The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-29
The Woman
He Married
NAN AND DICK ARE MARRIED.
BY JANE PHELPS

Chapter /.
Dick and I were young when we
married-too young, mother feared.
But we loved each other dearly, and
at first were very, very happy.
Like all really true-tolife stories,
mine is but the weave of many trivial
Incidents There was in my life, as
there is in yours tragedy and COM
edy, sunshine and shadow, tears and
laughter.
How could we imagine. loving each
other as We did, that we should ever
almost wish We never had married ?
Did say almost? 1 fear there were
many times in Dicks life when he
regretted marrying me- And if 1 ana
honest there were also times in mine
when If didn't really regret marry
ing him, ] wished 1 had waited until
he had established himself in bust
ness and could have given me more.
For I craved excitement. entertain
ment-but, above and beyond all,
clothes and extravagant living.
How should I know that, loving
him, / was also to be his Nemesis
absorbing all that was dependable in
might have been or done.
was small town girl, my people
in only fairly comfortable circum-
stances. I had graduated from high
school. then had helped mother
around the house, made our clothes
with the assistance of the village
dressmaker, and been a happy and
contented girl.
1 was visiting a girl friend in an
adjoining town when I met Dick.
| Her brother and Dick had been
| chums and roommates at Cornell.
We were constantly thrown together
for the-two weeks of my visit; after
| that our courtship was mostly done
by mail Dick had his own way to
make in the world, and could lot af-
| ford railroad fares too often. He
made US one visit: rather, he came
to our town at Christmas and spent
a week at the hotel-that is. he slept
there; every waking hour he was with
me.
On my twenty-first birthday we
| were married. Dick was rs.
For q little over year Dick had
been in the office Of Blake and Og-
den, cotton brokers. His salary was
very small thought it very gen.
erous when married him, almost
munificent.
rooms up in the Bronx. I was de-
lighted that was to live in New York.
DICK mad boarded so long that because
he wanted it, we went to housekeep-
ing at once. I would have preferred
| to board a while, until I had seen
something of New York. But when
he pleaded for a home I said no more.
/ We paid $25 a month for our rooms,
up three flights of stairs. To me 1t
seemed exorbitant. In Holden my
| home, one could rent a good sized
house with a yard and vegetable gar
den for that But Dick explained that
We had no coal to buy, and that we
were near the subway, which he
thought. necessary is it would save
time. Dick hated to getNp mornings,
and I declared 1t was of that he
thought when he rented the apart
ment.
Dick had saved about 5000 before
| We were married. 'If 1 had met you
sooner I'd have had more" he said re-
sretfully when We talked things over.
"Oh, We can start beautifully on
that" I rejoined. To me it seemed
quite fortune. Z
We had small house wedding. Our
Sits which wore mostly sober. sensi-
Bile ones. nearly furnished the apart
ment. We had a few handsome things
Il from Dicks relatives and friends,
enough to give a little touch of ele-
gance to our living room. But these
few handsome gifts needed corre-
spending expenditures, so most of the
S400 we spent went for a handsome
rug. a desk, table, and then the neces-
sary housekeeping equipment.
From the moment I stepped off the
train at the Grand Central station I
YORK; and with the thoughts of the
new life was to lead. 1 wanted every
thing l saw, envied the women, adj
mired the men, and planned what
to me seemed a heavenly time
| (Tomorrow - The beginning - envy.)