The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-11
The Woman
He Married
NAN TELLS DICK OF THE CON
CERT AND TEA.
BY JANE PHELPS
CHAPTER 3s.

Dick came in shortly with Junior.
Hello. Nan Beat you to it tonight.
didn't 1? thought it would do Junior
good to take him out. Mrs. Dooly said
she hadn't had time.''
1T was nice of you, Dick" replied
as 1 kissed him. ~ did leave. good
zeal for her TO do"
Did you have a nice time?''
Wonderful. And Dick, Mildred is
getting up q party to go down to
Greenwicn Village some night next
week. She wants you and me and
Clara and Jim to join them. 1 told
ner we would"
.All right. But 1 am a little leary
of Mildred's parties. They usually mean
extravaganza we can't afford. Ders,
or some smart hotel which is beyond
u.s."
mo wonder she thinks we can go
you>~ased to!' A flash of jealousy
passed over me
II told you that was when 1 was a
gay and lonely bachelor. Now that
have you and Junior, those are past
perfor mances. aren't they, kiddo?" He
swung Junior up until baby screamed
With glee.
During dinner I told him of the con-
cert and the tea. He had heard of
at my description.
"a lot of it is done for effect" he
observed. his mouth full of hot apple
pie.
"oh, I don't know! Mildred said
some of the artists and writer's were
poor"
81 guess a good many of them are!
But If they can paint or write, i I'M
agine the poverty is their own fault
They wait for inspiration, calling them
selves geniuses, instead of getting
down and plugging away like people
in n nf rlrnfnSSiOnS and like the
successful ones in their own"
But they have to have inspiration
to write. don't they?"
Natural aptitude, perhaps. But
imagine the man who said Genius was
one-third inspiration and two-thirds
perspiration.,' was more than half
right
you are SO awfully practical,
Dick" I returned laughing.
zone of the family has to be. The
first thing I know you will be bobblng
your hair and wearing srnocks."
DON'T worry about that" L thought
of the wonderful gowns at Madame
Felice's. how becoming they were, and
how I would like to be able to wear
her gowns all the time. Shocks. nom
sense! Men had no idea of clothes
anyway-not many of them.
After dinner Clara and Jim came
up and we played bridge. I hustled
Clara into the bedroom and told her
to be very careful not to mention my
dress, that Dick knew nothing about
it.
How did you avoid him?"
HE was out with Junior, you know.
was all undressed when he came
in
You lucky thing!''
Was 1 lucky to be able to deceive
Dick so easily? At the time I thought
with Clara that 1 was. Later, I knew
that I was very unlucky. Had Dick
known of the little. beginnings, per-
haps neither he nor I would have ex-
perienced the heartbreaking years
that followed.
Come on, you two. What are you
discussing? Clothes, I'll bet!" Jim
called to us, and we went out TO the
living room to find the table ready,
and the boys impatiently waiting to
deal.
We had a very pleasant evening.
made rarebft when we had finished
playing. After they left Dick said:
81 enjoy such an evening, Nan. It
doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth
and worries in my brain, like an eve
ming when we spend more than we
should"
IT enjoy them. too. but like other
things occasionally. 1t gets pretty
poky for a woman who is at home all
day, if she never goes anywhere at
night"
IT know, dear. and some day we'll
have opera seats for the season and
all the frills, if I don't die too SOON"
Dick always managed to joke when
I got serious.
(Tomorrow-Nan urges Dick to
take a chancel