Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-17
The
Marriage TrifIer
HAZEL DEYO BATCHELOR
Cortrfoht, 1890, bp Public Ledger 90.

Bdrbara Knioht marrscs Keith
Grant, the most eligible man Of her
seq and settles doton to married life
Dhh no -teru real tded of tohdt mar
r1doe IS. She Uants to 90 right on
qneentng oper society. aud never
Keith may have his o,or ideas about
marriage, The result Is that deprived
OF real friends at home aud forced
because OF his lope for Barbara to
ledd an artificial kind Of Rte, Keith
turns 70 other friends and katherine
means Of Introducing ntm 10 an IN
tercSttng circle Of people. Barbara
hears OF hts Jriendshtp Nth his sec
resdry and entirely misundorstunds
She has no one to turn to In her ,n-
happiness and she realizes just ho,p
Then one day she meets an old friend
Of her school days.
DARBArlA studied Elise as she faced
- her across the table. II was the
same Elise, fiery; interested in life, and
as as she feared stu scornful Of the leisure
envy. She wondered what she herself
would have done IL she had suddenly
beeh deprived Of her source of liveli-
hood as Elise had. The waiter came
and served them deftly. Over the hot
more.
''where do you live and what kind
Of work do you haveT' she asked
eagerly.
Elise smiled You must have a far
more exciting life than I have, Bar
bara. l suppose you still have ali kinds
Of admirers. l remember you did at
school and l know you live in a dizzy
whirl of gaiety with no time at all for
your husband"
at the truth that lay behind, the light
words brought back her unhappiness. II
was true she never seemed to have much
time for Keith. 1t made her uncom-
fortably conscious of the fact that she
herself was very much to blame for his
attention to another woman.
II get up at 1880" Elise went on
without waiting for Barbara to speak.
Il have an apartment downtown with
another girl and we take turns getting
breakfast. ] am at the office at 9.
began there IN a very small job, and srow
have a small desk and a very small
editorship I make $40 a week. I sup
pose you spend as much as that on
fripperles."
Keith gave Barbara an allowance and
money that her father had given her
when she was married. The sum that
Elise made seemed ridiculously small
to her: In fact, she did not see how II
was possible to manage on II. She had
a great deal to learn, and she won
dered at her own eagerness to resume
this friendship with girl who had
always scorned her at school as one of
the idle rich. But that she was eager
to be friendly with Elise was true.
somehow she felt that Elise could be
trusted.
Whom do you live with7" Barbara
asked after a moments silence.
Nancy Fair" Elise returned. "She
NO. Nancy Fair who wrote The
Elise nodded nonchalantly.
How splendid 70
she is splendid. You'd like her"
I'D like to meet her" Barbara's
tone was more wistful than she realized.
II touched Elise with It's sincerity. She
liked Barbara more at that moment
than she ever had before in her life,
but she was wary OF her emotions, and
she said in matter Of fact tones:
You'll have to look US up sometime"
taking the sincerity Of this. Barbara
opened her imported bead bag and pulled
out little silver memorandum book. a
silly, inefficient and expensive looking
eauole with little silver pencil attached,
and Elise told her the address.
And now must 60" Elise said
briskly. Barbara glanced at her little
1eweled wrist watch and saw that Il
was late. much later than she had
thought. She called for the check, paid
1t out Of a roll Of bills, and the two girls
went out into the street. Twilight was
falling IN New York. twilight in spring
which Is almost as romantically lovely
IN the city as It is anywhere, when one
is happy
II suppose you wouldn't care to come
and see me-" Barbara said laughinEly.
Elise was quick with her reply. 'T
have so little time, YOU see. You look us
up hrst. and then we can talk It over"
Barbara nodded. and watched Elise
hail O bus Then she was alone with
the life Of the city swirling about her
She had never felt so lonely in her life
She hailed a taxi and in doing so re-
nected that Elise probably could not
AFFORD to ride In ta.xis. This fact made
her suddenly ashamed. Taxis and little
luxuries Of that kind she had never
given a thought to, they were like sec
ond nature to her, but on $40 a week one
would have to give a thought to every
penny spent She determined as she
rode home through the lighted streets, to
go and see Elise very soon. She wished
almost humbly for Elise's friendship, II
was Barbaras first experience with
humbleness in any form II she had but
known IL