South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-10-15
HOW DICKY TOOK MADGE'S
STORY OF MRS. HADLEY'S
VISIT.

SlOk1 III MifS. fiADlEI :
VISIT.
Sometimes n painful scratch Of A
sudden small bruise viii make one
forget the pain Of a deeper, greater
injury. II was so with me after
Mrs Hadley had taken her correct.
impeccable way down our front
walk and into her waiting motor.
NJ with her. insignifi-
cant though 1t had been. had irri-
tated me 10 q point where I forgot
temporarily the very real estrange-
ment between Dicky and me. II
found myself waiting impatiently
for him 10 come home that | might
tell him Of the incident. I wonder
II all wives feel as I do about shar-
ing experiences with their hus-
bands? More than half the pleas-i
ure Of a new book. a play or an
/ outing is gone if Dicky isn't with
me. And I'm never comfortable
when any odd happening breaks up
the day until have shared it with
my husband and have received his
raillery or sympathy as the case
may demand.
That is the one great drawback
to my secret work, the fact that
cannot tell my husband about it.
But since I have been at home
again l have tried 10 put out Of my
mind altogether hat phase of 1t.
Thinking Of il always brings up
speculation as 10 the reasons why
Lillian insists that Dicky be barred
from all knowledge of my work and
that avenue of thought is a dark,
puzzling -thoroughfare for me.
The Home Coming.
Dicky was late in coming home ,
from Mineola. where he was en-
gagged in making the illustrations
for an aviation serial. a commission
he had recently received. He greet
ed me with the almost formal cour-
tesy which had ~pervaded his man
ner ever since our stormy interview
by the brook, but I noticed some
thing else about him. an air of sup
pressed excitement, as If something
momentous had happened TO him.
I knew better. however. than to
ask him any questions. His moods
are variable lately. and I have
learned to be wary of them. So Il
simply answered his Hello, Madge"
which he managed TO invest with
as much formality as if his actual
words had been Good evening.
Mrs. Graham"-with a careless.
friendly Hello, Dicky," and added
as he mounted the stairs to his
room:
Dinner will be ready in 90 min
utes, on the veranda."
There's a large, square veranda
at the real of the library IN the old
house we have bought, which we
had screened as soon as the first
hint of spring came. 1t Overlooks
the garden, at the foot of which is
the little lake bordered by trees.
the most attractive feature of our
grounds.
Both icky and 1 delight in hav-
ing our meals served out Of doors,
but the spring mornings and eve
nines have been a bit too chilly for
comfort heretofore. The afternoon
had been especially warm. however.
ana when 1 instructed Katie to
serve dinner on The breeze-swept
veranda l was sure that Dicky's
pleasure after his journey from
Mineola would equal my own.
The Shadow Falls.
1 placed the table and his chair
in such a position that his eyes
would rest most easily on the lake
with the trees surrounding it, a YER
liable Corot in its soft spring color
ing. As he came out on the veran-
da, fresh from his BATH. and look-l
ing unusually handsome, he stopped
abruptly and gazed a long minute
at the exquisite blending of ripping
water with the shadows Of the
bending trees upon its banks.
by Jovei' he exclaimed at last,
drawing out my chair for me with
the courtly grace which he knows
so well how 10 use. This is dis
tinctly worth while. I never real
lied before how pretty and restful
it is back here. But where is our
dear Cousin Agatha?"
Whether from the softening in
fluence of the spring landscape
spread out before him. with its
never-ending appeal to his artist
soul. or from some other reason, he
was more like himself than he had
been for a long time. 1 fastened to
answer his inquiry.
Waiting prayerfully in her room
for US to develop pneumonia be-
cause we have dared 70 have dinner
out Of DOORS I smiled. trying 10
match my voice to his spirit Of rail-
lery.
I'm TO infer then hat my kins-
woman won't shed the light of her
countenance upon us at meal time
when we eat out here"
You're eminently correct" I an
swered. Il hope you'll be able to
bear up when I tell you that I have
instructed Katie to serve all our
meals out here"
Praise be 10 Allah" he ejacu-
lated devoutly. and then with a re-
turn 10 his old. delightful manner,
We'll. what's been doing today
l try never TO bore Dicky by re-
lating the petty details with which
so many women garnish the meals