The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-28
ON SECOND THOUGHT
By Jay E. HOUSE
tFrom Philadelphia Public Ledger.)
THE HAPPY. HOME LIFE

why Men Never Tell Anything
Scepe-An Apartment.
Observation-Disclosures, Us.
Us (enters sagging and tired;
throws overcoat and hat across table
in hall. Starts across living room
after cigar, forgets what he wants
and stops in middle of room. Re
members. Gets cigar and looks for
match. Finds match and lights cigar.
Drops YEARLY into chair IL need ex-
ercise: I'm betting fat again.
Adelaide brightly and eXpectantly)
web, what the news? What hap
pened to you today?
Us-Nothing ever happens to me.
Adelaide-You mean nothing ever
happens that you care to tell me. You
always find something TO talk about
when you're with otner people. If
1 happens to be with you 1 hear it
! then for the first time. 1 didn't know
cisco in 1915 until / heard you telling
the Sneilings about it the other night.
Us-By the way, l met Mat Herod
today and he said
| >~Adelaide-How did you happen to
meet Mat Herod?-
Us-Why, just met him
Adelaide-Wherever did you meet
him?
Us--I met him in the Bellevue; I
was just
Adelaide-what were you doing in
/ the Bellevue?
Us-why. 1 just stopped in there
I started to walk homeland 1 saw
| Adelaide-who did you have to tea
at the Bellevue? Tell me; 1 shan't
mind
Us-Don't be ridiculous. was
| there not more than ten minutes
Adelaide-Td love to go to tea at
| the Bellevue now and then, but no.
body eveN asks me to go. I'd love
| to go downtown to dinner once in a
while; woman gets pretty tired of
Just housekeeping.
Cs-A man has nothing to do, so he
never gets tired. All I've got to DO
! tomorrow is write a column. That 5
+, all I've got TO do the next day and
the next and the next; it's all l have
to do next month and next year and
| the year after that. You take one of
these vaudeville birds: He can frame
up an act from somebody's column and
go out on the circuit with it and get
! $1,000 a week for forty weeks. Next
year he can go over the same circuit
with the same act at the same money
and make the same people laugh their
heads off. I have to have new act
every day. I have to work fifty-tvo
weelssand nobody thinks I'm funny.
Adelaide-Mother does; she laughs
at your stuff every day.
! Us--Its true, tho, we ought to get
out more. We ought to go downtown
to dinner oftener. How about tonnor-
row night? LETS go down and dine
royalty and sumptuously tomorrow
night.
| sometimes. but let's wait till next
week. I'd just as soon stay at home
tomorrow night.
Adelaide-You. didn't tell me what
Mat Herod said.
Us-Well, as 1 was saying, 1 walked
| into the Bellevue
Adelaide-Was his wife with him
Us-I don't know. I just saw him
Adelafde-Of course she wasn't. He
never takes her any place with him
I used to say you were the freest mar
ried man I'd ever known: but Sam!
freer. You took me to French Lich
in 1915 and we were in Montreal il
1912. The last ride Mrs. Herod tool
Il with Mat was when she came out o
church the night she was married anC
got into her fathers car to ride ovel
to the house for the reception.
Us-She may have been with him
I didn't ask. I just talked to him {
few minutes and
| Adelaide-Did he say anything
about his note-anything abou
whether he intended to pay it off?
isle didn't mention it. There wa
no time; I only saw him
Adelaide-Of course, he didn't sa.
anything. You'll have TO pay that not,
yet, and it will serve you right TO
signing with him. If you had asket
ne I'd have told you to have nothing
to do with him; but I knew nothing .
it until you got the notice from tn
bank. I'd talk to him.
Us-Just what would you say
What is there TO say? He has beel
! able to renew his paper every time
has fallen due. He hasn't asked m
to do anything but continue as suret
! on the note.
Adelaide-You ought not to hav
gone on his note in thS=first place.
Us-You may be right. but it's
good deal of a distinction to have ;