Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-08
And So They We're Married
BY H1ZEL DEYO BATCHELOR
Copyright, 1919. b, Public Ledger Co.

as she took up her first hand from the
sun splotchcd table.
There was little talk, she noticed, and
the women seemed to play in dead
earnest. Ruth might have been nerN-
Gus II she had not been such good
player as il was. the interest of the
game claimed her and she played un-
usually well. At the end of the after
noon she had won ten dollars.
Over the tea and cakes there was
a general relaxation. "A Tightening of the
tension. The women chattered gay
nothings and Ruth decided that per
haps she had misjudgod them In the
soft lamplight they ,wcrc more at
traCtiNe one woman who was perhaps
nearer Ruths age than the others was
quite charming. Ruth listened to her
light ba1inage and laughed with the
others This woman had been the heavy
loser during the afternoon Poor luck
seemed 10 have claimed her, for she
had lost consistently, but she did nou
seem to mind at all.
NO doubt she could afford it," Rutr
thought TO herself, although If haG
lost twenty-five dollars, ! don't know
what ! should have done"
Ruth had the safe thoughts OF the
and failure seemed very far away. She
had an idea that perhaps she was going
to be lucky at bridge. The thought had
occurred TO her that in that way she
might make "A little extra money. She
did not stop to think that everything
she won would be at the expense Of
some other woman. Her gain would
be another's loss.
That afternoon before she had come
cut Ruth had tucked that extra. ten
dollars into her bag. The ten dollars
mat scott had given her TO buy pink
sit lrlppefles. Now IL still remained
III ner bag re-eniorced by ten more. She
mad not had to touch the extra money.
'lhey all trooped into Fleta's big bed.
ROOM which adjoined the little sitting
room 10 get their wraps Ruth slpped
INTO her fur coat and waited for the
woman who was sitting at Fleta's dress
lng-tablc arranging her veil to finish.
Ruth watched her idly in the mirror. and
something about the way her fingers
tWltched at the thin meshed material
Interested Ruth. Her eyes dropped from
Inc ven ana FOR moment looked deem
INTO the eyes of the ether woman. ii
was the woman who had lost all after
noon. no longer laughing A haggsrd-
ness had replaced the lightness some
thing very much like fear looked OUT OF
her eyes rs they met Ruth's in the
mirror.
Ruth flushed and turned away. She
felt as though she had looked upon
something that was not for her eyes, TO,
moment later, when the woman turned
back to the room, she was once more
the gay, nonchalant young person of the
afternoon.
Ruths thoughts We're busy with this
as she sat down in the little dressing
table chair and began to put on her own
hat and veil A little coldness like
warning had settled around her heart
She wanted TO take that $40 bill out OF
her pocket and give it back to the
woman to whom it belonged, but OF
course it was impossible to do that
Are yCu going to join our little
club?' asked Feta lightly a moment
later. She had been carrying on a low
toned conversation with three OF the
women near the door.
Now was her chance to refuse if she
wanted to, and Ruth hesitated. 1t
would be so easy to plead an excuse
for Saturday afternoon. and yet she
hesitated, Then partly because she
liked Fleta and wanted TO keep in her
good graces, partly through faolish
youth and partly through the lure of
having won her first money and 50
easily Ruth said lightly:
~ guess so, thank you, ia like to
very much"
That's splendid" said Fleta briskly
After ALL" Ruth reflected on the way
home, I'm a good player it isn't as II
nice people didn't do 1t these days.
There really isn't any harm in il, not
a bit"
lin the next instalIment Natalie ap-
pears and brings with her the lure Of