The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-20
EVENING STORY
Divorce Cured.
BY JOHN GREGG.

Deen the neSlectIul nusDano, dlIlOsl
from their honeymoon. And quar-
relied. Well, it was almost more than
she could stand. Everything she said
he disagreed with. Everything he
said she disagreed with, altho she did
not think of that part of it. She did
not like his relatives. and he hated
hers. His sister Argentine had made
the second summer of their marriage
miserable for Edith, and now Tom
had a perfect right to put up with her
brother Gerald. Gerald was a good
sort, and was a much better brother
than Tom was a husband.
The last straw came when Tom
had refused utterly to publish one or
Geralds stories. Tom was head of
publishing house and could have
easily marketed one of Gerald's many
literary endeavors, and Edith was
quite sure he would have done so had
Gerald been any one save her brother.
Their quarrel had been a long and
heated one and that night Edith had
cried herself to sleep. In the morning
she came down almost ready to for
give, but the first sound that greeted
her caused all the resentment to come
back into her soul. Tom was lectur-
ing Gerald scathingly.
Il won't have you sitting up writ
ing stories until o'clock in the morn
ing in my house" Tom was saying.
young man, if you got oot and did
some real work-something that
would do some good in the world
At this point Edith clustered in.
Few women are beautiful when angry
and Edith isn't included in the few.
1t was terrible. that is all we can say,
and we might add that Gerald was
the only one of three that acted
creditably. He retreated to his room,
leaving Edith clustering and Tom
gasping in an endeavor to find some
rejoinder to her biting words.
When Gerald came down stairs. two
hours later, Edith was still crying.
It's all ended" she sobbed on
Gerald's shoulder. 'Tom has tele-
phoned for his lawyer and have tele-
phoned for mine. They will be here
this evening to arrange for the di-
vorce. 1t is better so.''
At z o'clock Edith was in an eve
ming gown. seated in the library wait
ing the arrival of the lawyers with her
husband, altho they were not to be
there until s. She was fighting hard
to keep back the tears, and as she sat
there with just the tiniest tears glis-
tening in her eyes she looked like
pretty little disobedient child trying
to stick to it that she had not been
naughty at all. She tried to- brighten
up when Gerald entered
Read this, Sis, it's my latest story"
her brother said as he pushed forward
manuscript to her, and then passed
out. 1t was just like Gerald to give
her something to take her mind off
her trouble, she reflected. as she tried
to open the pages. If Tom had only
been more like him,
Divorced, Edith was free. In her
hands were the papers that Cancelled
her pria 90 oerfjf oh,
the feeling of freedom that she had
expected did not come over her. 1t
seemed odd to see Tom hailing a taxi
and not offering his arm to assist her
in There he was. going away alone,
perhaps she would never see him
again. ana he had not kissed her good
bye. OF course, he hadn't! He did
not have the right to now. 1t felt fun
ny to be hailing a taxi for herself,
and the ride home felt horribly lonely
How wearisome the house was, and
how quiet. The servants had all gone
away for the day.
Where was the large portrait of
Tom that had stood in the corner of
the library? OF course. he had taken
that away. How stran NICELY unfamiliar
was the aroma in the den, Flowers
were on the table where his pipes had
stood and a dish of candies replaced
his ash tray. Who had given orders
for those changes? Why Tom, of
course. He was always considerate in
little things for no one knew as he
did what pleased her most.
The flowers were violets, too. her
favorites. In the excitement she had
not noticed that. 1t was good of Tom
to remember them-how could he
forget them-how could either of
them forget them? Was it not in q
wood purple with violets where first
they had met? Were they not violets
he brought With the ring that sealed
their engagement, and had not her
wedding bouquet been most of violets?
How beautiful had the yiolets
seemed then! What wonderful day
it had beeni What a wonderful hi s.
band had he started out to be! Why
had he changed? The question star
tied Edith. The thought that per-
haps she had been to blame for the
whole thing came to her for the first
time.
In a lonely apartment in a large
hotel, sitting before a fireplace that
had not been kindled, his head in his
hands. sat Tom, the loneliest man in
creation. That day he had lost his
dearest possession, the most wonder
full little wife in the world. and he
had just realized that the whole thing
had been his fault.
He had crossed Edith in her every
little within, just as she had crossed
NM III ms IHo ne shoulu nave over
looked that. They had expected too
much of one another. To make life
happy one must give in to ones life
mate, but neither Edith nor Tom had
surrendered to each other on even
small points. 1t was a wonder they
had not been divorced before.
What other woman would have put
up with him as Edith had done?
thought Tom in his lonely apartment
And what other man would have put
up with her as Tom had done?
thought Edith in the library of the
lonely home that was hers by law
but belonged to Tom by rights. They
had been ideally suited to one another
had they only had the power of giving
in. Their tastes, their ambitions,
their ideals were the same. so why
had they not been happy? thus they
both thought. Gone was everything,
the ambitions, the ideals. the. little