The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-06
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
NAN BEGRUDGES DICKS WAR
SERVICE.
CHAPTER Z

CHAPTER &.
I had paid the butcher, but noIone
else. My nerves had been at the
breaking point for days, even since
Dick had talked so blithely about that
5000 in the bank. ~
He often had told me of the noney
made in cotton, but he never had tried
to increase his income by speculation
and declared he never would.
81 have seen too many young fell
lows go broke. 1 am afraid of any
kind of speculation he told mo
when l urged him to do something
TO make more money. t"WeIl go
slow, Nan. Save as we can and buy
good bond or something that is safe
1T seems almost cowardly not to
try TO make more when we need it
SO badly"
Once more he reminded me of the
5000 in the bank. and cautioned me
not to worry-that7 he was the man
of the house and would always take
care of me.
IF you hadn't gone to that old
waT If you had done as lot of
others did and stayed at home, you
could have made money enough to
have anything we want-a lot of them
did"
You wouldn't have had me a
welcher would you, Nam"
I flushed. I had been SO proud of
him when he wore his uniform. He
wore it the first time I met him.
But the war was over, and we were
poor, while so many who remained at
home were rich.
You were invaded home SO soon
you almost as well might not have
gone I excused my unkind speech.
mo, dear! Because German bull
let found me almost at once, is no
7 Iax
Stacker L tried to do my bit, like a
lot Of other fellows who either went
west almost at once or who were in
that first batch who were invalided
home. I hate to hear you talk as you
: dot hurts
Pm sorry, Dick. But there is so
much needed at such a time, and
you work so hard. There. I'm a
horrid selfish old thing! I Won't be
| any more. I promise"
He said no more, just kissed and
petted me. But I knew he was, as
he had said, hurt" He hated to
have me say a word against what
the soldiers had done, what our coun-
try had done. He was intensely patri-
otto. and had sorrowed dreadfully
when the doctors wouldn't let him go
back after he recovered from his
wound, and the slight shell shock.
seldom referred to the war, or to
his part in it Yet often thought of
| it. and how he had lost his chance to
get rich by volunteering. Not that
consciously 1 would have had him
profiteer, as a great niAny had-but
ne was bright and clever; he would
nave seen many chances to make
money had he been at home, we'll, and
able to attend to business
1t may seem strange that / a coun-
try girl, should so soon have become
| inocuIated With the money bug. as
Dick called it. But when a woman
| loves pretty things, is fond of adorn-
ing herself and her home, and sees
afford them, It is hard for her not TO
be enyious-not to long for the flesh
| pots-not to do whatever she can to
get what she desires.
I used to spend hours in the stores,
looking at absurdly expensive ma
terials--things that only the very
wealthy could buy and watching the
beautifully dressed women who came
in carriages and motor cars to shop.
This habit was very bad for me-
Dick had encouraged me to run
around to the shops when We were
first married. He thought it would
keep me from being lonely AThen in
the evening We often would walk down
the Avenue, and look in the windows
window shopping I called it.
would pretend he was going to buy it
for me. He little knew how intensely
was wishing he would, or could.
But for several weeks I had not
been able to go out very much save
leround the neighborhood. Yet in
some way I had spent every penny
he gave me beside being so much in
debt. My hfe was made miserable by
the thought of how 1 was to hide this
from Dick-and not at all because of
my own wrongdoing.
{Tomorrow-A surprise that meant a
sacrifice.)