Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-03
HIS SECOND WIFE
Nv ERNEST POOLE
Author Of "The Horbor," "His Family
-. I,o,,,rtoht, Ieeo, BY Public Ledger 90.

Giles came In with long box of roses. |
Ethel thought they were for herself.
,,,.S, No said Emily they're for your
For, me7" Joe laughed. There's
"No-there's no mistake" said Ethel,
slant she had grown cold. what a fool
70 have forgotten that this was Amys
birthday! Inside the box was Fanny.s
card and on It she had written. I'm
nsmory pSy birthdsy ri shs mary times helped you
Ethel went quickly out of the room.
II was an awkward evening
Fanny gave a dinner soon after that
a hotel grill room. and II was large ano
noisy-and noisler and noisierA-till even
above the boisterous hubbub at the
tables all about the noise of their party
to Ethel's ears. And what were they
sparkling? No--just chatter, peais OF
laughter They were just plain cheap
and tough How red were their faces,
You're not vivid enough, that's the
trouble with you You've got to be
| vivider !" she thought. You ought TO
have taken that cocktail! |" She drank
to be very boisterous with the man ON
her right, who was smiling back as
though he could barely hear her voice.
'He has had too much - she told her
self "oh. how I loathe. you--loathe
| But later, when they began to dance,
| she found with a little glow Of relief
that she could do this rather well.
| Thank Heaven she had taken those
was younger than most Of these crea-
| lures. and more 1.-THE and supple. The
men\ were poticing, crowding around
her; She caught a glare from one OF
tremendously; 1t came, like CLEAN OF
light in the dark. She caught Joe's
admiring glances. She danced with him,
then turned him down for somebody
else, kept turning him down. She threw
was coming into 1t too. This was not
so bad, after all. "You NAV even grow
to like all thisr' But most Of her
thinking was a whirl
arms. She thought This is how he ar and
Amy came home. Never mind, I'm not
half SO weak as thought l can play
this game"
And play It she did.
The next morning they slept very late.
They. had breakfast in bed. and when
Joe had gone she lay thinking. Her
mind was marvelously clear. 1t went
swiftly over the night before. Yes. most
Of 1t had been simply disgusting. the eat
ing and drinking, those warm moist
eyes. THE way the men looked at you,
held you This is no life for you. Ethel
about. She wanted that but with other
men whom she liked to De friends with
men who would treat you as something
more than a, than al don't know
what! Yes. she must get away from
g.. these creatures and get Joe away too
but to do 1t she must show him first
that she was really willing to do her
best to like them all. The next thing
was to ask them here. ITS the only
/, way, to break their hold. Show him
you're no jealous cat And how do
know that among them all. as l &c
about, l WORT find few that aren't sc
, tough?.. And through them I'll fint
others"
But she put off entertaining joe
= friends, for she had her hands full nov
In managing just Joe alone. Amy
l. that there could be- no o mistake: Unde
=. the spell of his success, and still NOR
perhaps through his pride and delight Il
Z his handsome young wife Joe was show
s him long ago. He showerSd gifts uSo
G her. He delighted in surprises On
= Twas a smart little town car, and thi
!, was very pleasant surprise, But In
I he insisted upon her shopping busil.
. And when she was a bit slow to. moy'
g to her dismay he went himself wit
= Fanny Carr, and bought for Ethel
rings, too, but Ethel took them back 9
70 once. Fanny knows as well as Il q
= myself that ! cant wear pearls J" sh
,e ,e for opal pendants. And then. in orde
u to put a stop TO Fannys detestable al
y tempts "to make me look like perfec
I; fright" Ethel did start in and shol
p what fever It became! Sternly eyt
! ing herself in the mirrors of shops sh
T. studied and made mistakes by, the sc scor
Is and corrected and went on and on. "1'
u look right If II kills me-"
u one night she learned what Fam
" Carr had had in mind when she cam
- 'poking into our lives y
y For Fanny was poor-she had Ion
,. on Long Island, and only by a hairs
u breadth now did Ethel keep her frol
i selling 1t to Joe as a surprise for HI
" wife.
Il well. Fanny. what next?" though
g. for hours, perfectly still and motionles
!. p. not to disturb her husband For 20
y are not through yet. Mrs. Carr. S
= long as we're rich and you are poor an
'r have no immediate husband, yout
d going to act like a ravening wolf
r aren't you. my own precious, You mea
;. TO break my hold on him by keeping htr
q thinking of her, Of her! Now what ar
W to do about it?" She frowned. Sh
\ knew that she ought to talk frankly I
"a Joe. and get over this silly habit G
never mentioning Amys name. St
" grew determined. but their weak. Fo
n what could she say to him about Amy
IT What did she really want to say? "r
II | know poor Amy was anything bad
q Wasn't she good to me? Would I cal
le to try to talk against her? No. An
10 even II did, you see. 1t would onl
& hurt me with Joe--as 1t should"
rs So she went on In different mood
G. And now she saw her sisters face smi
ID ing out of clear violet eyes and aga
y. she felt small gloved hand on hC
10 husband drawing him gently back--bac
le and back into the past. Why was Am
10 so much stronger now? "Becau'
T. Fanny Carr has been clever enough
e. take me out of the life I was maxim
le hold on Joe was strongest. I'm in h,
n. setting. That's the trouble :"
a But she had Amy's friends to dine or
4, night, as In her calmer moods she kue
1t was the only sensible course. And &
" they. began arriving, by swift degre,
~ could feel the room each moment chanl
and become Amy's home. And It WI
a Amys dinner, too. No cooking
y; u lsmilys that night, for Joe had SUI
n. ways used" he had said And 50 Il
rs cocktails and the wines and the foe
"a In many courses, the two walters
IL evening clothes, and the talk and Il
shrieks OF mirth, were Just as the
r. must have been before so many, man
e. times In this room. Ethel sat affab
ie rigid there
:, And later at the piano Joe was NJ
~ Ethers husband. Nor was It her roo
when they stripped up the rugs ar
In began TO dance, nor her photograph the
III eyes kept seeking from time to tim,
ShG even thought she could hear the
10 dead!