Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-10-05
The Wife.
Ruth ONcrhcarS Brian Tell Molllc
klng Things which Annoy Her.

CHAPTER NXXIX.

IdIflng IN" snort limc ihcy Apeh' 90
ing from Their home to that Of Mrs.
Curtis Erlan was also busIIy en-
gagged
He wondered II Ruth had cS-
prctcd him to buy 500 dresses when
rho married him? y she "Npcctcd
10 keep right on doing the same
things and wearing the same clothes
she had bocn IN tho habit OF doing
and wearing. when she lived with
her wealthy aunt She would find
she had another think coming.
! Then FOR the first time. he, too. won
dcrcd II he had made u mistake. II
| h" would better have married "A girl
| Ike Mpllie, one who had not been
accustomed 10 Injuries. and who
would he satisfied with what he
could do for her
Mrs. Curtis welcomed them
warmly Scarcely had Ruth laid
aside her wraps before MollIe ana u
young man appeared lie was the
| sort of man Muiiie affected, and
| RUTH had never known.
why dldn't he get his hair cat '
| Ruth wondered when they wcr" ~
| truduo"d. mat n was part of a pos"
| she had no way Of knowing. as men
Uf claude Bcokl"v's character, rather
his kind, wcro unknown to her.
lIc was an artist, Mrs. curtis had
| explained And he like MOllio
! King. lived In that delightful place
known NJ THE Village" whore
most of the artists and writers con
| ErcRntcd, and she added:
"Your husband used to spend
most Of his time down there, as
know you ar" aware A charming
| place just love to go down there
and dine Although Mr.. Curtis saws
| it's not dining-thats its lust eat,
ing But he always Will have his
! Joke"
Ruth had been furtively watching
| Claude BeCkley while Mrs. Curtis
| talked. She concluded sh" didn't Ike
/ him. His manners were too free and
easy, and he didn't look. wcll--clean
! Hts tie was greasy and he was In
such contrast to the few men sh"
knew Brian, Mr. Mandel, and those
she had met in her new business rc'
iation shn felt uncomfortahly
conscious Of II when she tried to talk
| to him.
Mollle King was In a gay mood.
and although her dress was Just "A
cheap wolfe, costing perhaps ten dol
| lars, Ruth had to admit that she
looked very sweet; and that she was
really well groomed, II her escort
was not.-But then sha recalled that
Mrs. Curtis had told her that Mollic
was different. that she liked her bet
| ter than any OF the Bohemian class
TO which she--Mollie-be belonged.
The dinner was very gay one. 1t
seemed TO Ruth that everyone talked
at once Especially Claude Becklcy.
Ruth was seated between him and
| Mr.. Curtis. and she could scarcely
get a word with her host. for whom
she had taken quite liking. Then,
too, Mr.. Beckley talked 40 loud that,
listen as closely as she could. she
missed what Brian and Mollie King
we're talking about. Brian sat be-
tween Mollie and Mrs. Curtis, and
as the hostess was busy looking after
tho comfort OF her guests, 1t gave
Brian the opportunity TO be coniden-
! tial with Mollie. At least he looked
confidential
She had to confess that Mr.. Beck
ly had n certain ability in convetsa-
tlon. He seemed to have "A superficial
knowledge OF almost every subject
Occasionally he would say something
which might have Interested her had
she not been listening so closely to
catch what Brian was saying
~ haven't had such a good time IN
a year" she heard Mollie declare
with emphasis. Ruth wondered II 1t
was a reference to, the dinners che
had shared with Brian when she was
in Philadelphia.
Neither have /! II was like old
times" Brian had lowered his voice,
hut either because his mouth was
full, or for some other reason, Beck
~ had stopped talking for a moment.
and Ruth heard her husbands reply
distinctly.
she was shocked. Why. they hadn't
been married quite Il year yet. And
Brian was telling another woman
that he had had a better time with
her than he had had with his own
wife in all the time they had been
married. or course he didn't moan
ii, He was only trying to be polite
and had spoken cXtravaganily. But
lit hurt, just the same.
All through tho remainder OF the
dinner, Ruth was so quiet that Mr..
Curtis asked her If she were ILL., and
Mrs. Curtis gave her sharp look
while coming to her help by declar-
ing on one had a chance to get in a
word edgewise when Claude Becky
was around,
"rd ask you oftencr, Claude she
said in banterinG way, II you were
not such a monopolst"
"l'll promise not TO say another
word II Hackctt will stop making
love to Mollie That's fair, isn't It,
| Mrs Hackett2'
"Of course 1t is" Ruth answered,
her cheeks flushing N the innocuous
youths idea OF u pleasantly Tie
should be ashamed OF himself sha
added with an effort to hide her en-
harrassment under the light persi-
tlage in which her ncighhor seemed
a past master, and to which she was
such stranger.
After dinner they were TO dance
| Just six OF us. and a vsctrola,' Mrs
Curtis had laughIngly remarked. or
course Brian would dance first with
her, Ruth thought. But Brian imme-
diatcly commenced to dance with
Mollie, and Ruth accepted the arm or
her host,
Tomorrow--Ruth Explains That
Brian Has Not Yet Bought Clothes