Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-27
HIS SECOND WIFE
BY ERNEST POOLE
ny EFUFEDI TOOLT
Author Of "The Harbor," "His Fau,ily"
Copyright, 1870. By Public Ledger Co.

81 haven't any"
on he said. She glanced up and
saw CLEAN of uneasiness in his steady
| ureu eyes She shrank a little
asked. hNi"s' he
| ., None that ! care about" she replied.
| she swallowed sharply. 'iThey're scat.
,sredogone Tered West. We lost track of
stay here?" ''' '''e"u "
For a while-if Joe wants me-"
| I'll take care of joe" Though the
voice was low, It had an anxious, Jealous
| hote winch made her shver slightly,
sharply 0 ''''''eu nun
why not take. it away?" he asked.
ZOE never cared for it, did he? DO you
| think II has been happy here?"
| ana az mat she could have struck
him AT her glare he turned away.
Forgive me. OF course I-shouId not
nave said that" A pause. Nor talked
or your plans I'm not myself Sorry
for Joe. Forgive me-" He turned away
from her, frowning. "Pll see to every
the apartment,
ana an the rest of the day and the
nIgnt ana through the morning which
Lollowed, no one else came but profess
s,ona. smm linen. men and Mrs Carr She came
hard, intrusive, naked. And the
o'Vusnt kept rising in Ethel's mind like
! nash of revelation in ali the storm
and blackness. " "
best friend 90 "S amy
The funeral was soon over and of ito
ugly details only a few remained in her
mihd Sne mad glimpse of Amy's face
doWn in the handsome coffin. and at tho
S,snt sho turned away with swift pang
OF self-rcproach. II shouldn't have lei
| fanny do that" Fanny had dressed her
sister ~''|" '''
She remembered the low rcspectfuI
voice of the building superintendent:
lnCres an afternoon tea on the floor
oeiow, so the casket and the funeral
elevator" e"'
She gave a strained little laugh at
mar and asked, Il wonder when I'll
me preacher, a tall, kindly young man.
came In and seemed about to speak; but
aIter look at her face he stopped He
nad come from a church two blocks
away. AVE- Joe and Amy had never been to
ms church, and IL was Nourse who had
brought him here. Nourse had learned
| or him from the undertaken.
several boxes of flowers came.
nra,a, Later from a milliner's shop two
pretty autumn hats arrived
The guests began arriving-silcnt.
awkward strangers-ten or twelve.
= She heard the nurse come In with
Susette and take her back to the
nursery
There was no music Not a sound.
AZ last the silence was broken by the
minister's low voice Thank heaven, thai
was Kindly. He was brief, and yet too
ioiig Tor from the apartment one fight
oelow, before he had finished the fes.
i've throb of a little orchestra was
He prayed just a minute or two.
. Ihen they followed the coffin out into
me nall and back and down the freight
| elevator
a motor hearse was waiting below.
when the burial was over. she came
ing room watching his face, while the
dusk grew mercifully deep. Then she
| made him eat some supper and take
something to make him sleep And later
IN IN her own small room she lay on her
| bed, disheveled. fearless. her mind stun
ned, her feelings queer and uneven, now
surging up, now cold and still.
Where has she gone?, What do
| know? What do 7 believe?
What am | here for?"
with a pang she recalled the town In
| ONO where she and Amy had been born
| and her thoughts went drifting for q
| while. Pictures foated in and out, pic.
turessof her life at home. She was hun.
cry for them now, the old stays and
firm supports, the old frame house. hei
father and the God In the yellow church
the quiet river, the high school and
that friendly group of eager girl COM
| panions. with work, discussions, young
ideals. plans and dreams of life and love
All up by the roots in a few
swift weeks
Shall | go back?" she asked herself
DO want to go-now that dad is dead
| and most of the girls have gone away
scattered all over the country?' Again
she lapsed. I'm too dull 10 think" She
| let the pictures drift again. Church so
ciables, n Christmas tree, dances, sup
pers and buggy rides. picnics by the
river. How small and very, far-away
and trivial they now appeared. All had
pointed toward New York. Go back
and marry, settle down? Do want to ?
! No. And anyhow, there's Joe and
| Susette. My place is right here--and
I'm going to stay. But what is it going
to mean to me? What do | want in this
city now?"
lin the turmoil startled. she looked
about her for a purpose, some Ideal. But
ones. garish and confused. She recalled
those faces of Amy's friends. Yes,
cheap and tough, for all their clothes !"
Or was It just this ghastly time that
had made them all appear so?
Again she thought of her sister dead.
"Oh Amy-Amy! Where have you
gomez"
And at last, quite suddenly the tears
came and she huddled ana SHOOK on her
bed
She slept that night exhausted. woke
up early the next morning and lay mo-
tionless on her bed: at first staring be-
wildered about the room, and them with
sharp contraction OF her brows ana a
quick breath. looking intently up at the
ceiling. vigilant look crept into her
eyes. for al once instinctively she was on
guard agaIrst letting the feelings of yes
terdav rise.
What a selfish little beast I've been.
Did | help in the funeral? Not bit.
Did l comfort poor Joe? Not at all. !
was occupied wholly with my own NOR
bid little soul Now we're, going to
stiffen up, my love, and try to be Of some
use to Joe, and do as Amy would have
liked" She began to trenlble suddenly:
mo, we're not going to think of her
gin with | must clear things up I'll
have a little talk with Joe. Poor joe
it's going to be pretty dreadful I'll
stick by him, though, and I've got to
learn how to keep him from going out
of his mind" More staring at the cell
ing. "One thing ! know. shant wear
black. Amy detested mourning, and Joe
will see life black enough as It is
Thank heaven, there's the housekeeping
to do, That shall run smoothly II 1t
kills me ! - All right, now suppose
we get out of bed"
Amy's silver coffee pot, Ethel had her
talk with Joe, She felt III, but she bit
her lips and smiled She had dressed
rer hair becomingly and had donned a
blue silk waist one of the coS.tless
pretty things that she had bought with
Amy. Her brown eyes had q resolute
brightness.
We'll have to help each other" she
said. And there's Susette to be thought
Of The best way, ! guess Is not to try