Evening star., 1922-07-23

!" HERE was sulleIf Silence across
the breakfast table. Lucy VAL
lentine bent her head, and un-
seeing poked at her food. Her
husband finished his ham and eggs delib-
crately. pushed away his plate, and loung-
ing back in his chair. sucked the wind
through his teeth with little smacking
noises of his tongue. Then he leisurely
folded the morning newspaper. rose. took
his hat and coat from the closet. and
.;taIk.d out Of the apartment without
= word. sharply slamming the outer door
behind him.
Lucy sat OH. thinking. A look of hope
1ossncss. almost of despair. settled upon
her face That was Tom--that was
the way Tom acted; they were in for
another dreary spell of SurlineSs. She
thought over the thirteen years of her
married life: she visioned the thirteen
that might follnw-the twentystN per-
hans That was to be her fate, yoked
to a Churl, uncouth and ill-mannered.
who WAS insenSible of how he offended
hcr. kud the thought that infuriated
her most was that Tom regarded HIM
self as a perfect husband. faithful. good.
generous. devoted to her and to his
home, II was true enough. In fairness.
Lucy had to admit that Tom was gen.
crous: he was fathfulness ITSELF he
earned good salary; he saved, he
spent every night and even Sunday at
home and gave her an ample allow
ance lie considered that by this he
discharged his duty as husband. nobly.
and regarded the cause of their con-
slant chickering's. which recently he had
chosen to treat in moody silence, as be-
ing entirely his wife's responsibility.
He never missed an opportunity to point
out to her that he had no vices; he
did not even smoke. He regarded her
Sourly as an unsrateful spouse-a
cranky, unreasonable. nervous woman.
x y
r ICY rocker her head in her hands
l. and moaned Tom was so .egregi-
ously stupid. so self-satisfied. so blind.
She could have forgiven his obtuseness.
but she could not forgive his rudeness
Every day of his life he unconsciously
affronted her, and almost as frequently
did so deliberately. He growled at her.
sneered at her, and when crossed,
shouted her into silence.
She had rebelled this morning. The
incident that had precipitated the whole
trouble had been of trivial incon-
sequence; il always was. Tom had said
the cream was sour and she had casu-
allv remarked that she didn't see how
that could be since it was the morn
ings delivery, and then he had shouted
at her that he guessed he knew what
he was talking about, and that when he
said the cream was sour it was sour.
She had said nothing in reply; she had
considered his ungraciousness dispas-
sionately for time and then in the
midst of the breakfast she had sud-
denly put her clasped hands down be-
fore her on the table and said her say
temperately and earnestly. urging her
right to courteous treatment She was
familiar with the look of displeasure
that came into his face as he listened.
and reaching for an argument that
would strengthen her words. she had
alluded to Mr. Gray and his wife, who
Hved i'll the adjoining apartment, and
that had proved the spark to his anger.
For Tom hated the Grays. hated
everything about them. The suite OF
rooms these neighbors occupied was on
the same floor as the valentines an
aIr-well separated the two establish