Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-07
CHAPTER XIV

fWASN'T until the next morning
{hat Scott asked Ruth a sudden ques-
They were at breakfast, a break
ot4gularly like those others during
~ honeymoon days when Ruth sprang
yory often to run around to Scotia
4 - o. the table, and when she ummed
1Qkhlessly as she ran to and from
= ktchen getting fresh toast or filling
o4tt's coffee cup.
ts,Do you like Betty Lambert any bet
~ than you did,"
WHAT made you think of that?"
Tour attitude toward her last night.
,&s WAo 90 different"
The sun was streaming in through the
&emty white curtains, all the fears of
~ night had melted away with the
''o4ylt9ht. Ruth felt more than happy.
"a. Well" she admitted, II felt differ
~ last night, l think It was Alice.
HcQtt DO you know what happened in
itlD kitchen? %
Why no !" He looked UP in amaze
We'll, I suppose it's foolish to tell
10Y, this, but you asked me about Betty.
2 I think l might as well. Betty saved
the situation by running in last night.
Alice had just come out to the kitchen
q had told me that I was trying to
~ Dull. sIb lDlu Dull sue WAS
worrying for you"
Scott stared at her. "she must have
been Joking"
rShe wasn't Joking"
ID you mean to tell M that she
meant what she said?"
"Scott, does she mean what she says
eeherally? Does Alice joke about things
very often?'
rNo," slowly. but that seems so
utterly absurd"
Isl didn't think so last night. I was
furious.'
Sweetheart, I had no idea that Alice
was actually making you unhappy. !
Thought you were determined to view
Alice through u~nfavorable eyes and
were therefore not disposed to be fair
to her.
and I thought you ought to be at
least fair to mo and to take my part
rather thar hers. was more hurt than
you know the other night when you
acted as you did"
That was all that was said. just then.
but Ruth knew that at last SCOTS
eyes had been opened. She was sensible
enough not to press her point which
was just as we'll. Furthermore Alice's
attitude had not the power to hurt her
as it had at first.
AS for Scott, neither did he press his
point, He had no real idea of Ruth's
attitude toward his friends. but he did
have the incident of the preceding eve
ming to go by. Ruth had been cordial
and sweet toward the casual happening
in of Betty and Gene, He took it rs n
good omen. If Ruth could feel that way
toward his friends, perhaps some day
they might reach an understanding con-
corning everything else.
Just as there Is not often a thrilling
climax in any married life n Its
problems SO in the case of Ruth and
Scott things had come about gradually.
A week or so back. the situation that
existed now would I'VE been impossible
But now, in the mind of each there
existed a certain tolerance or vision.
Ruth would never have admitted to
Scott the blankaoss with which she had
faced the possibility of turning to some
one for guidance on hat night when she
had contemplated running away. Not Tor
the world would she AVE sunk her PRIDE
10 the extent of actually telling him that
of all the people he knew there wasn't
any one at all she could confide in and
of all the people she knew, MS
Friends had seemed the most possible.
IA OF course It must be that
SO far in their life together only 'he
gsn,a,Iest problems had been settled.
sSuch things as tastes and friends and
Relatives ar. often never settled at all.
mr., frno,cntlv serve as irritants for a
ne b,it they are seldom dramatically
I'm nortont, Ruth and Scott had been
sserfsible enough to recognize existing