The Washington herald., 1920-11-18
The Marriage Mill
By Mildred X. Barbour
Copyright. 1870. by The Wheeler
Syndicate. Incl
FORLORN.

Rpr a moment after she had over
heard the conversation between
Diane Evans and Larry, Alison
stood as IL frozen.
In that brief time the two rounded
the corner and cape upon her mo-
tionless under the arc light.
They started guiltily. The girl
even shrank back a little, but Larry
recovered himself quickly.
Hello there," he greeted his
young wife cheerfully, Il was just
headed for home. The mater phoned
me you'd be there for tea"
Alison was incapable of speech.
That he dared to address her so
casually after the humiliation he
had caused her the night previous
which lay st!ll unexplained between
them, was incredible.
Sc she said nothing. She merely
stared at Diane Evans until that
young woman's glance wavered and
she looked down at her hands ner-
vously twisting the chain of her
mesh bag.
Then Alison turned on her heel
and continued down Maplewood
avenue at a brisk pace.
"Alison"
Larry's call went unheeded.
She increased her pace almost to
a run, rounded the next corner, and
doubled back in the direction OF her
mothers home.
When she arrived. flushed and
painting, she observed, through the
partly drawn curtains, that a num-
ber of people were seated in Mrs.
Atherton's little drawing room.
She didn't wait to ascertain the
identity of the callers, but. feeling
perfectly incapable OF meeting any
one. she turned of into the dark
ness of Kate Gibson's garden and
dropped down on a bench in the
tiny rustic summer house whose
lthickIy- grown ivy covering protect
ed her from the keen night wind.
Her thoughts were in a turmoil,
and she felt the need Of reflection
and readjustment.
| Rage at Larry and Diane Evans
twas foremost; fear Of Warren Brad
Iley's wife was present also; a sense
I of disloyalty to Gwen and an inde-
scribable feeling toward Bradley
himself reduced her to a mental
tumble.
! What a dreadful, mixed-up state
her affairs had got into, she thought
And whose fault was it?
T. She tried to think clearly. to place
the blame where il belonged-anc
!, caught herself up with the realiza.
ltion that no matter whose fault II
twas. the mischief was done. and
placing the blame made the situa-
ton no Tess acute.
} The wind mourned through the
ivy. ruStling it with ghostly sound
One faint-voiced cricket chirpet
iforlornly in a corner of the summer
house. 4 path of light shining
across the garden from the Gibson'i
library maade Alison's retreat seen
imore dark and dreary than ever by
icontrast.
4 Here was she-young, pretty, at
ltractive-and miserable! Life wa
a failure: marriage a miserable
i fiasco: men traitorous cads; ant
women not to be trusted,
Il So her thoughts ran: and NOR
itears came as she stirred what sh,
itragically called ''the ashes of he
life and love"
1 1t was the first time in her who'll
life that she had known real bitter
ness and disappointment; the frs
itime that she had not been eager &
.pour out the whole story to he
mother and be told not to fret. tha
lit would all come out right in tn
lend.
For the first time in her life sh
felt that she had really become
woman and faced a woman's prob
Ilems. 1t was a thought which IN
vested her with alarm and at th'
same time with a new dignity. Sh'
! wanted to rise and go out OF tn
summer house with a new poise
and a mask of serenity to hide he
: turbulent thoughts.
} But the spoiled child in her mad
,her sob aloud.
, And after a few moments a han,
: was laid lightly on her shoulder
, and Kate Gibson's CHEEKY voic
spoke in her ear.
fCoutiuued Tomorrow.l