The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-19
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
MANS ENTHUSIASM CHILLED.

MANS ENTHUSIASM CHILLED.
| Chapter 90.
| Wasn't Juanita lovely? And the
whole affair wonderful" asked Dick
as we walked home in the wee small
hours. We had played bridge until 2
o'clock, then she had a dainty supper
for US.
Yes. it was very enjoyable"
| And wasn't she beautiful?" I per-
sisted.
"She looked very charming" /
| noted something in his voice as if he
did not care to discuss her, but
| thought him tired. or engrossed in his
always gave him that excuse, If ex-
| cuse it were.
ST am going over to see that Mrs.
| Hubbard tomorrow" I ventured after
a while. ''She wants to talk about
having her rooms refurnished."
"They have a very large house.
Don't undertake too much" he re-
turned absently.
'I shall be glad to get a large house
to do. The more rooms the more
| money!
Eyes, of course"
"And the more money the quicker
we can have our house. Well have
a house-warming too when we get it
all in order, won't we?" I asked,
| warming to the subject. "Tll try to
think up something different to do.
I'll have time enough even If we build
| right away"
Eyes, you'll have time enough"
Just then we reached home, and
Dicks remark that he wanted to jot
down some ideas gave color to my
| feeling that his inattention to me and
my talk of the house was due to some
For ,fy,cr in, hi 7
suspicious that anything affecting our
| future had influenced him.
I saw Mrs. Hubbard the next day
and took the contract to refurnish her
rooms as far as draperies, ct cetera.
went. She had wonderful rugs, and
the painters would follow all my sug-
gestions as to the walls.
Full of enthusiasm I hurried home
| to tell Dick. It would mean that we
could get to work on the house i'm
mediateiy; also that we would not
have to decorate piecemea1.
| st got it. Dicki" 1 exclaimed rush
| ing into his study, not seeing that
Juanita was with him. Eyes, I did,
| I added, trying to conceal my embar-
| rassment that she had heard my ex-
clamation.
"Got WHAT" Dick asked, while she
said. Hello. Mani"
"Hello yourself! 1t was thru you I
met her, so I have to thank you"
| "What are you talking about? ?" they
| both asked in unison.
"Mrs Hibbard's house! I am to
| take entire charge of everything, as
| we'll as doing my part of the work.
Isn't it glorious, Dick? Get the men
| to work tomorrow have our
| housewarming sooner than thought
what a lightning artist you are.
Nan! I am glad if you are pleased"
Dick said, but SO coldlyI felt all my en-
| thusiasm ozzing out. Was he ashamed
| of me, to have me work-to talk about
| it, rather before Juanita? He had
| limited to her once or twice that I was
doing her bungalow simply as an &C
commodation. I was beginning to
think didn't understand my husband
any more.
| Dick had changed-that is, he had
gone thru several changes since we
were married, but this last metamor-
| phosis puzzled me, this indifference
to things he before had appeared to
think so vital.
| Our troubles had been the cause
| of the first change, then his illness;
after that his effort to master an en-
tirely new idea, that Of writing, had
| accounted for much. But this in
| tangible something could give it no
name-tf1at had come upon him OF
late seemed the greatest change of all.
Yet not in one thing could L ex-
plain just how he had changed. IT
| WIS u lOllc, d lOOh, a Oll VI
ence. That was all, unless it was his
| attitude toward Junior, now a big
| boy. He had been a bit severe with
our son in some ways, especially
| when any question of morals or NOR
atty had been involved. Lately had
noticed that once or twice he had
| evaded the question with Junior, let
| ting some treatment go uncorrected
| which before he would not have al
lowed. I spoke of this once, and Dick
said:
| Junior is older now. He must
judge. must learn to judge, what is
right for him to do
| what do you mean by right for
him.
| "Why-weIl. sometimes what is
right for one, under certain conditions
is wrong for another. and vice versa. -
"I suppose so. But don't you think
him too young to differentiated"
| mo. He's old enough. Time he
knew something of such things"
| (To be continued.)