Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-28
MY MARRIAGE
X4
Adele GarTison's
New Phase Off,
REVELATIONS
OF A WIFE
THE WAY MADGE FOUND REST
so FAR AS CLAIRE is
CONCERNED

If | had needed proof of Claire Eos
ter's essential Indifference to Dicky,
l was given an abundance of it when
within 10 minutes of our going to bed,
her regular and deep breathing told me
that she had gone to sleep as peace
fully as a kitten.
/ knew, of course, that she was ex-
hausted with the emotional strain of
the preceding hours, but I knew, also,
that no exhaustion would have per-
mitted sleep to come to her SO suddenly
if her affections had been involved.
She is not the type of girl to take
things lightly. Under her apparent
hardness, her metallic superfieiality, /
had found q warm, ingenious heart.
And I realized that nee she was GER
tain of my continued presence in the
room with her she had relaxed, had
laid down the bristlins armor which
she had kept between herself and the
captious speculations of those sur
rounding her, and had found the rest
she SO sorely needed.
But l could not find sleep so easily.
/ forced myself to lie quietly, for fear
that restless movement might awaken
the girl on the couch across the room,
while over me went wave after wave
Of anger at Dicky, fear that he was no
longer mine for either anger or appro-
baton, longing for him, and IN agon-
lied, remorseful questioning as to my
share of the blame in the rift that had
come between us.
Happy, indeed. should be the wife
who never has had such q vigil. In the
old Scriptural phrase she should count
herself blessed among women if she
never has had occasion to spend the
silent hours Of the night in torturing
introspection and retrospection such as
came to me in that mountain bedroom.
A S~Ieepiess Night.
At first I kept looking at the ra-
dium-luminous hands of my wrist
watch to time the passing minutes.
But when / found that what seemed to
me at least an hour waiting was regis
tered on the watch as only II minutes,
I determined to look at it no more.
But / could not escape the striking of
a clock in another part Of the building,
not %strident, indeed soft-toned. but
clearly audible in the deep silence
which gave the hours and half hours.
/ noticed every one until four strokes
told me it was that hour in the morn
ing. Then / must have dozed off from
sheer exhaustion. for when I opened
my eyes again the darkness had gone
and / saw that it was the time in the
morning just before the sun mt up,
when everything seems most bleak.
I shivered beneath the coverings, and
realized that the room had grown cold.
On the foot Of my bed was a heavy
comforter given me by Mrs. Barker for
extra cold, and another lay at the foot
of Claire Fosters bed. ] slipped out
of bed, crossed to her, and pulled the
quilt up over her without waking her.
Then | dived into my own bed again,
shivering violently, until the extra
warmth afforded by the added quilt re-
stored physical comfort to me.
But / could not restore sleep to my
eyes. / realized that / was up for all
day." realized also, that action of some
sort was imperative for me. | would
never be able to carry my undertaking
to it's conclusion if Ibid not provide
my tangled nerves with some outlet.
"Here's a Telegram
/ am a mountain devotee. ] do not
know that any Of my ancestors were
somewhere in the distant past of for
mer ex~istences / lived among noun
tains and loved them dearly. With a
little thrill / realized that IL / hurried
I would be able to see the SUN burst
out from behind them, and I sprang
noiselessly out Of bed, hurried fran
tically through my dressing. and tip
toed out into the hall. If anything
could calm me and give me strength to
60 on, / knew that the peace of the
Gaterpa1 hills' would do il.
No one was astir in the front part
of the house, although I knew, of
course. that the day must have begun
for Mrs. Barker some time before. I
drew back the bolt Of the hall door,
shut it carefully behind metsand ran
lightly down the path to the winding