Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-11-30
HIHAESHHNNHNNH
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
THEWIFE
BY Jane Phelps.
B9s@9eHsHsB BB8BBB
RuTH's EMPLOYER BENDS HER
FLOWERS.
CHAPTER XCVIII.

They had reached the apartment al
last, Ruth had almost run the last few
steps, so anxious was she to rid her,
self of her unweleome guest. But even
at the door he detained her with q
question:
| Aren t You going to ask ME in2'!
! "No-you will pardon me, but ]
wish to be alone. She was absolutely
careless that she might offend him
He was so distasteful to her, always
kade been. And now he had made her
50 uneasy by talking of war-of Brian
lenlisting because Mollie wanted him
to. "Why should she interest herself
in Brian to such an extent. unless il
wore to get him away from met'' The
thought same to Ruth that this and this
only could be Mollie s reason.
/ Don t let yourself get sick over
Brian and Mollie, Claude said as he
turned to go, "there are as good fish
in the sea as ever have been caught, -
his glance suggested himself as one of
the finny tribe, one of the "good
fish,
Ruth sighed with relief when she at
last gained her apartRent and had
[closed the door. She was not quite sure
but that, in spite of his dismissal,
Claude Becky would follow her.
"The fooll" she exclaimed as she
laid off her hat, and made herself com
Portable.
! Then she took the paper and reli-
lgiously read every word connected
| with the war. Things did look badly,
but we were asncutral country. Surely
1--we would not fight. The Germans were
ttoo clever to give us any reason suffi-
lcient to make us join the Allies. So
Ruth thought, and so many others also
| thought at that time. Yet al she read
of the devastation of Belgium, she too
found her blood running faster, her
heart beating more quickly as the
STORY of Hun cruelty to innocent men,
women and children was unfolded be-
fore her.
1T must be exaggerated, she said
|aloud, shuddering over some particular
lily atrocious act committed against a
Ichild. "No human being could do
such things" She had still to realize
! that the Hun is not human in our inter
lpretation of the term. That from the
beginning his inhumanity has been in
lgrained- in him.
"would Brian go if7"-she asked
herself the question. and at once she
knew the answer. He would go, and
she would not want to refuse. But she
did not want Mollie King to inter
fere or to influence him in any way.
She had some tea and toast at noon,
then. yielding to Rachels entreaties,
she lay down. She slept almost imme-
diately and dreamed that Arthur Man
del and Brian went to wor, and that
Mollie King went with them. That
Mandel killed Brian. just then she
woke up to realize that the door bell
was ringing furiously. Rachel had
gone to market sure her mistress would
not be disturbed.
lturbed.
Ruth opened the door and took a
large box Of flowers from the impa-
tient messenger boy.
"I'se been ringing for five minu-
tes," he grumbled
"Who could have sent her the flow.
ersa"
She opened the box and a card lay on
the top of the tissue paper which COW
cred the delicate roses.
Crest day or two if you like. We
will get along without you until you
are able to return It was signed
in as formal a manner as the note was
written; yet Ruth blushed as she lift.
ed the roses, and wished hes employer
would not do so much for her. CAR
| thur Mandel, = she read the name
aloud, Then added whimsically, shak-
ing the immense bunch Of roses at an
imaginary person, - You are too good
to mel / wish Brian then she
stopped as she always did when tempt
led to wish that Brian was more like
her employer in some things.
What should she do with the flow
ers. Brian was already jealous of Man
del. That it was without cause made
no difference; he was unhappy, evident
ly over the fact that Mandcl was kind
to her The formal note would appear
to obviate thought of any sort Of init
macy, but Brian was unreasonable. He
might not like it if he knew where
they came from.
| Ruth hesitated moment. Then
with compressed lips she arranged the
flowers artistically and laid the card
eonspiculously on the living room table
where Brian would be sure to see it.
She would not insult him by even thin
king he would accuse her in his
thoughts. She did not believe that
lBrian had for single moment be-
llieved any Of the cruel things he had
said. He was cross because she had
not wired him. and because she had
made him feel at fault in not coming
lh0mc.
Then while she waited for him she
forgot the flowers and her employer.
Her thoughts again busy with what
she had read of war, and wlat Claude
Becky had said about Mollie urging
lhim to go-if we were compelled to
flight.
s'Pshawi It's only shadow" she
said Just as Brian come in.
| (Monday-Brian is convinced Ameri-
ca will have to fight