The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-02-21
warren Lets the Bathtub Run Over
and 1t Brings About
Reconciliation.

Helen could hardly see to dress
through the tears that filled her eyes.
She opened the top bureau drawer,
lookIngly nervously for some hair
pms, as with trembling fingers she
did up her hair.
Then she tried to hide the traces
OF tears with powder, so that he
would not know she had been crying.
She could hear him running the
water for his bath. He had probably
/ slept all night While she-her red
and swollen eyes showed how little
| sleep she had.
There had been quarrel the night
before, perhaps the most bitter they
had ever had. And she had slept on
couch in the sitting room leaving
INN IN the bedroom alone.
She KNEW now that he had ceased
| to love her. She told herself this over
| and over again with sort of des-
perate hopelessness. He could never
have said to her the things he said
last night if he cared at all.
Helen is Miserable.
With a dull sense of misery she
finished dressing. After all, did it
matter much what happened? Since
he didn't love her, what difference did
anything else make?
In the heat of his anger he had
said that they would be 'rhappier
apart" He had never said that be-
fore. But he had said it last night
and repeated it-and the words still
burned within her.
bureau drawer, she paused. What
was that? Was he whistling? CoSh
he be so indifferent-so callous? Yes,
he was whistling a popular air with
elaborate variations-and he was do
ing it purposely. He was trying to
show her how little he cared.
Oh, if only she need not meet him
this morning. If she could have
claimed headache and not gotten
up. And the headache would not
have been feigned-the sleepless
night had left her with throbbing
head.
But he would have gone through
the sitting room and would have seen
her lying there. flushed and tear
stained, with disheveled hair, look
| ing most unattractive in the strong
| morning light And she could not let
him see her like that
With a final touch of the powder
she started out to the kitchen to see
that everything was ready for break
| fast.
As she passed the bathroom she
| stepped suddenly in a pool of water.
| With a startled exclamation she
| pushed back the partly opened door
| the tub had overfowed, Already there
was several inches of water on the
foo. and both faucets were turned
on full.
| In flash she had shut off the
water, and forgetting her resolve to
] be cold and reserved-called ex-
citedly:
| "Oh, Warren! Warren, Quick,
You've let the bathtub run overw
Already she had thrown down two
big bath towels in vain effort to
soak up some of the water But it
/ was so deep that the towels were
| instantly drenched without seeming to
take up any.
/ Here Warren appeared at the door
| in his bathrobe, a razor in his hand
and his face lathered and half shaved.
! "Jove, You can't do anything with
| towels" rushing out to the kitchen
| and coming back with couple of
| tin basins.
"Oh, do you suppose it has gone
4 through CTle0 neleIl, DIS LiiSS 1Idu-
/ tically dipped up the water.
| Just in the midst of all this the
/ telephone rang.
"Oh, it HAS gone through and
| they're telephoning about it now,
cried Helen, panic stricken.
| The Neighbors Complain.
"Answer it." said Warren. II can
| get this ND faster than YOU
Helen ran to the nhone. "9es. |
know" excitedly 1.-THE bathtub ran
over I'm very sorry-we're getting
it up as fast as we can-oh, it has
Here, You don't know how to
/ talk to those peoplew Warren hur-
ried over and took the receiver from
| her hand, while Helen ran back to
| dip up the water.
eyes. this is Mr. Curtis. Yes. the
bathtub ran over-Im sorry If
| there's any damage-there's no es-
cape to these tubs-this thing is
liable to happen any time-very
well. I'll see about that"
| When he came back to the bath
room Helen had dipped up most OF
the water and was moping up the
rest with towels, holding her skirts
tightly about her. The place was
as it was the hot water that had
been turned on the most.
"Call Delia-let her do that" de-
manded Warren.
ooh, no, she's so slow-I can do
without her.
There was nothing for Warren to
| do now, so for moment he stood
| awkwardly bv while Helen continued
| to mop up the floor and wiring out