The Bismarck tribune., 1919-04-07
THE THOROUGHBRED.


Alfred Blair, man Of whom every
one spoke well. seif-made, steady and
industrious, was 4 contracting eng;-
neer who specialized in grain eleva.
tors, factories, and certain other
forms Of warehouses, factories and
markets. His wife, Celia, was fond
Of the refinementg Of life, and, on
the surface, somewhat aIoof in her
manner toward her husband although
she was deeply in love wit1 him. She
hated to be ruffled but was finding
certain impulses Of her own undermin-
Ing her serenity. Jealousy was one OF
them. The story opens with a de-
scription of scene at one Of thei.
parties in which both husband and
wife are on the verge Of serious mis-.
understanding.
SYNOPSIS OF End LNSTALLNIEEI'
OF STORY
crisis has come in his business
affairs and Fred discIOscS the fact t.
Celia in 50 laundering n way that
she inferS that he expects she will
want to get Il divorce on some pre-
text that he might offer. She is great
ly insulted.
Presently she began to cry. put her
head down on her arms and SObbcd and
shook. He sat frozen in his chair
at the other end Of the room. He
didn't dare come near her. lie cOuldn':
think of word to say. After while
"a period Of time that seemed endless
to him--she sat erect again. dried her
wet face and began getting control
Of her breathing.
The first thing she managed to say
was, I'm sorry to be such Il mess! If
anything's silly TODD, it's to cry. But
but an insult like that makes you
so sick you can't help yourself"
Hc cried out at that: Celia, didn:
mean it for an insult
She choked down another miserable
sob and answered. 81 know it. That's
what makes ii so perfectly uncndur-
able. If you'd said it because yol
wero-angry with me and w-wanted
to hurt me just as hard as you pos
sibly c-cOuld. it wouldn't be so bad.
But You really m-mean it., That's what
you've thought ever since you married
me. suppose ! ought to be glad I
found out at last"
He got out Of his chair and there
was another long silence while he
walked slowly back and forth the
length of the rom, sometimes with his
hands in his pockets. sometimes getting
them out and squeezing them together.
sometimes pausing to look at her where
she sat with her back to him. drooping
over the little spinet desk (making 4
wonderfully appealing picture with her
rose-colored frock OF the new old-fasI-
iOned cut, her gay colors and her wc-
begonc air) and then moving on again.
Any one watching him could have seen
that momentOus question was strug.
CLING within him trying to get itself
asked. 1t is possible that Celia. with
out looking at him at all, was aware
OF this
1t broke through ut last. He said
you're still fond of me without with
out any Of the things that were part
OF me when we were married: And
that you won't mind coming down to
twenty-five dollars a week with me?
ls that what you mean?"
She flushed, Strengthened. whipped
round on him in q gale Of wrath.
Mind " she said. "Of course mind.
] mind horribly. I hate ot Poverty'S
not romantic. and it's not n lark, and
there's nothing nice about it. and the
virtuous. superior way people act about
n makes me tired-pretending they
Ike 1t. pretending they wouldn't change
things II they could notice they do
change pretty quickly when they can. !
She went on to say a good deal more
than that OF the same import. She
talked about the horror OF three-roOm
flats "0ut ON the West Side some