Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-06-29
CHAPTER cxvII.


was mere excited than was Evelyn. i
had insisted upon giving her the christ
ening robe and cap. What an exciting
time 1 had buying it. 1 am sure I wore
out the patience of more than one shop
girl before | found one to suit me.
Evelyn went into eestasies over it; and
really it was lovely.
George was out of town the day the
baby was christened. l was so sorry
because to my surprise he had consent
ed to go to the christening But moth
ing could dampen my excited happiness.
1t was almost like having baby of my
own told Evelyn. To have one nam
ed after me, to be god-mother.
The baby behaved beautifully, she
never made sound; just squirmed a
little and puckered up her nose in funny
tlittle wrinkles when the clergyman put
the water on her little head. I almost
laughed to see how cute she looked max
ing face at the clergyman.
We had refreshments afterward. Just
the families and me- Mrs. Reeves,
Kurtz s mother, was lovely. She seem
ed to forget all her coldness, and just
mothered Evelyn and the baby as if
she were Evelyn's own mother.
1 said something OF the sort to Eve
lyn when we were alone and she replied:
"I am sorry I evsr said the things
about her I did. Yet I always tried to
do nothing to displease her. But 1 did
MT know her, / guess. I don't TRY
to know her. She is simply wonderful,
and so lovely to me. 1t was only that l
wasn't used to her dignified ways so
different from the women in the little
town I came FROM"
"I guess that's the way with a lot
of people, we don t try to know them ;"
l said slowly, thinking that perhaps l
didn It know George even yet.
A Good Influence
Talking with Evelyn about her moth.
er-in-law, had been good thing for
me. I mean it helped me. thought
of how stiff and formal | had thought
her, how unapproachable Here she was
acting just like any other mother, yet
always the delieately refined woman;
the dignified society woman, but the
mother; the woman with a. heart as
well. Perhaps in a sort of man-fashion
George was something like her had
not found my way down where he lived.
/ only judged him by his outside, asl
I complained he judged me. What a
tangle life was. No matter how hard
we tried, there seemed always misun-
derstandings and heartaches.
Upon his return George seemed pleas
ed to hear all about the christening.
When I confessed that had been hor-
ribly extravagant in buying the robe
he smiled and said:
81 guess can stand the strain, - He
was always like that about money mat
ters. He INDUCED me in anything |
wanted to do. Now as look back across
the years, realize that l was not al
all extravagant That my ideas OF the
small town girl whose parents were III
moderate circumstances. That had
spent far more than did it would not
have been az all out of place because
George expected me to spend enough
money to keep up his social position IN
every way. But often | apologized for
nv bills, although he never had criticiz-
ed them.
A Gay Winter.
We were very gay at this time. But
| scarcely let day pass that | did not
see my little namesake. 1t was usually
in the morning. My afternoons were all
occupied. Dressmakers, receptions, din
ners, balls, kept me too busy to think. |
Then there was my music, that l would
not neglect. 1t was the one thing IN
which | absolutely pleased George. lie
never had done anything but praise me,
and was, / knew, proud of my talent.
Had | not loved music as l did, stu
should have kept up my practice for ms
sake; for the happiness had because
1 could interest and please him.
Sometimes when we were going out
TO dinner he would come home early
and before we dressed we would go into
the music room and without any light
would play for him for an hour. Hel
said it rested him more than anything
else to sit in the dark and listen to
my music. ;.
AL all the affairs we attended Julia
collins and Madge Loring were always
in evidence. Julia grew more daring IN
her remarks to George, took less pains
to disemble before me. He seemed abso-
lntely obvious that she was doing any
thing at all out of the way; anything
to which | could object.
After a particularly obnoxious remark
I said to him:
"I wonder what Mrs Collins would
think if her husband were alive and l
said such q thing to heri"
"What has her husband being alive
got TO do with it,"
Nothing muchl Only it seems rather
more--we II say impolite to insult a
wife when husband is with her."
"Nonsense. You are always imagining
things, Julia didn't mean thing. She
knows me so well she thinks she can
say what she pleases."
"But she doesn't know me so well,
and the remark was to me.
"For heavens sake, Helen, do stop
your faultfinding. Il is a most disagree
able habit George exclaimed impa-
tiently, then went directly back to Mrs.
Collins and commenced to chat and
laugh with her.
(Monday--The Ways of Society
lnITpNhT WANT Ans CETT |