The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-29
Chapter 81
ESTHER'S PHILOSOPHY

The morning of the day we expected
Helen to arrive, Esther and 1 worked
| together fixing up her room.
i We were giving her Laura's old
room. 1t had an iron bed. white
enamelled, the pride of Laura's heart
when she lived with us-it was
curious affair with the bars twisted
into some sore Of futile design-some
chairs and a queer, heavy, walnut
Bureau. 1t was anything but attrac-
| tive.
| But Violet and put in the Japanese
prints we brought home with us, and
| placed large jar of old-fashioned flow
ers on the bureau, and on the ,mantel
couple of my brass candlesticls.
brought in the plain rug. from Wis
room and we Numbered the curtains
and it was at least fresh and clean,
and made liveable by the flowers.
Esther and were busting and MAX
ing up the bed.
/ How about this Helen?" Esther
asked suddenly. She's Wis friend,
isn't she?"
Wis and mine" answered.
And yours? Why, isn't she Wis
aee?"
! No. she's almost as old as l an" l
told her.
She is" Esther's mouth always
dropped when she was astonished, and
it gave her such curious expression.
Il thought she was a young girl. So
she's your age, Pretty?'
guessed at once what was in her
mind Never before had Esther feared
another woman. Now she was afraid
of them all. did not envy her.
For when il takes
everything With it Eventually it
takes even love, for there can be
no love where there is no conf
! dence The woman to whom every
other woman is possible unp1eaS-
ant complication and a danger, IS
! the unhappiest woman in the
world
! NO, she's not pretty" I answered.
pitying her as I saw her features re-
lax "But she is really very nice and
we like her lot, and I'm sure you will
! too
| Esther looked over at me. Then
little shame-faced smile spread over
her face.
Il guess you know why asked" she
said Il guess you've got a perfect
right to think I'm fool But I dunno
where | stand any more, not since
James out with what he knew about
that other woman.
OF course. I always knew men ran
wild a bit she went on, smoothing a
perfectly smooth pillow absent minded
/ ~. But l guess I thought Jim was
different. He used to be so much in
| love with me. Do you think it's my
fault-he isn't-now?'
Did you try to keep up the romance
Of orria &c o+
want to say this, but felt so strongly
that l knew the reason for Esthers
unhappiness that l could not help my
self
DO you think there's much romance
! in this? She waved hand that took
in, somehow. our plain little farm
house and the whole farm. Not much
chance for the novel and love story
| stuff when you work 16 hours a day.
And then hard work pulls you down.
! and you lose your looks, and there YOU
are. Some young chit comes along
that hasn't worked out her soul for
man, and off he goes after her.
IT'S always the mans fault them" I
put it as n question.
1T is when the woman's been good
and faithful wife, She evidently took
my words as a statement. And been
that. He wouldn't have found a better
| one-I kept his house we'll and
never spent cent more'n l could, and
I helped him save. and raised his chill
dren healthy. And you know what 1
get.
But | guess she said, going back
and smoothing once more the perfect
ly smooth pillow, Il guess I amt
getting any worse deal than most All
men are alike, if it amt one thing it's
another. ] don't know any wives that
are perfectly happy.
LAS far as Jim goes, he's promised
not to see this-this creature" little
venom came out in this remark. $50
/ forgave him. and everything's as. it
was before. But l guess it's only