Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-25
HIS SECOND WIFE
lBy Special ,Arrono.nsst ,s,in the Moolur
uu,s NsTs2S9RgTsrs s%2RgTs sgnascos TME SONY
BY ERNEST POOLE
Author Of "The Harbor," "His Family
Copyright, 1880. bv Public Ledger 90.

y, ksr personal docomp pHshn,ents and
appeoronce TO oct ne most out ot
she ss.a q and 0sSs sassi.ss.o. % attsriy ansopSss @
,ieated, Their fathers death forces
rtSsi TO make her home 10Th Amy.
she tourney to NsW York, the now
nome, and her sisters elaborate mon.
an Old frame house IN Ohio, this ts
- onu little place IN Neto York; You're
going TO lopc u, np'r0 here" Amy
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
CHE had gone into Any's room, and
- there her mood had quickly changed.
For the curtains and the deep soft rug,
tbe broad low dressing table with its
droplisht shaded In chintE, the curious
brushes, trays. the faint. delicious per-
S,,yrie Of the place; and back In the
shadow, softly curtahed. the low wide
Injurious bed--had given TO her the
perspnal. Here two people had really
fiyed-a man and a. woman. There had
come into Ethefs brown eyes min.
cling of confused delight and awkward
admiration. And her sister. with a
quick look and a smile, had lost the
worn In the other rooms. She had re-
gained her ascendancy.
Il had not been until Ethel was left
In her own small room adjoining that
and surprise she stopped undressing,
opened her door and listened in the
silence How perfectly uncanny"
Frowning moment, puzzled, ber eye
apartment, @ down at the end Of the mar.
row hall. The. door had been closed
She had stolen 10 Il and listened but
at first she had not heard a sound. Then
she had given q slight start had knock
4 womsn's voice with a hostile note
had replied, Yes, ma'am,' She had
| entered And a moment later. down on
her knees before a grave little girl Of
two who sat at a tiny. table soberly
"Oh, you adorable baby -
For time she had tried to make
friends with the child. but the voice of
| the nurse had soon cut in. And in the
mothery sSStIh sssnr face Pns sa.tS had
| for?" she had asked. And the answer
| had flashed into her mind. 7"She's angry
because Amy hasn't been In to see
| Susette.' And Ethel had frowned. It's
funny, II had been away three
| days"
She had gone back to her own room
and begun slowly to take Off her things
And few minutes after that she had
heard a gruff kindly voice, a mans
heavy tread and a. glad little cry from
Amys room.
Joe has come home" she had told
herself. II wonder how he and I will
| get on"
And she had met him a little later
with no slight uneaslness. But this
| had been at once dispelled. Rather tall
and full of figure, with thick curling
hair and close-cut mustache, Joe
Laner at thirty-fve still gave to his
young sister;in-law the impression or
him some years before. There was
nothing to be afraid of in Joe. But
she had noticed the change In his face,
the slightly tightened, harassed express
sion. And she had thought:
You poor man. How hard you have
been working"
And yet she could not say he looked
tired, for at dinner his talk had been
almost boyish in It's welcoming good
and had said with touch of awkward
1 ness:
NO use in talking about it. Of course.
just wantlyou to know I'm so glad
you're here She had clutched HIS
That's nice of you, joe" And then
she had turned from him, and with a
sudden culver inside. she had added
quite inaudibly: oh, dad. dearest
could be back -
But she had liked Joe that evening.
4, She remembered the hungry light in
his eyes. He and Amy had soon gone
10 their room. And as Ethel thought
about them now. lying here alone in
the dark. she felt again that vague de-
light and confused expectancy.
How much CT all this Is coming to
sleep"
wisp Of her hair fell on her nose,
snd aRd she blew 1t back with a vicious,
Her first month in town was a season
OF shopping and Of warm anticipations-
and then came a sudden crash. After
ward II was hard to remember For
tragedy entered into these rooms, and II
was was net easy to look back and see them
month became confused, the memories
uneven; In some spots clear and vivid,
IN others hazy and unreal.
want you to be gay. my dear"
been through such a lonely time. And
what earthly good will II do poor dad
10 nave you .gV about IN black. You're
mere mere now and you've got, to make friends
sm ana a place for yourself: If he were
10 nave every chance"
r., SO they started in to shop. And though
Llhel mad her memories. her moods of
ncmesick longing for the old soldier who
or sad.
Amy herself felt new youth these
Gays Relieved OF the first uneaslness
Dring her young sister to New York.
surprised and delighted at finding how
ne awkward girl she had known had
SeyelVped %st ped, since the last time they had
her clothes At to be seen In" And as
%th WI Intent intent little glances she kept study
Mg Ethel's type" In order to set off her
ftbharmIs, fbS the slightly bored expression.
pretty countenance, For Bthels fresh
tes Mess had given &c Amy new zest and be-
tel IN her own life, In Its purpose and
.bapn, To get Ethel clothes, to
sIvN sno~ her about. I'd find her friends. to
eve ~ n ner gay winter In town and later
10 make good match for her-these
ans loomed large In Amys mind. She
M, ner own youth returning, and she
eeImp'onged em this period. She wanted Ethel
band out. ''' "'' '''
",of foI can rest up Bit" she told him.
VIII, [ WHAT'S coming later on" And Joe.
nae, ct "a a good,natured groan at the pres
ps peVt - OF late hours ahead, made the most |
ol tne rest allowed to him.
,1rth vsn1 IN taxi; And Amy began to re-
Of sai shcO. TO her sister the dazzling world
shmall' American. French and English, |
SSmops SmrIp lor gowns and hats and shoes, and |
ars lrS and gloves and corsets. At num- |
IdSS SeIedS s0S counters they studied and coun-
oo99Vpped o9 I on, And the simmer and sheen |
pretty things made life n glamourous |
saw age IN which Ethel could feel her
saIr, sM rapidly becoming New Yorker |
sSan assurance day by day, feeling |
,be type emerge In the glass where |
light. 's''ei VIII" impatient de
mere We're little reminders now and |
One day Hr what she had left behlod her, |
Stool, oetore counter looking at silk |
cs',Ss' came tEs' all at once to Ethel's ears