The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-17
The Woman
He Married
JUANITA PLANS no GIVE A HOUSE
WARMING.
BY JANE PHELPS
WARNING.
CHAPTER "a.


"I shall give a houSe-warnfng y
Juanita declared when had finished
the bungalow. ct won't ask many,
! but you should get better acquainted
anyway, and this will be a good time
| to introduce you"
| Don't make it too dressy an affair
| or I shan't be able to come" I-teld
| her. I had put every penny she paid
me. a very generous sum, toward
what we called our building fund"
| 81 have made over my clothes until
/ it is impossible to do anything more
with them. so shall be. sure to look
out of date
Yet as I said 1t I had no feeling
| that I wanted to buy new clothes.
That desire had been killed in me
when I saw Dick with a revolver in
his hand, ready to kill himself because
| he could not meet his obligations
obligations for which I. and 1 alone,
was responsible, and all because of my
| love for clothes. Is it any wonder
cared nothing for them now save that
| I wanted to look neat and in good
taste because of Dick and Junior?
You always look nice" Juanita
answered.
| Meat but not gaudy!" replied
| laughingly, then dismissed the subject
Juanita had said she would only ask a
! few people. 1 would do my best not
| to shame either her or Dick. Beyond
| that 1 gave it no thought. =.
why don't you buy yourself some
thing with part of that money you
/ made decorating the bungalow" Dick
asked.
Long afterward I remembered that
| he never spoke Juanita's name as he
| did at first, when he mentioned it as
| easily as did Il
mo, that will allow US to commence
| building. We can have the housessup
| by fall. Then we can decorate and fix
1 a je--o
finished. 1t won't cost us much as
shall do every bit of it, even the paint
| ing. myself" e.
You mustn't do too much. Nam
| Il won't! It will be a Joy to fix up
our home, Dick, and to know when 1t
is finished it is really ours. No debts,
no MORTGAGE "a
Eyes, it will be NICE" he returned
vacantly. without animation, and no
dced he flushed when I spoke. y;
| A fear flashed thru me turning me
cold with dread. Was Dick feeling i'll
again? Had his literary work. to
| which at times he gave slavish attea-
ton, been too strenuous for him? Had
it confined him too closely? I looked
| at him more critically than hadsfor
some time. But noE.he looked veSv
well; was q good healthy color, and
! his eyes were bright. What had been
the meaning of his flush. and his
seeming Indifference?
4
and put up better, a larger- house :?
My heart sank at the thought. / was
getting tired of our cramped quarters,
! and the small house we had planned
looked very attractive and convenient
to me. But I would not object TO
| waiting another year If 1t would make
Dick happier. He was getting better
prices for his stories all the time, and
he probably thought it better to wait
and see what the future held in store
for him. So I said:
! Have you changed your mind about
building, Dick?"
| mo, why do YOU ask?" 6
81 thought You acted Indifferent
Dick flushed again, then laughed a
little at me because of my magma
ton.
you should have been the story
| writer, not me-"
st only wish could write stories.
/ But making house-poems seems my
limit Long ago he said that 1 made
a certain house a ''poem" because of
had redraped and refinished it,
Perhaps your poems will i've
longer than my stories.'
Nonsense! You are depressed to-
day over something. You don't feel
i'll, do you?" my first fear recurring.
Now III say :nonsense!' Do look
| like a sick mani"
mo, but I was trying to account
for your seeming Indifference about
4 the house. If you want to change the
/ plans. to wait another year and build
| a better house, why we can get along
as we are
.eNe. indeed. I know how cramped
It is for you. Nan. I have the only
really comfortable place on the whole
! ranch. You have been very gener-
GUS" -
Now his tone was humble, unlike its
usual rather arbitrary ring
Hes Just in one of his moods"
said to myself and left him.
(Temorrew-A setting for beautyo