bob
might say wen he heard.Yet did not
regret the stand l had taken, and was
ready to face the consequences. Miss
Riggs was part of the disturbing ele-
ment who caused Bob to become in
terested in outside things which took
him away from his home-and me-
Before she left Elsie and me-by the
way, Elsie had looked shocked, and ac-
ted embarrassed over what | had said
Miss Riggs remarked:
"Will you please tell Mr.. Garrett
that 1 have made other plans and so
shall not be able to receive him?'
"Certainly l will deliver your mes
sage" I replied.
''How did you dare?" Elsie asked
as Miss Riggs left us.
''I dare anything to keep Bob away
from that crowd.'
"But Margaret, Tom and | go with
all those people, and really they are
charming, and you are making mistake
I am sure in feeling and acting as you
do. Perhaps you will cut us out tool"
E'You know I am mott" / exclaim-
ed, "although I can It help wishing you
didn't care so much for TEN. But we
can be together, we four, without hav-
ing anything to do with the rest OF
them.''
"I'd hate to be III your shoes Mar
garet when Bob finds out what you said
to Miss Riggs. You remember how an
ory he was about the Creedmore party
don t vou9 don't see how you dared
risk offending him so soon again about
his old friends"
ftMiss Riggs ism It an old friend and
if she were / much prefer to offend Bob |
a little now, than to have our entire
life spoiled by his foolish notions,
replied, and then we dismissed the sub
ject.
Bob did not come home to dinner that
night. He telephoned that Henry Creed
more was going to spend the night with
John Kendall, and that he would be
home about midnight.
1t was little later than that when
he came in looking tagged and acting
tired. had a tempting little supper
ready for him, and while he ate it told
him I had been out with Elsie, that we
had met Miss Riggs, and she had join
ed us at luncheon. He asked no ques-
tions, indeed he showed very little in
terest in what 1 said. So when told |
him that Miss Riggs had made other
plans, that she could not receive him
as she had planned to do, he simply nod
ded wearily and said:
''That g all right. I might not have
been able to go anyway. Surely not II
Joha is as i'll aS he now appears to be
He asked me no questions anent the
matter, and I volunteered no informa- |
ton. If he asked me, would not deny |
that I had requested Marion Riggs not
to invite him out to her home to read
her manuscript. But if he did not
could see no real reason why | should |
enlighten him as to the part l had play |
ed in the matter.
That was wronging myself as well !,
as Bob, never entered my mind. l was I
only doing what I, in my ignorance, thot |
best for our future happiness.
(Tomorrow-A Confidence.)