The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-27
The Woman
He Married
nv TANE pHEy
DICK LONGS FOR A HOME.
CHAPTER 80
BY JANE PHELPS

When Dick asked me if his love
didn't count, 1 quickly assured him
that it did--and meant it. 1t count
ed very much. But l couldn't see
what that had to do with making
money enough to give me other things
wanted.
Often I thought that if I were like
some of the women L read about
New Women" the newspapers called
them-I would be able to go out into
the world and make money. 1 would
show Dick that a woman could be a
good business woman, even if she was
supposed to be simply homemaker.
But knew absolutely nothing of BUSH
ness, save what I had picked up in a
random way from Dick and Clara
Watson. In my home town, at the
! time of my marriage, there had been
| no New Women altho mother had
told me when she visited me that the
women were waking up" and taking
part in the politics of the town. But
1 had no time. neither had 1 the de-
SIRE to spend myself in the effort to
understand the woman movement"
another expression of Dicks.
| Yet urged him to greater effort
because of my ambitions, neither
thinklnss or caring where those ambi-
tions might lead him-unwholesom
ambitions tho they were.
A day or two after this Mrs. Stowell
asked me to ride with her in the park
Something she said about Dicks rather
made me feel so embarrassed that I
offered to returns her the $3.50 she had
loaned me- I said nothing of the
legacy Dicks father had left him. but
tried to make her think it was money
1 had saved.
don't need that money; that I should,
MT give It thought if you never PAID
it. Some day when Dick takes ad-
vantage of his position, and is a mil
lionaire I may feel glad to nave you
return it. Until then we will forget
all about it. He knows nothing OF the
matter, does hep
NO I stammered, then blushed
and tried to thank her, delighted that
she had not accepted my offer.
"You must make Dick come to see
us often" she said as we parted at
NV home. "He used to be such So
ciable fellow. I suppose the RESPONSE
bilities of married life weigh upon
him." She said it cynically, yet after
what had passed I couldn't resent any
thing, altho I felt in some way bent
fled: to blame-that Dick should be
thought less sociable, less the good fell
low than he was before he married
IT will do all I can" told her.
But he is tired, and often objects 10
going OUT
Il tnlnk SO. LOU. W. W 80
He likes to visit you" / added. rear
ing she might think had caused Dick
to act differently.
I told Dick what she had said and
he replied:
1--WE can't go their pace, Nan.
What's the use trying? And 1 have
sneaking suspicion that because we
can't you are unhappy"
Indeed I am not!" He had made
that assertion before. I feared it
might cause him to refuse their invl-
tations if he imagined l was enVlous.
L loved to be with Mrs. Stowell. loved
to go to their lovely home. 1 was en-
vious, but I was also determined that
some day we would have a home just
as lovely; would entertain upon ex-
actly the same scale.
''All right, dear, we will go to them
occasionally
I said no more. Dick was apt to be
little Stubborn at times.
Say, Nan, wouldn't it be great to
have a little home in the country" he
asked an hour later. He had been
reading the evening paper while I
mended. AS looked up I saw it was
folded so the advertisement of country
homes was what had interested him.
"Of course it would If we could af-
ford it," I answered. but we can't,
so what's the use talking about t?''
4NO-I SupPOSe we CtI l-nOC yet.
But Nan, if L could make a little
money, enough to buy the land, we
might get a house Built all right 1t
would be fine for Juniori" he added
'-All right. you make the money and
we'll have the house. Make enough
to have car, even If it is a cheap
one. Everyone who lives in the
country says one is as necessary as a
house.
"Oh, I don't feel like that, Nan. I
could easily commute, and when you
wanted to run in town it would be
easy for you to use the trains because
We wouldn't go far OUT
''No-if we live in the country we
must have a car"
well, We won't quarrel about it.
We-haven't much chance to either live
in the country or buy a car"
(Tomorrow-a dinner party)