The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-14
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
A BOYS INSIGHT.
CHAPTER lis.


summer vacation. was delighted to
have him. He had grown SO manly,
and was such a dear thoughtful boy
that his company went far toward
| making me forget my unhappiness
| when with him.
AT first Dick also seemed pleased
to have him around, but after one or
two taetless remarks Junior made
about Juanita, he said to me:
"Your mother wrote that she would
like Junior to spend part of his vaea-
ton with her. Why not let him go?"
'Oh, Itdon't know! Later, perhaps"
"Why not now? Then he can be
with US just before he goes back to
school,
1 saw thru Dicks Willingness to part
with Junior, but as had no wish that
the boy should suspect that more than
i ordinary friendship existed between
his father and Juanita, I fell in with
the plan.
1 felt sure Dick would have liked
me to visit mother also. But I had
taken the contract to renovate two
houses, so it would have been useless
| for shim to suggest it-as he well
knew.
Dick appeared to breathe more free
ly after Junior departed. He had re-
Trained from visiting Juanita so often
while the boy was home. but now he
seemed anxious to make up for lost
time. He went over almost every cay
to see her, either in the late afternoon,
or in the evening. Occasionally l ac-
companied him. but only when 1 sug-
gested it. He never asked me to 60.
The long hot summer passed slowly.
Junior remained with mother until
week before school began, then came
back to us. How 1 loved those seven
days with my boy. 1 had arranged
my work so that I might spend all my
time with him. Junior urged his
father to join us on picnic, and in
a ride over the mountains. But ASIDE
from that 1 do not think he was with
Junior at all. He seemed. rather, to
avoid being alone with him. feared
Junior would say something about
Juanita that would annoy him.
NV boy had taken an intense dislike
to the woman who was DONG All sne
could to take his father from me- Ae
absolutely refused to call her Aunt
Nita,'' as he had formerly, but az,
dressed her as "Juanita," as we all
what makes you pretend. moth.
or ~, he asked one day /apropos OF
II don't know what you mean dear
Soh. pretend you like Juanita! You
kn .VVha You ma q You think I don't like
herr" ,,o,,,s,,
answer, and I said ne more save 10
laugh at him for having fooilsh no
tons in his head. But the perspicacity
he had shown made me more fesisneu
to let him leave me. I would win
Dick back If 1t were humanity pos
sibIe. If 1 did our boy need never
know how nearly had lost him.
Then came time when 1 lost
heart and courage.
Dick would spend evenings with
Juanita. and upon his return look at
me SO strangely, as If he were trying
to say something he knew would hurt
me dreadfully, and hadn't the courage.
often he paced the floor of his study
all night long. When 1 spoke OF IL
he made pretense his story was trou-
bling him. knew better. Juanita
was becoming too strong for himohe
could scarcely resist her. But MS con-
science was troubling him. OF that
/ was certain. He would not easily
succumb to her Vaccinations, which I
always conceded even to myself, for
it meant giving up Junior as well as
me.
eyed in the darkness listening to him
walk back and forth. He is strug-
Cling to make himself think he has
the right to be happy with her. She
has taught him her theories" Then
I would pray that she would fail. that
God would give him the strength to
resist her.
Somehow, 1 had a feeling that it
wasn't a real love that aetuated Dick
love for her. But that it was a sort
of hypnotic influence she exerted over
him. that drew him against his will.
, But that she loved him never
doubted.
When a woman loves man as in
tenseIy as 1 loved Dick it is only nat
ural for her to think that every other
woman also finds him desirable And
Dick was really a lova.ble fellow. still
lboyish, full of ideals.
| Then Juanita had an accident. At
| least she said 1t was anNaccident- Yet
in my distress 1 accused her in my
heart of doing it purpesely, even tho
she must have suffered physical pain
But what was bodily pain compared
to my heartbreak?
fTemorrow-A false alarzn.)