Evening star., 1921-11-22
For every evil under the sun
There's a remedy or there's none.

IhefeS remedy or theTe'S none.
"HERE came q time when Mer-
riam Lindsay felt herself up
against An insidiously unhap-
py influence in her married
life. 1t disturbed her far more than
the fact that her beloved John SEEM
ed sometimes a trifie suspicious of the
attentions of Richard Slocum, who
had loved her long before John had
met her.
1t was a hidden Trouble. one that
John could not fathom, but something
; that threatened to undermine the
happiness Of their home. Ono min
ute he would hear his Merry humming
merry roundelay and the next he
would see her face transflxed with
woe.
Nothing" she would falter or snap,
according to her mood. No amount
of tender questioning on his part
could move her to coherent explana-
ton.
Nor could any mere man understand
what it was that SO moved Merriam.
1t was something moro dreadful far
than Barrie's "twelve-pound lock-
| This serpent crept into their Eden
mornings only. The climax was
reached one heavenly September day
, at a breakfast table that looked posi-
| lively alluring.
! Pinky hemispheres Of melons cud-
/ died in beds of shaved ice, fat split
| mullins were stacked beside the toast
er, bacon sizzled on a wee grill, cof-
fee gursled and steamed in the per-
! colator.
machinery wore her conventional
uniform Of orchid geergette, and II
she'd not had time to don stockings
before thrusting her pink toes into
! her silver boudoir slippers, why. that
was nobody's business but Merry's
| own.
She fixed a professional eye on her
wrist watch, which she had Efficient
ly parked around the cream jug.
Quarter Of. Johnsy. dear!' she
4 muined aYesm" came through
closed dors. The bathroom was be-
yord his bedroom, she could hear
faint splaghings.
With diplomatic patience she varied
her hint.
"ons egg or two. Johnsy?"
'Two-oooo-'' echoed family
through tho doors.
Merriam lifted an egg bravely: she
| was always nervous about breaking
| open tho eggs. But before she had
| 60 much as nicked the shell his cry
for help rang out.
Darling: Could you dig up pair
Of socks: Without any holes I'm en-
John had grown up in family
where a fond mother and three fond
sisters counted that day lost IN which
they nended no socks. Merriam had
been brought UP by a widower father
whose body servant confiscated as his
royal prerogatiTe any sock that go
much as threatened to drop stitch.
This was the rift in Merry's lutte:
plucky about Transforming hefseIf
from I1dh mans daughter to a Door
mans wife. But socks were her daily
Waterloo.
She would runmage wildly for the
least holieh pair; she would skitmieh
she would retrieve her lost thimble
about the time the toast went up in
smoke.
Sometimes she actually got the
needle threaded before the coffee
perked over. But simultaneously with
the percolator's boiling over would
the famous Merriam temper explode.
"Nothing" she would assert wildly
to Johns frenzied Merry, darling,
now what have I done?"
as they gathered up tho burnt Offer
ing that should have been his break
fast. 1t was too humiliating to con-
fess. Indeed, for long time she
hadn't known herself what was the
matter. SO furious did it maks her to
lose her temper.
The morning she was the maddest
she INDUCED in the luxury Of tears
Directly John had departed she wept
for what seemed like ages. She knew
exactly how idiotic it was Of her and
how useless it was and how care
less 1t was. But years upon years of
sock mending and burnt breakfasts
stretched out before her.
Damn socksp' she cried and threw
the mending basket,
she aimed at nothing ana thus hit
oplAhdfd target. An ornate candle
labfa, q wedding gift from group
Of silksn-hosed bank directors, top
pled and fen at her fest.
like tired baby's. But the next
minnie Was bo.n tnu great idel that