Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-10-01
while thinking the Condemnation

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"Help me to get Mrs. Benton t
bed, Hannah"
"You had better lay her flat Of
the floor" advised Hannah. "Ha
she been unconscious long?"
mo. Just this instant she fel
at my feet when told her tha
Mr.. Benton had sailed for a Ions
trip around the world"
Hannah said nothing and to
lgether we Strengthened out poor
Bah upon the floor and / unloos-
ened her clothing.
"You had better get the Doctor
Hannah. / will watch Mrs. Ben
ton. She seems to be coming
around now"
While Hannah was at the tele-
phone Bah regained consciousness.
what is the mattert" she asked,
and then she remembered. HE
isn't really gone. Alix? You did
not mean it, did you?"
"He is really gone. | saw him
off on the boat myself"
"Oh you are cruel, cruel not to
'Itell me he was going"
duane asked me not to tell
you"
"But you both must have known
that I really did not want a di-
vorce."
"Bab, I did not know. begged
you many times to withdraw your
petition and you would not. So |
can hardly find it in my heart to
pity you"
"Oh, what will I do, what will
do? l cannot live without Duane"
''It is astonishing what and
whom we can live without in this
world, Bab," I said coldly, but
truly in the light of my own ex-
perience.
Did he send me any word?"
mo"
Bah turned her face to the wall.
After the doctor had given her a
sleeping potion I went to my room
but | could not sleep. | felt that
every hour of that day had been
filled with unbearable minutes. 1t
did not seem possible for me to
continue living On with Bah in the
future if she continued to look at
life as centering always on her.
self. And yet I was in a way very
sorry for her. knew that in the
asst few months we had changed
places and she depended upon me
more than ] had ever depended
lpon anyone in my life.
At last I fell into a troubled
ileep and was awakened in the
morning by the sound of motor
ar leaving the grounds.
| looked ont the window and to
ny SURPRISE saw Bah being driv-
IN rapidly toward the city.
rang the bell and Hannah
,ame in.
Mrs. Benton told me to tell you
hat she had gone to the city but
would not be absent long. She
hought that she would not disturb
fou before she went"
''Do you know why she went,
Hannah? Was she called on the
elephone?" | asked. SIS mother
II father ill?"
mo, | do not think so. l heard
Ter talking on the phone, though,
With Mr.. Larrabee."
| could not understand what
'ab would have to say to Mr.. Lar
abee and l was curious enough to
lip into her room to see if she
ad left any evidence as to why
he had made the hurried trip.
AS ] entered the maid was Just II
dying up the room and I noticed I
number of pieces of paper which y
I ecarpet-sweeper had not taken III
D. l picked them up and found III
lat they were scraps of Bab's di-
)rce decree. iii
If anyone would have told me HI
lat woman could be SO silly as III
lat | would not have believed it, III
1t here was my own sister acting
ke a child in her rage and grief.
i'd she imagine she could annul n
decree of law by destroying the
sper upon which it was record
II" III
From this strange evidence-the III
rn paper-I knew that Bah had MI
knowledged-to herself at least III
that she was sorry but even then Hi
could think of nothing that HI
1uld take Bah into town. III
At last my curiosity got the bet III
OF my prudence and I called I'D "
lanes lawyer. His secretary an
cred and when I asked for Mr.. :
rraoee, giving my name, she H.
d: ''Oh. Mrs. Hammersley. Mr..
rrabee has gone To luncheon
d Mrs. Benton is with him. Illg
pect them back about 2 o'clock