Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-08-04

not marry at a certain age; she
she sees her chances of a husbar
becoming nil, she hates with
venomous hatred the woman WI
lis widowed and is still your
enough and fair enough to be az
mired by men? When she meel
a widow her whole attitude seen
to say: You are my create.
enemy and l shall see that 10
shall not get a second'.@
OF course Mrs. Early had n
inkling of my thoughts. To he
again remarked:
Il still cannot understand VIII
you have settled on me <as tn,
one woman who is dangerous t
your peace of mind"
For the simple reason, Mrs
Hammersly, that he has neye
mentioned your name to me.
did not even know that you wer,
in the office until Miss Belche
told me about you on my return
from the sanitarium. OF courst
| read your stories in the mag
azine, but my husband acted as
though they had been sent in.
Never before has Roland ask,
ed me to give him his liberty;
never before has he told ME that
he was tired of me; never before
has he said that a woman had
come into his life whom he could
not live without"
did you ask the woman S
name?"
"Of course / did"
What did he say?"
"TIe said it would not be fair
10 the woman to tell me her name
because he wanted to marry her"
What do you want me to do?"
II want you to go away"
I looked at Mrs. Early In great
surprise.
Surely you cannot ask this Of
ne. a perfect stranger"
you are a woman, SO am l.
20 we not owe something to each
,ther?"
But Mrs. Early, just because
We are both women is not a rea-
on for me to give up my work,
ny home, the education of my
oy and everything | have in the
yorld for a perfect stranger -
as / am absolutely in
ocent in this matter. l do not
ant your husband. l have never
anted him, and even if l should
D away you probably would not
. any better off than you are
ow. You are not even sure am
le woman in the case.
Come with me-" l said impul-
vely, "and / will show you the
vot upon which my whole life
rms"
She followed me into the room
lere my boy lay sleeping She
1ked at my boy for moment
thout speaking and then she !
rned to me quickly-an entirely =
iferent tone in her voice. DO
u know that I gave up the hope
being a mother for my hus-
nd?" she asked bitterly. Il
I that | could only hold him
giving hin a undivided care
d devotion that he could get p
I'M no one else in the world. "
e great crown of womanhood o
ght have been mine, but / knew d
At Roland Early did not like il
ildren, and l surrendered my 81
satest desire to- his wish" u
That she was speaking the D
Ith realized, for Roland Early d
never sympathized with me D,
any way when l had spoken cl
little Hal, and he had never n
erred to him of his own accord.
J wife was more to pitied than h'
N l had dreamed. tn
L am very sorry for you, Mrs. in
rly." The words came invoiun- W
lily. an
Then you will go away?" br
4 do not know yet. Do not WI
me. l am sorry nc
you not because you think no
have lost your husbands love,
because you have narrowed
IN your whole life to one in bu
'st and in doing so you have tin
lie yourself one OF the unhap- sci
t of women. You have prob cal
, bored your husband by over
otion," | said with sudden an do,
"and you have courted misery ers
thinking you could find hap ha,
,ss in one place only. If all orr
ian beings thought that, We
Id be a race of hysterical wo
rotics but some of us come sta
,ugh great sorrow TO know Iob
happiness is hidden all over .
world and If we do not find wa,
n one place we shall in an ba,
t. ers.
You did not love your husband
Hammersly," said Mrs. 7
y with conviction, cor If you hos
love him you never had cause pro
oubt him." nav
IT a moment l was tempted "
I'll her of all my doubts in say
ng that supreme doubt that AN
TO me with Halls dehth-a spe;
that could never be dispel- the
Then l put it all aside as t