Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-16
What Dicky Felt 1t Necessary te
Ask Madge.

ASK MaQge. .
Well, what do you want to know
about that! What's eating his Nibs
anyway"
This was Dicky's fippant commen,
as soon as the door had closed behind
DR.. Petit. But | knew that beneath
his Aippancy he was questioning the
meaning of the physicians apology at
parting.
As for myself, l was furious. DR..
Petit was either crassly stupid, or
he had permitted his offended dignity
and his dislike for Dicky to betray
him into petty exhibition of bad
taste. Whatever the cause his action
i'll formally asking Dicky's pardon
for bringing me home was the height
of crude absurdity.
1t was not the first time the
physician had sounded this ridiculous
note since my arrival at the Ticer
farmhouse. could not quite fathom
lis meaning, unless my cheeks
burned at the almost unavoidable in
ference-he was bent upon disabus-
ing both my mind and Dicky's Of
any suspicion that there was in his
heart the slightest vestige of the
feeling which to my great embarrass-
ment, he had shown only too plainly
in former years, and which had been
the cause of SO much friction be-
tween my husband and myself.
OF course, l realized the reason
behind his action. His infatuation
for beautiful, witty Claire Foster was
written in large characters all over
him. But | had seen other men in
fatuated by other women without
making themselves banally ridicul-
Gus in the particular fashion DR..
Petit had adopted.
A Quandary.
I cast an apprehensive eye toward
my mother-in- laws corner, and was
relieved, indeed, to find that she had
left the room. Dicky saw my look,
and grinned maliciously at me. / bit.
my lip savagely to keep back the
quick, Inundated tears, for-if l read
his glance aright-he, too, had
fathomed DR.. Pettit's purpose.
My father rose abruptly, nurmur-
ing something about the moonlight
outside, and left the room with his
face carefully averted from mine. Had
he, also, comprehended the inner
of the physicians words?
Dicky eyed me quizzically when
We were left alone, save for Junior,
sleepily nesting in my arms.
"The doc isn't the most chivalrous
lad in the world, is he, old dear?" he
qreried. -.
l was in a quandary what to an
swer. If l betrayed my p!que and
humiliation he might suspect knew
not what absurdity as to my feelings
toward the physician And if I were
f1ippant, off-hand, he might imagine
that I was heroically concealing my
/ busted myself for min
lite in changing Juniors position be-
fore | decided to prentend ignorance
Of Dicky's meaning. .r
Tell Me Something"
"I'm sure I don't know what you
mean," l said coldly.
"Oh, yes you dol" he gibed, and
saw that he was perilously near
anger. "Cuss him!" he exploded a
second later. THE insufferable.
sonceited-' :,
Mama, now sin Dooner Boy,
Tunior's insistent little voice afford
ID me a providential escape.
"If you want to keep on talking
about an absurd nincompoop. please
ind another audience l said spir-
tedly, and with a touch of f1ippant
lnconcern. But I'm going to sing
% this blessed baby. He's waited
ong enough for it. Please ask
mother to arrange Lillian's bed for
ne. III take Junior in there with
ne tonight, for he'll be restless"
He was on his feet in an instant,
Juniors necessity patiently driving
every other thought from his mind.
He dispatched his errand with alac-
.ity, but even before he came back
ny tired little lad had smiled con-
entedly at my grooming, cuddled
loser, and gone fast asleep. Luck.
ly, his grandmother had prepared
,im for the night before | got home,
md knew that all | would have to
10 when | got him upstairs was to
oil him out of his big, fuzzy bath
'obe, his hearts delight, and take
,ff the stockings and knitted slippers
The had thoughtfully provided for
lin.
"Asleep?" Dicky's lips formed the
words noiselessly, | nodded, and he
leld out his arms for the sleeping
hid Long nractice has made LIS