The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-19
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
FASCINATING WOMEN SELDOM
| UNDERSTOOD
BY JANE PHELPS

did you know that Juanita had
been married twice?" asked Dick at
dinner the day Mrs Baker told me
her history.
Eyes. she told me all about it.
Why?"
81 think you might have told me.
Mrs. Baker thought it strange knew
nothing of it when we are SO intimate
with Juanita.''
81 considered it her business. II
she wanted you to know she would
have told you. I never repeat a con-
fidence."
I longed to say that he shouldn't
have condolences with a charming
widow, but refrained. Then said:
"She has had quite a career, hasn't
she?''
"She has had a sad experience, poor
GIRL" his voice full Of sympathy. "She
isn't responsible if men. fall in love
with her and then make fools OF
themselves
I recalled that Mrs. Baker said she
had tried to exonerate herself with
the press in just those words. and I
smiled I couldn't help it. She had
played upon Dicks sympathies, had
made him believe she was the inno-
cent victim of her own beauty. Could
anything be more intriguing to a male
mind?
"She has never been understood by
those around her." Dick continued, so
bearing out my impression of what
Juanita had told him. "a woman of
her sort, a beauty lover, unconven-
tional, clever, never is understood
especially by other women. Mrs.
Baker is very nice sort, but no more
able to appreciate a character like
Juanita, g. woman all soul, all beauty,
than JuniC-. is"
I longed to reply that Junior, APP
preciated Juanita all right, that in his
boyish way he had learned to distrust
the woman whom his father admired
so much that he neglected that boys
mother for her. But what use was it -?
What use was it to say anything to an
infatuated man? He must be cured
of the infatuation. not encouraged in
it by being obliged to defend the OBJ
ject.
There is belief among most men
that when woman is sad or bitter
she resorts to weeping that, like Niobe
she is dissolved in tears. Perhaps this
is in a measure true of every young
woman, wives who are left alone, and
who feel neglected. But the woman
of character soon finds that tears are
not only useless. but disfiguring, that
a man is not affected by them if he
sees them frequently, and she tries
other tactics-sometimes with far bet
ter results. In the long ago I had
used to weep, but now never did. and
had not for years when Dick could
know it.
Often and often I felt that a good
hard cry would in a way ease me, but
also knew that it would make me
very ugly. I could not afford to do
anything to make comparison with
Juanita odious. So L cared for myself,
my appearance, with a faithfulness
| often despairing, yet determined to
leave nothing undone that might pos
sibly help in keeping Dick with me.
'As long as he is with me shall
not give up. shall not lose my cour-
age" would say over and over again
to myself. That possession was nine
points of the law 1 knew. and he was
still mine by law, if not by preference.
I wonder if I have made plain the
daily struggle thru which went, if I
| nave shown what I have tried to show
in writing the story of my life with
its CLEANS of sunshine and its heavy
shadows. Love is worth all we are
and have. Nothing else makes life
worth living. So why should we let
go or love once We have known it
ours? Why should we meekly give up
as long as there is hope of reawaken-
ing that love which we once pos
sessed?
agree with many people that a
love entirely dead is seldom rekin-
died. But a love that is only sleeping,
turned away for the nonce, may, 1 be
ileve, be awakened if one possesses in
1lnlte patience and tact. But how few
| or US possess those two attributes,
SO believing as I did L tenaciously
held on to the little Dick gave me of
hlmself, his time, his affection 1t was
very little at times, so little that one
almost needed a microscope to detect
II. But 1 would not give up. and the
more detached he became, the more
tried to make him comfortable, to
| anticipate his desires, his wants.
That is one thing a wife can do as
| long as her husband lives with her.
even tho there is the "other woman
IN the offing. She can make him COM
portable. And, egregious creature that
ne Is, that means much altho he does
not always realize il.
SO in spite of my heartache. I went
rlsht on mlnistering to Dick, making
MIN comfortable.
| (Tomorrow-The finished storvN