Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-29
The LulL Before the Storm,

NORMAN and ! were very close in
~ the days that followed his confes.
sion to me, and in spite Of the fact that
/ longed to know more than he had
told me, refrained from asking ques-
tions.
Perhaps the average wife would con-
denim me for this and would insist that
had the right to know. But our
marriage was not the average one, and
I had married Norman with my eyes
open to his weakness, therefore I felt
that must build differently, and that
must not let him suspect that I dis
trusted him.
I learned through Margaret Hunter
that Alice had gone West for the sum-
mer to visit an old school friend, and
1t wasn't until then that began to
feel easy in my mind. Not for the
world would l have confessed this to
any one, but even after Norman's pro.
tcstatlons did not entirely trust him.
! He had lied to me once and felt
that with sufficient provocation he would
, do the same thing again. So that II
was a deep satisfaction to me to learn
that he had meant what he said and
that everything was over between him
self and Alice.
Two days after that scene in my bed
room Norman brought me gift, an
exquisite single topaz on long, very
thin chain. 1t was truly lovely thing.
but something In me shivered away
from it, and I felt that ! could never
wear it with any real enjoyment. To
me 1t wns peace offering. something
to make up to me for what had hap.
pcned, to salve his conscience for the
neglect he had shown me. and never
appreciated before mans attitude re-
yarding n thing Of this kind.
A woman confded TO me once before
| was married that her husband never
sent her flowers or brought her any
gift that she didn't think Of it as a
conscience offering. At the time
thought this n horribly sordid way Of
looking at things, but now I knew
what it meant.
OF course, there were days when
dcring at times whether Norman had
agony. Then, too, there was always the
with the outside world had enabled her
to give Norman something in the way Of
compAnionship that / did not have to
offer. But l did not allow myself to
brood, and when my Imagination flew
away with me l asked myself one ques.
ton: Would ! have been happier il
had never known Norman, even though
he had made me suffer? And the an.
swer was always no.
And all during this time Norman was
unspcakably dear to me. Not even
in the first days of our life together
had he been so sweet and considerate,
and he seemed utterly contented with
the simple life we led. The summer
driftcd away and forgot to be un-
happy. There were long evenings with
the Hunters and the Fultons, playing
bridge and dancing afterward to the
phonograph !; there were picnic suppers
in the cool of the evening, when we
would take the car and drive out into
the country. And always there was
that sense Of jolly c0mpanionship. al
though there were times when Ruth 3
and Margarets attitude toward life
irritated me. They were 10 content in
our little gatherings, to draw together
and talk woman stuff, leaving the men
10 discuss the affairs of the day ! re-
sentcd this, because I wanted to keep
up with Norman; ] saw no reason why
We shouldn't all talk together, and 1t
bored me to listen to conversation about
the maid question how long 1t took for
four year old child to wear out O
pair OF shoes, whether 1t was cheaper
to trade with Hanley or the italian who
had opened new place In tho village,
and so on.
1t was late in August when Norman
startled me one evening by saying that
we were seeing too much Of the Hilton
crowd. In fash knew that he was
bored. and that meant danger. For
the first time In weeks that old SEN
sation Of fear swept suddenly over me-