New Britain herald., 1922-04-14
The Way Madge Conquered Herself
 and uirky Left

Int way MhuEe onVutreu HefNtli
 and nicky Left
 Dieky was going to see Edith Fair fax.
 This was the thought which made me stand motionless for a hreathess second or two after l had, at his rc- quest turned out his lieht. Indeed, l was incapable of motion, for the sound Of the girls name, the knowl- edge that she was again on pieky's horizon had been like unexpected blows in the face.
 She must have returned from the West Virginia mountains to which l knew she had gone with Aunt Dora Paige for n much-nccdod rest. l had hoped that after the genuine romorsc which had swayed her for her un- witting share in the terrible affair Of Juniors Kidnapping, the nervous breakdown, which was the result of that awful time, she would yield to the devotion of pr. Jim Paige, the distant cousin who had been her lov. ing slave since her childhood. I had counted on her forgetting the hopeless love for Dicky which had tortured her and had caused me so much nlentdl dnEHlSn, but 1T Sle were back in Marvin
 I broke off my mental musings al this point to score myself savagcly for my folly. All this emotion over the trifling fact that Dicky had asked me to put a Spanish comb which Edith had left at our home in the spring into his bag so that he could give it to her. If the comb had be- longed to almost any other woman of my acquaintance would have thought nothing of the incident. And the very casualness of the request, it's openness, ought to have shown me that there was nothing in Dicky's at titude about which l needed to worry.
 What the devil are you doing there in the dark? Can't you find your way out of the room"
 Dicky's voice came grossly from the bed.
 'I's going this second" I returned, hastening out of the room thankful that I had escaped further catechism It was bad enough not to be able to control my jealousy of Edith Fairfax but to betray it to Dicky as l already unavoidably had done once or twice, was unthinkable
 Try as I might, however, could not put out the flame of nay jealous pain with the fire -extinguisher of common sense I wonder how many other women have tried the same dampen- ing process only to find the flames flashing up more brightly than ever.
 Lucky for Edith, I imagine, that we live in a civilized age. I shudder to think with what subtle poison a me- diaeval ancestress of mine might have impregnated the teeth of the fragile. | beautiful comb which I fastened se- curely in it's case and put into Dicky's bag in the early morning after many sleepless hours.
 What Madge Wondered.
 I tried to comfort myself with the remembrance of tho remorse which had been Dicky's for his absence motoring with Edith upon that day Junior was kidnapped. At that mo- ment I knew he had hated her, and I also hugged the remembrance to my mind of the months of quiet devotion from my husband which had been my lot since that time. Upon one me morable day in the Catskils he had declared with emphasis that he was through" with all phiIandering, that he had gotten his' when Junior was stolen, and that thenceforth I would i, have to provide all the thrills aside from a humdrum domestic existence.
 But-I knew my Peter Pan, and I i wondered if so long an imprisonment | in the domestic cage, even though it | was voluntary, were not palling upon him, if he were not beginning to feel the vague restlessness which generally | preceded some escapade, harmless enough in itself, but distinctly trying for me.
 There was but one thing to do, however, and that was to speed him on his journey with casual, affection ate cheerfulness, letting no hint of my fears escape me, and l succeeded | so well that l think Dicky, with mas culine inconsistency, actually resented my cheerful casualness at parting.
 T may stay days" he said, as we drew up to the station.
 There's no reason why you can't | stay as long as you like" I responded promptly. Everything is going on swimmingly at home now, and we really don't need you
 "SO Long, old Dear"
 "Oh, you nedn't rub it in that I'm