Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-22

MATILDA asked nothing more in
A'A life than to spend the evening
with her husband Whether IL was
at the movies quietly holding his hand
or just at home sitting beside the
lamp trying to understand the lns ana
outs of the leather business, Matilda
was very happy. 1t didn't make any
difference. At ; o'ciock-and mind
you. they had been married two years
her heart began to beat like a trip
hammer just for the sheer knowledge
that he was on the way home.
And IL was because things were Just
like this that Matilda's heart broke
one night Yes. II did break. tol
the third time that week Henry has
decided 10 go out--by himself. You
can imagine how Matilda felt There
was nothing she hadn't done to keep
Henry's love. Never had he seen her
In red flannel wrapper. Never had
she been anything but as sweet and
airy as the sweet peas themselves on
the dining room table in tho gloom
of the morning. Curl papers she
never used until she heard tho whis.
tie of his departing train at SlG You
can imagine. then. that Matilda didn't
kown where to turn.
AND then it happened Perhaps II
n was because Matilda picked up
the pieces of htN' heart and went
downtown the morning after the third
evening. in sheer desperation.
1t was among the summer NoilcN
on the second floor that Matilda met
Mrs. X Busy. busy Mrs. X, who was
always on her way to some committee
meeting. Matilda never particularly
liked her. II was all very well TO
work for better babies and improve.
ment of Industrial conditions among
working girls, but to Matilda it savorcd
of delicatesscn suppers. dusty man
tells and settees on the porch minus
the Cretonne cushions every woman
ought TO make. Shades Of neglected
homes!
Matilda had never liked her but you
must remember Matilda's heart was
in several pieces. and II II had been
the floorwalker who had inquired as to
Henry she would probably have done
Just what she did do-put her hand.
kerchef up to her veil and weep right
there among the summer vOilcs.
TT WAS an hour later when Matilda
i sat slipping tea i'm a room where
there was plenty of cretonne and no
dust that Matilda began to rebuild
her life.
You see" Mrs. Is. was saying. "it
was the only way. I knew people
would say | was neglecting my hus-
band. Women still belonged more or
less in the kitchen ten wears ago. But
people didn't know what already
knew--that my husband was showing
the first signs OF negieCting me. Not
n wife.beater, mind you. But some.
thing that hurt a lot worse. I saw
him sliding, sliding away. It was
then that I saw my mistake. 7 had
made marriage a regular 1umping-Off
place. When | married ! lost my
identity as a woman and became sim
ply and solely a wife. All my little
club activities I had dropped in order
to give all my time to my home and
TO keeping myself fresh to enjoy
things with my husband.
That's what he wanted me to do.
But it didn't work.
"And so / decided to make interests
In my life that just belonged to me.
I would make him look up 20 mo as
he would to busy man 7 wanted
most of all. perhaps, to show him
life held other things for me than just
being married.
"This wasn't In a spiteful spirit.
simply loved him and I was playing
the game Of making him continue to
love me.
AT first he was very much sur.
prised when he asked me to go to the
theatre on certain evening to find
me up to my eyes in work at my
desk Formerly / used To hang
around his neck waiting for this kind