Evening star., 1921-12-14
BRUISES.

TINE Lindsays' small kitchen was
cluttered with the aftermath
of Sunday night supper.
You can't think how sorry
I am, Rich" sympathized Merriam.
that that rusty old nail went into
your thumb. If you'd hold it under
the hot-water tap while 1 get a
towel
She hustled about corraling the
arnica and some cloths for bandages.
From the living room a gay chatter
of the unexpected party went on. Mer-
riam could hear Johns drawing voice
pursuing the already much discussed
psychology of why some women liked
to have furniture moved.
Merry's case," he GRATED from the top
of the stepiadder., This ancestral
the heirloonls. doesn't belong In such
a no-count small house background.
1t subconsciously frets the fair bride.
She keeps struggling to fit 1t to some
thing it can't fit. II we ever attain
That has nothing to do with it."
the fattered Mr.. Graham interrupted.
Heaven knows that house bought
Leila ought to be background enough
1OF buI sue SCIS Tue SS1Itlc
way that Merriam does. Actually"
he confided with pride in his wtfe's
idiosyncrasy, "the other night she got
me out of bed at in the morning. I
thought there must be burglar un-
der her bed. but it was just that the
on the other side, Of the room and the
dressing table on that side.''
Merriam pulled the kitchen chair in
front of the table for Richard to sit
while she bent her bronze head as she
examined the bleeding cash in his
thumb. He did not speak. But the
touch of her firm cool fingers made
his hand unconsciously close around
hers. She showed him down into the
chair with maternal pat.
Don't hang on as though I were
the manicure girl" she laughed, ''or
l can't wash the blood away"
She realized as she looked down on
hair had grown. For all that she had
always thought OF him as SO much
older than herself. she had never
thought of him as old. He had been
her playfellow ever since she was
little girl. And he had paid her the
ting her know on the eve of her we'd
ding to John, that she was the only
woman he had ever wanted for his
wife.
merriam Adu never Iediy ISll
ease with him since that night.
She bound his thumb carefully, ty-
ing the bandage ends smoothly.
There" she calculated. picking up
the balsam bottle. "Ro back and show
them what a good surgeon your host
ess is
Merriam" said Richard awkardly.
and mo tomorrow
Cant" answered Merriam. Jinglins
"will you go Tuesday7"
mo. couldn't 60 Tuesday" she
answered slowly.
You mean you don't want to go at
alp Richard asked her.
You know I adore golfing," she
But you mean you don't want to
talk to me. It's not quite fair of you.
Merry
ITS not at all fair to you, Rich,".
she interrupted. bravely; You can't
lodging you. I like it. oh. awfuIly.
when you come with a crowd" she
waved her hand toward the noisy
living room, but don't like twos-
Ing"
for two weeks or more to get a
chance to talk to you without hurting
Johns feelings. It's about your fa-
ther. Trowbridge asked me to talk
to you"
Trowbridge was her fathers law
yer.
whats the matter~ her brown
eyes wide with anxiety. dad couldn't
be i'll without my knowledEe-"
Merriam's father had been travel
ing most of the time since her mar
riage to John. Which was not at all
extraordinary, for he had always had
wanderlust. An uncertain oorre-
spondent at the best, whose messages
were confined mostly to erratic tele-
grams or charming unexpected gifts,
it had not seemed at all strange to
Merriam that she had not heard from
him for several weeks.
Hes quite all right" Richard
made a quick effort to reassure her.
but TrowhridEs can't seem to get
word to him."
"He sent mo . ducky kimono from
some unpronounceable town In the
north Of Japan. about . month ago"
Merriam reelected. "Then there Waa
2 letter about two weeks before that
He said he would try to be homo for
ChfistnaS-"
Dear old dunsrr Richards anec-
ton for MSs1iamIa father vas deep