The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-03-30

year. while / stayed or went to more
agreeable places at my fancy. l think
life has been rather good to me-
Patty looked up at her in admira-
tion. Life had given her two chill
dren. only to snatch them from her;
it had given her a brief and belated
romance, after years of anguish-and
still she could say life had been good
to her.
I'm glad you are staying" Patty
said aloud. You can't imagine how
good it is to have you"
She said nothing of how she dreaded
her friends going. Then. indeed, the
little town would close in around her
and swallow her entirely. But to sug-
gest that would be to depress her
guest, so she kept it to herself
But Mrs. Mum guessed.
"Since I've been here you have
spent all your time with me- she
said. Tell me, what do you do or
dinarily-when you've no troublesome
guest?"
Patty smiled over at her at the sug-
gestion that she was troublesome.
They were on the verandah of the
! house in the afternoon-a verandah
! furnished, as were all those of the
well-to-do houses in Wissakeagan.
/ with a couch hammock, a grass rug,
! some wicker chairs and table. Some
houses went in for rustic furniture
made from knotty boughs of cedar
! trees, tortued into resemblances to
chairs and 'settees.' 1t was Millie
who had insisted upon the more up
to-date wicker some years ago.
Patty gave her the list of Wissakea-
gan's social activities, club dances,
afternoons at cards, mixed evenings
when the husbands were invited to
some affair, church work
But you can't go on all your life
doing that
I. "Oh, after a time I'm to marry
: and go on with the same routine, ex
cept when children interrupt it,
"But-do you want to marry?"
, Patty shook her head decidedly.
mo. | used to think So"
| What changed your mind?"
| "Millie says that after ten year;
, every wife is bored with her usband
, But would be tired to death of him
, before / married him if he were one
; of these boys about here"
| Mrs. Mum ran over their names
/ She had met half the town by this
time-that is, the set that considered
itself the town.
, Patty smiled little wryly as the
: names were mentioned.
Basil dances nicely, and | like
, playing tennis with Jimmy But Basi
r will say, oh, absolutely instead o
| Yes until l want to scream. An,
&c, af, I'll nj
: he is putting on airs that he uses tht
| worst slang and the most awful Ian
t guage-and there are other things
r Mother says I'm finicky.'
4 Mrs. Munn's answer to this was
D laugh-a laugh that sounded pleased
4 1.-The worst is," Patty went on, g
e am afraid | shall fall in love with on,
of them. Jimmy and Rasil are tn
t larly likes Basil. That's because hi
e aren't any others possible And
: want to fall in love-
Flushing a little, she turned to he
d friend:
= isn't that a confession? I'm afrai
t l don't sound very ladylike.'
d Mrs. Munns answer was to tn
:, point.
t my dear, we're women long befor
e we are ladies. Indeed, | do under
e stand. Must you stay here, theI
d where your opportunities are limite
+ and where you are obviously out G
place."
q I'm afraid so. Mother expects i
She did not want me to go to college
L coaXed her into allowing me on
year, then deliberately took anothe
! one to travel with you. Now sh
thinks | should stay at home with he
so l must"
Besides, there's Millie. She
wretchedly unhappy, and she doesn
} quite know why. She's making Humpl
rey unhappy, too. I'm awfully fon