The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-30

I through his own carelessness, he
had spilled few drops of hot cot
fee on his wrist and had, with a
muttered oath, thrown the offending
! cup across the room, landing it in
scraps on a pretty and priced rug
| that Rachel acted.
1t was then that she followed his
example, but to his horror and the
sudden cooling of his pettish re-
| sentiment, not only followed his ex-
ample, but went him several better
for the window pane was a yalu-
able one and the coffee pot, one of
their best wedding gifts.
Neither spoke during the hasty
meal that followed. Ralph silently
swallowed biscuit and a glass of
water, and as for Rachel, she was
uncertain as to whether she ate
anything or not. AS soon as Ralph
had gone she hurried upstairs and
had a good cry, which relieved the
tension and cleared the mental at
mosphere.
At dinner she acted just as usual.
Ralph was very silent. He noted
that the debris of the morning ex-
ploslon lay where it had fallen. His
mother and uncle were coming to
tea. 1t was evident that his wife
did not intend touching it. The
broken window would incite ques-
lions. He felt that the answers
would not be palatable to his pride.
After dinner he gathered up the
broken glass and cleared away the
coffee grounds, and about an hour
later glazier arrived, who had
orders to replace the broken win
dow. Rachel knew she had won
her first victory, but one success
she also knew did not mean per-
petual peace.
That night she prepared a letter
1t was not long. In it Rachel told
her husband that she had been
warned about his inf1ammabIe tenn
per; that she loved him despite that
very bad blemish, and she believed
he was manly enough to conquer
his ruling passion. She told him
that she meant for a while. "onIy
Tor a while, and just as an object
lesson, to show you how terrible
such behavior is. When l see that
my acts are not bearing fruit and
that you are not worth my descend
ing to such tactics then l shall say
'good-by,' and forever 'good-by'! ii
cannot live with a husband I'M
worthy my respect. l should still
love you, Ralph, but l should leave
you Just the same S if my love had |
departed, for l am an individual |
with a right to happiness, and it
would be unobtainable with you. |
mink 1t over, husband"
halph never mentioned the let
ter but 1t was many months before |
ne allowed his besetting vice to get |
Inc better of him again, and when |
ne did it proved to be the last time. |
This time he stoned and killed a !
len tnat had done some damage in !
ne garden. While Rachel, who !
oVed all helpless creatures, saw the |
nutllated body she acted. That |
1!ght when Ralph went out to feed !
us poultry. which he fancied, de-
'plCe MS occasional cruelties, his
poultry house was empty. Rachel
lau giFeE every bird away.
"nen you can use creatures hu-
namely, she said, I'll agree IN
AVE more here. But that hens
'roken ribs and body made me nm
-erstand that you had to learn
lumane principles before we could
rust animals of any kind in your
ands"
II was the last lesson necessary
taiph saw the point. He began to
aspect, as he had never done he
ore with any woman who had come
ito his life, the will which refused
submit tamely to injustice and
tyranny.