Evening star., 1922-07-02

| Marietta was seeking Information
or simply trying to thrust herself
into the foreground But now Mary
was not there. He felt obliged to
try and answer his motherless little
girl. and she actually appeared to try
| to understand him. SO that they were
talking rather earnestly by the time
! they reached the church door.
And so IL went or. II wasn't that
Eliot had never before found his .,,.l-
dren's pocket handkerchiefs or even
blown their noses or put their hats on
right side before. but always he had
done these things as a favor TO Mary
But now he did them because there
was no one else 10 do them. which made
it somehow all very different
In the afternoon he did not play
golf. partly because he did not want 10
answer questions TO Mary's where
abouts. but partly because he became
involved in a hymn Marietta had been
most incompetently committing to mem
DRY for six months
He was tired in the evening-he look
ed back on the day as a hard one. yes.
and not a pleasant one, either; but lac
had no. been bored.
He went eagerly TO the Office the next
day and waited nervoUsy through the
early hours of the morning. About -
Mary came. one glance at her told
him that she was neither crazy nor
playing joke on him. Her face was
the face of a woman who had been
through two days of suffering. They
went into his private office wituoIt
greetings of any kind and shut the
door.
| Mary was direct Il sat just in front
of you the other night at the pictures
she said. Il could not help hearing
There was a pause. Eliot's mind
rushed back to the conversation with
Sam and his heart felt like a falling
elevator He recalled things he had said
with relish and bitterness hidden from
| Sam. but obvious to Mary.
He looked al his wife. Her eyes
| were blazing. And yet" he said. Il
love you. Mary
| Il thank you for such love-" she
ianswered THE dull little woman at
| home-no. YOU didn't say that-qu;te
| Suppose YOU had overheard me telling
Virginia Or Caroline that you bored
me to death-that Id stopped reading
because you never talked of anything
but housekeeping details
That's most unjust" put in Eliot.
!"I said matrimony-not you"
| *
I"OH' let's be honest" answered
| ~ Mary. shaking her head as n
she were shaking out salt water from
a wave that had passed over her.
| .sN ,rri. iS me nd mines
And it's duller for me than il is for
You don't even get to town every
dav and See lot of people. and yet
I'm not bored. ] know what you
thinking You think I'm not bored be
cause I'm not clever as you, but
Il wasn't thinking Of anything Of the
kind" said Eliot. and he imagined that
he was telling the truth.
of course you were. but that isn't
the reason. The reason il that no one
can get more out of life than he puts
into t-or out of marriage. either.
You're not bored witt your business
and heaven knows it's duh one
every one agrees to that-du'ier II pos
sib!e than your OWN home-bui II
doesn't bore you WHY not: Because
you put ict OF yourself into il.
Heretofore sense of guilt had
confused Eliot but now he saw light.
| Isn't my work here just what
put into the home?" he asked.
! After Office hours what do you put
into ito" said Mary. You come home
like a king. expecting everything to
be arranged for you. or guest. VIII"
mustn't be interrupted by the chill
| hill mind
The men IN the outer Office Will
hear you if you speak SO loud
Il hope they will said Mary.
They are probably kings and house
guests. 100. They probably think
they have an inalienable right to be
bored by their women and children.
too
Well. after all" said Eliot. its
not crime TO be bored
Isn't it, she returned. Now
listen to me. Eliot ! can imagine
staying with a man who was unfalth-
full or stole or beat me. but l cannot
imagine under amy circumstances
staying win = man whom bored,
WHY should /? Goodbye,
Hold on. Mary. Where are YOU
going
He would like 10 have spoken with
the tongue of men and angels, but he
| was distracted by a peculiar mental
state. he felt il was impossible tina;
he should ever have been bored with
this vital. violent. irritating. hand
some creature. and yet he knew quit"
well that he had been.
On" Mary replied airIly. I'm go
ing to my mothers. or ON t'ip-l
really haven't decided.
And are you ever coming hach
Eliot asked with sarcasm that was
meant 10 bite.
Mary took step toward him away
from the door which she had almost
reached
Yes she said. I'm coming back
And I'll tell you when I'm coming
back-when you've run the house so
long that you feel uncomfortable IL
the food isn't good. when you feel
guilty when the children interrupt
me, when, in other words. I'm the
house guest-that's when I'm coming
back
And she went out Of the Office and
slammed the door.
Copyright, 1a2o. All rights reserved
! Reproduction ProhibitedD
Not "Near Enough"
S,IE. stems by which a closer a.