South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-26
\ NIGHT OF WATCHING AND
WAITING.

WAITING.
You sit still. Missis Graham. !
go. Katie sprang from her chair TO
answer the telephone. the ringing
OF which had so worried me a. we
sat wondering what would happen
next. Dicky, plainly intoxicated
had just left after coming back at
midnight 20 take me 10 Lillian
Gales. We had had scene as
! distressing 10 me as the one earlier
4 ir the evening, and as he departed
he had announced his intention Of
/ acquiring good jag" before j
ss.~ him asain Katie, awakened
by the noise. had arisen to take
care Of me. despite my protests. and
the alacrity with which she sprang
, 20 the telephone signihed her will
tp-uess 10 stand between me and
any trouble.
Katie's method OF answering the
/ telephone IS TO stand as 1ar away
! from il as possible and shout into il.
she answered this call in her usual
way, and her Hello" almost shook
/ the room
Her next words startled me oh.
Nlssis Underwood, dot you? DON'T
yoH remember me? / Katie"
/ Evidently Mrs. Underwood was in
/ no mood 20 renew any acquaintance
! With Katie she might have had. for
/ katie's next answer was short and
( 20 the point.
"Ch, yes, she right here. / call
her queeck"
went TO the telephone with cur
iously mixed feelings. terror for
/ fear some accident had happened
( - D.cky. and deep annoyance at
Lillian Gale ! felt as if / could
I not bear TO listen to her voice again.
Mrs. Graham. / fear YOU will
/ ne CT forgive me for bothering YOU
at this unearthly hour her voice
/ held more than the conventional
, aLoiogy-' but / was 80 afraid YOU
: would think 1 had anything TO do
! with that crazy scheme of those two
idiots 10 wake you up and bring YOU
lack here al this hour. that | could
NOT help telephoning ySu. Have
they been there YETI"
DO you mean our two erring
husbands 2" Purposely / made my
voice as gay as possible. They were
here q few moments ago, that is
MIR. Graham came upstairs and said
/ Mr. Underwood was in the taxicab
! below, but they went away again.
think they are on their way back
TO YOUR house, at least Dicky an
, nouncec his intention of acc IirinS
a real jag by the time he came
home. so L Suppose you will see him
soon"
II anyone had told me "A week ago
( that | would ever be guilty of Civ
: ing another woman a spiteful little
! iao such as the one hidden in my
1 last remark, / would have said the
! idea was preposterous. / am afraid
| my mental and moral fibre is get
( ting a bit warped these days / do
not recognize some of the impulses
that come to me.
But Mrs. Underwood appeared
s,Coothly unconscious of any hid
den meaning in my words. she con-
tinUed easily:
oh, L am so sorry they came
there and awakened you They
! had been threatening TO do it for
an hour before they went, but l
kept an eye on them Then some
! new people came in, and in greet
ing them i lost sight of Dicky and
| fairy for a minute. When l turn
ed 20 where / had left them, they
had gone. / wouldn't have had lhis
I happen for worlds. Were they
much under the weather when they
reached your house. and were you
| frigEtenej?"
J / feel l am getting TO be an ac-
/ ccniDlished evader of the truth.
! flatter myself my voice did not hold
I a single tremor as l answered.
/ Why. you see, 1 didn't see Mr..
/ Underwood at all, so l don't know
what state he was in. and II would
1 5e rather silly 10 be frightened b.
Cnc's husband. wouldn't it? Besides,
didn't notice anything about
Dicky except that he was in unusu-
ally light spirits and determined
that 1 should return with them.
Ana | think he was a trifie annoyed
/ because l refused. Then he went
away"
How long ago did they leeve?'
| Lillian's voice held a note Of sharp
ness.
'Oh. perhaps 20 minutes )r less,
/ I ,eplied.
They could have been back in
/ fsC. a. hope nothing has hap
pened TO them. they are such Ieck-
! less scatterbrains when they are to-
! Fether."
] felt something clutch 1t NY
heart This woman might SIMPLY
| he Tayins me back in my own coin,
this night be only "A little st.nSrlS
/ Dart which she meant shout site *
/ ia ny brain. but / did not th.uk so.
gave her an unwilling mental