Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-08
And So They
We're Married
BY HAZEL DEyo BATCHEt0R
copy,,oht, 1879. by Pubic LEDGER co.

A ITHOuGH Ruth talked with Elsie,
"a arguing for nearly an hour, she
could not get her to promise anything
She admitted the truth Of everything
Ruth had to say, but she said she could
not promise not to see Gene again.
"I don't know how 1t will all end,
wars her last words. II probably will
never have any happiness again IN this
world, but I've got to go on
And although Ruth argued that there
would be more scandal IL this thing went
ON than there would be II she came
ont into the open and had divorce
Elsie simply would not see 1t that way.
After she had gone the brightness
Of the apartment seemed dimmed. huth
did not feel happy. 1t was ut these
times that she almost lost her own grip
Of life. Marriage was such lottery
men and women were such unstable
things and so little seemed to bring
Happiness. She was generally consid-
cred happy, but was she7 Wasn't there
something lacking In her life although
she would never have dreamed of ad-
mitting It to others and seldom, Ii ever,
did to herself?
The afternoon mail brought letter
from Jane and Ruth sat down In
y chair near the window to devour It.
Almost the first paragraph struck
discordant note, If one were clever
enough to read between the lines.
''Bob and are too happy, and things
would be utterly perfect IL 1t weren't
for his people, Relatives are never
pleasant at close range, you know
Ruth raised her eyebrows at this.
Something must have happened, for Jane
did not ordinarily speak this way, and
few lines down Jane described in
detail what had annoyed her.
Joy had been i'll and she, Jane, had
been up almost an night with her.
Naturally she had been dead the next
morning and things hadn't been ship
shape when Bob's mother had run in
on her. In the characteristic way she
had, writing coming as natural to her
as breathing, she described the CONVEX
sation which conjured up the whole
scene to Ruth's mind. From what Jane
had written she and Bob had taken a
smaIl apartment. Ruth could see the
tiisordered little rooms, the sick child,
the hot, soiled bed linen, and Jane her
self, far from tidy as Bob's mother,
spick and span, soft-voiced and hyper
critical entered the place. Ruth could
hear her my dear, what has happened
here?" as plainly as il Mrs. West had
spoken the words to her, her remon-
strances as to the condition of the place
and her suggestions that might help it.
I"Of course" James letter read,
when Bob came home at night L wasn't {
in very good humor, and Of course the
first thing 1 did was to tell him about
his mothers visit. Of course, ] exag-
gerated some, but not so very much at
that, and the more told him the more
silent he grew and the angrier was be-
cause he couldn't see things in my light,
\ and the first thing knew we were ac-
tually quarreling. or course, 1t WASH t
much of quarrel and we made up soon
afterward, but it's made a difference
because things were said that hurt.
''Bob said his mother was older than
was and probably knew more than
/ did about housekeeping, and he said
I de thought it wouldn't do me any harm
course was furious at that, and I said
I would do them in my own way or not
at all. And then he just looked around
the place, and it was sight, and he
said he did think I might take time to
dress in the morning before breakfast,
perhaps that was why his mother had
spoken as she had. You see, Ruth, I
have been wearing that lovely Chinese
ccat that you and Helen gave me to
breakfast, and, OF course, know 1t ism t
practical when I'm working around the
stove, but hate house dresses. and 80
I've just let things go around the house
because I didn't want to dirty the coat
and didn't want to take it off,"
4 Ruth let the letter fall into her lap
and sighed. Poor Jane! OF course she
wouldn't like house dresses, and Of
course she wanted Bob to love her in
the Chinese coat. 1t wasn't exactly her
fault, and yet it wasn't Bob's fault
either that he had been brought up by
different standards and wanted to see
his wife trim and efficient as his mother
had been. A man forgets so quickly
the tolerance he displays when he Is
courting. Everything seems different
when he Is facing his wife across the
breakfast table every morning Of his life.
As Ruth sat with the letter in her
lap she could not help thinking Of the
different things she had learned from
the marriages of other people. Some Of
the things she had absorbed, but for the
most part she had gone ahead, as most
women did, and managed her own af-
: fairs. And, of course, that was lust
what Jane would do--manage her own
affairs. No matter how often she was
warned. no matter what was given
TO her In words Of advice, she would 10
right on by herself until she had learned
from that most drastic teacher experi-
ence, and then, perhaps, 1t would be
too late to do anything. After all. Jane
lived In an atmosphere created by her
own illusions. and from Whit she had
seen OF him Bob West was thorougbIv
practical, accepting realities as mai.
ter OF course. Whether he and Jsna
would weather the difference In their
natures remained to be seen. Elsie, Foo
was bent on managing things her own
way; and what was to come out Of n
Ruth. 'aiAs 70
PLAN MEDICAL EXHIRIT