Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-08-03

This woman is crazed and hysterf
ca1," 1 answered Memory in ex
, cuse. "The cases are very diff
ferent. Nell Marshall loved m,
husband before we were married"
l drew myself together with !;
J start realizing that she was wait
ing for me to speak. 'tThen car
not understand just why you hav,
. decided that l was the woman
who has taken your husband
from you." and then I stopped
suddenly. / realized that a!
usual / was dramatizing myself
that to me it was almost a kline
of a play and already was be.
ginning to think what situation
for a story.
Il was not sure that you were
the woman but yesterday l went
down to the office to see Mrs
Gordon whom l have known fo1
years"
Surely Mrs. Gordon did not
tell you that your husband was in
love with me?"
mo, Mrs. Gordon was not
down. Bliss Belcher told me her
husband was not as well and she
was staying home for the day.
She invited me into your office
to rest while and there ad-
mired a magnificent bouquet of
American Beauty roses and Miss
Belcher remarked: Yes, Mr.. Ear
| ly ordered a dozen roses put on
Mrs. Hammersly's desk three
times week when she first came
and has never countermanded the
order And then I knew"
saw Immediately that Mrs.
Early had jumped to the same
conclusion which would have
come into the mind of any woman
under the same circumstances. 1
wished in my heart that | had
insisted upon refusing Mr.. Early's
flowers when first made some
objections to them. He had. how
ever, raised his eyebrows in a
quizzical manner and asked me in
such a bantering tone, if / ar
rogated to myself the right of tell
ing him in which room in his
own offices he should put. his
flowers that he made me feel that
was making a fool of myself.
Although l knew l was right
at the time, my pride forbade me
making a fuss about the attention
for he had put the matter in such
a light that had I insisted upon
taking them out, virtually would
have told him that l thought he
was in love with me. After my
first objection, therefore, I had
never referred to them again, and
now Miss Belcher, as l might have
known she would-when she had
the chance-had made them score
against me.
However, tried to be very
calm about it, for could see that
Mrs. Early had come nearly to the
breaking point. Il think you are
greatly mistaken in all this" Il
said, "but If l can make you any
favor I can under the circumstan-
ces. l cannot, however, do any
thing that will give the slightest
color, inside the office or out, to
any gossip about myself and Mr..
Early"
do you not know that they are
talking about you in the
officer" she asked wringing her
hands, which until now she had
kept tightly clasped in har lap.
] looked up quickly, intending
to tell the woman to go, but l
caught an expression of despair
on her face.
Give him back to mel Give
him back to mel"
She spoke in a low, tense voice
and bent so near me that her tear
stained and swollen face shut out
everything else in the room from
my gaze. / began to get a little
1t was very late. II,
would have been terrified If l had
not known that Hannah was with
In call.
'Can you not understand, Mrs.
Early, that I do not own your ,
husband? l have not taken him
away from you; consequently 1,
cannot give him back. Please be- {
lieve me when tell you that he
has never spoken one word of love
to me in all the time that / have
known him. 1t sickens me to :
have to say this to you, to even
think about 1t. / do not want
10 discuss a man in this way with
my woman. least of all his wife.
i hurst my self-respect.' {
But l cannot give him up; I {
,annot give him up. All my life
have just lived for him. / wait :
d and planned for him all thru
he four years of his college days
nd after we were married, when
he times were hard and every