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

Alfred SIaE, z tnan ot whom every
ons spoke VEL, se!t-msde. steady and
Industrious, was contracting engi-
nssr WHO specialized in grain eleva-
tors, factories, jand certain other
forms of warehouses. factories and
markets. His wife, Celia, was fond
Of the refinements Of life, and, On
the surface, somewhat aloof in her
manner toward her husband although
she was deeply in love witt 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 de
scription Of scene at one OF their
parties in which both husband and
wife are on the verge OF serious mis-
understanding gaa ...4..s.. ...
There had come within the last few
months, and within year of their
marriage, a change in him which made
this attitude Of hers all the harder 10
maintain. Something seemed 10 be ln-
dermining that quiet confluence in him
self which, when she had first met him
had been his most distinguished char
acteristic. She knew, Of course. that
he had business worries, due to the
conditions created by the outbreak Of
the war. But then, the war had af-
fected everybody. All their friends
grOaned and joked about their poverty
affected an eXtravagant ignorance as
to where their next meal was coming
from. But they all went on living.
as fur as she could see, in just about
the same old way
There was no reason to suppose that
Fred was any harder hit than the
Others. Indeed, he talked very much
less about hard times than the other
men did. He had. two Or. three times
lately, looked pretty solemn over bills.
to be sure; had asked, with no jocular
undertone, how much she'd paid for
that rose-colored frock. and had made
queer noise like an audible shndder
over an offhand remark of hers about
the possibility Of tHiding in their car
for this years model.
That she had not taken any of these
signs more seriously was due to the
fact that she supposed all husbands
made themselves unpleasant on the
subject Of domestic expenditure. Her
married friends of longer standing
seemed to accept this convention quite
light-heartedly, and burlesqued a lively
terror over the effect of all of their
more ornamental purchases on their
respective husbands. Besides, Celia
knew she wasn't eXtravagant. really:
1t couldn't be that that plunged her
husband into the brooding melancholy
that seemed to envelop him whenever
circumstances gave it chance
But this belief, quite honestly
achieved, didn't help her much be-
cause the melancholy was there Many
. time she'd surprised hagard look.
almost despairing look, in his eyes.
that all but brought the tears 10 her
own. And the impulse that came to
get her arms around him tight. to
demand to be told what the trouble
was-all about it clear down to the
bottom, would be almost irresistible
But the fear Of losing her own selfcon-
troll. going to pieces. crying. making
. damp, unpleasant little fool Of her.
self, always restrained her-had up
to tonight at any rate. Shed always
stiffened against It. In order not to
70 sOft, she'd become brusk--bullie,l
him Z little. urged him to cheer up.
dragged him off to the theatre or "A
four Of bridge with the Calvins around
the corner.
Like al situations between intimates,
this between them was q product OF
= thousand small accretiOns. Had
he come home six months ago with the
look she'd seen In his face tonight, her
van OF Resistance would have been
shattered. The troubled flood Of COM
pa1sinn pent mn within her would have
o. -.,lf.-l h.~,. But he wasn't 20 very
nifferent tonight from what he had