Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-08
My HEART aud
My HUSBAND
Adele Garrison's New Phase Of
Revelations
of a Wife
The Way Mrs. Durkee Impishly
Contrived to Embarrass Madge.

1t is impossible to subdue little
Mrs. Durkee very long, even by the
most drastic methods. The car had
not proceeded more than two blocks
down the shaded village street be-
fore she exclaimed gayly:
We'll, l guess ALI and Dicky
wouldn't feel so smart with their old
car if they could see us now! This
has theirs beaten to fare-you-well
Selfish boys, they haven't taken me
out for a week"
How could they, when the car is
laid up for repairs?" asked, turn
ing my head with an astonished look
at her. As | did SO l intercepted a
glance from Lillian's eyes to those
of my little neighbor, which held a
distinct warning CLEAN. But Her
Flutfiness was in a perverse mood,
and ignored both look and warning
with superb nonchalance.
That's all you know about it,"
she declared merrily. IF you will
go and break your bones SO that
you're laid up i'll the house you
can't expect to keep up with all the
latest news. That Car hasn't been
in the repair shop for four days, ana
every blessed one of the four, ALI
and Dicky have sailed off to town in
it as nice as you please. And they
never come home in time to give me
ride. But I'll bet the Fairfax girls
will have to get new motoring wells
soon, for their old ones will be in
tatters from constant use"
turned back from the tonneau
quickly that my mischievous little
neighbor might not catch the look
of dismay which | knew had leapSd
into my eyes at her carelss chatter.
AS | did so my eyes were caught and
held by the curious look of Major
Grantland's hands upon the steering
wheel. They were gripping it so
tightly that the veins upon them
stood out like knotted cords.
Now | knew just enough about
motoring to have heard over and
over again the assertion that the
skillful driver needs only fingers
weight upon his wheel for the gu,u-
ance of his car except in especially
"skiddy" roads. Major Grantland is
driver yielding to no one in motor
driving knowledge. Some sudden
emotion must have caused that sud
den, tense gripping of the wheel,
and the wild fancy seized me that in
some way it was connected with lit
tie Mrs. Durkee's words.
Tho rovt ,,,o,,,apk c~oroJ ,oreaif
sharply for the nonsensical idea, re-
Winding myself grirl1y that because
her gossipy chatter had had the
power to upset my poise I need not
imagine that Major Grantland was
also affected by it or had OWNED
my unea siness.
For distinctly uneasy. absurdly
unhappy I was at the picture little
Mrs. Durkee had, Intentionally or
not, flashed upon my mental screen.
That Alfred Durkee was making the
most lavish use of the car owned
jointly by Dicky and himself in
order to make pleasant the summer
evenings for his pretty fancee, Leila
Fairfax, | did not doubt nor resent.
But that Dicky and Leila's sister,
Edith, the girl whom | knew still
cherished a hopeless affection for
my husband, should also have been
enjoying the car while l was unable
to leave my room because of my
fractured rib was a little too much.
] clenched my fists in sudden. hot
anger at my husband, whose de-
lection from my sick room after
the first two or three days of de-
voted tenderness | was beginning to
comprehend
"Please-don't-"
The words came tensely from the
man at my side, uttered in so low
tone that ! knew neither of the
women i'll the tonneau could hear it
Then he bent slightly toward me,
steering with one hand-almost one
finger. and pointing across me as if
to call my attention to some glor-
ious masses Of gladioli in a garden
we were passing. knew that it was
only subterfuge even as he seized
the opportunity to say almost in my
ear:
1T probably isn't true. If true, it
isn't worth worrying over"
what are you two whispering
about" little Mrs. Durkee cllal-
!enged. "Just wait till | tell Dicky
about you. But perhaps he's got
affairs of his own on hand. You'd
better look out, Madgc. Alf says
Edith has come back from her trip
prettier than ever"
Major Grantland was not enough
accustomed to feminine badinage to
turn the accusation off gracefully.
He rushed into the breach clumsily,
earnestly, his every word a palpable
falsellood.
II was calling Mrs. Graham's at
tention TO those wonderful gladioli,"
he said stiffy.
oh, yes, saw themw my little
neighbor returned, a stihed laugh
in her tones. And then, whether
under coercion, from Lillian or from
her own volition, she was silent for
fully 10 minutes while the car rolled
along the winding boulevard lead
ing to the shore.
We passed many cars, some of the
occupants of which we knew. Pres
emily little Mrs. Durkee uttered
little scream of surprise.
Look! lookp she called, pointing
to a car coming toward us. IF there
aren't Dicky and Aft and the Fair
fax girls I'll eat my new fall fur
banP'