Evening star., 1922-09-22
The Wife Who Wouldn't
Settle Down!
By Lucille Ta,, Slyke
A Sequel to Brides Will Be Brides

card apiece every day. but their
mother gets nothing: and they've been
here three weeks come Friday. They
say he Is as handsome a man as you
ever laid eyes on. but not a cent to
his name. And ] think 1t looks like
she'd come home to papa, and was
getting pretty worried about whether
papa wants her around home. For, il
he does marry Mrs. Rayner-"
oh: go on. grumbled the cook.
here with your gabble. ] tell you he
haint a-goin' to marry Mrs. Rayner
Miss Leland will be back before long.
and she'll put the kibosh on this Ray
ner business"
The upstairs girl shifted
We'll, deliver me from Miss Leland.
She's cranky old maid-that's what
she is. The house runs lot better
with Mrs. Lindsay running IT,"
i with me running it," the cook
I glared. What time does that FLUFFY
little thing get to run the house, and
her a-gadding, morning, noon and
| night to one party after another? Sew
enteen times her name was mentioned
i, In last Sundays society doings. And
no wonder-for she's sweet. pretty
| thing. she is. And don't blame her
for hanging around to keep her eye
on her father. She knows which side
her bread Is buttered on. and it would
be buttered awful thin if her father
1 was 10 marry again.
| Young Mrs. Lindsay herself, breez-
to their gossip
| Dinner for two more tonight" she
said. calmly. Father is expecting
Mrs. Rayner and her nephew. Mr.. Al
len. Where's my family?' she ask
! ed the chagrined upstairs girl.
The family" twins and dog. too.
catapulted through the pantry door
! They saw little enough of their
adored one these giddy days.
The twins babbled a flood OF in
dearest mummie to themselves for a
heavenly hour. in which they kept
her PROSTATE in a wide hammock
| They cuddled her and petted her and
exhibited their days post cards from
daddy.
"I dess wish" Ricky's voice was
wistful. daddy would come. don't
you. Merry
Merry wished it in a voice that was
almost strangled. her throat hurt 500
1t seemed to her. some of these days.
that her heart would break Not one
day OF their quarrel. more than three
weeks before. She was badly fright
ened. but too proud to let him know
how horribly he was making her suf-
fer. She lived through from day to
day. making clever evasive remarks
when folk questioned her about when
he was coming. She silently blessed
her father. because he tactfully re-
Trained from talking about John.
| Her father was very sweet to her
her constant attendant. He was
really much worried about her: too
preoccupied to realize how deftly Mrs
Gordon Rayner was insinuating her
self into the family group. 1t was
Mrs. Rayner herself whose smart
coupe brought Mr.. Leland home this
particular afternoon. The babies tum-
bled from the hammock to welcome
him. they stood tiptoe on the step of
her car to shake hands with her. but
he had to call twice before his pretty
| daughter reused herself from hei
'possum sleep to wave greeting t.
the buxom widow.
! See you at dinner?" she callc. =
lightly. Not until Mrs. Rayner W
gone did she rise languidly to ii:
her cheek for her fathers kiss.
/ "Rich Slocum is in town for a d
| or two" he said casually. He'll
l here for dinner and overnight"
Copyright. 1921
! Continued in tomorrow's Starr