The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-20
TRIALS
Chapter 90

Only Luther slept peacefully that |
night. Luther had his own depressing |
problem, but he had lived with it for
more than year now, aud in that time /
anyone can learn to sleep and worry |
too.
Mrs. Talbot had fatal feeling that
the world had crashed and that she
was still alive and unhurt and would
get up and make coffee and boil eggs
as usual about halfpast seven in the
morning Anyway. it was done. Amy
was going to marry Adam. that was all
settled. Luther and Claire were go
ing to separate-that seemed settled
too.
And she, Amy Talbot, accepted these
things calmly and unprotestingly. She
had lost her old beliefs, changed them
for new ones. What would Jordan
say? What did she care about any
thing Jordan would say? How much
had she changed?
If Donald had not married Jane,
would she have blamed her girl for
running away with him anyway? She
knew that no matter how much she
would have screwed over the breaking
of all the laws of morality and con-
vention, she would still have been glad
that Jane was getting some happiness
out of life.
She could find nothing to be glad
over in Amy's deliberate marriage of
this man-more than old enough to be
her father, fat and selfish and tyran-
meal. But Amy had chosen it, she
could only accept. She tried to con-
centrate upon the fact that she must
get up and make breakfast soon, think
ing that would send her to sleep for
few hours.
Adam Arnold lay awake too. But he
lay awake because a mixture of cucum
Der sandwiches-why would be eat GU
cumbers when they gave him indiges-
tion-cake wine, coffee, ices more
coffee and cigarettes. had upset him to
such a degree that a large lump of lead
seemed to exist in the region where his
stomach belonged.
And Amy lay awake longer than
either of the others. 1t was done
she ha3 been triumphant. She was, at
last. going TO marry Adam Arnold, rich,
lavish unencumbered with relatives,
anxious for all the iun there was to
be had out of life.
OF course, he was-what, 40 some
thing? He never would say. His hair
was thin-was there any virtue in hair
tonics? She was sure Adam used them.
OF course he was fat-she might make
him diet he wanted to be thin, but
she could not quite imagine him going
without good things to eat while they
were within his reach.
She would be rich-oh she could
travel, she could see the whole world,
she could live beautifully. keep young,
be rested, be envied-she could go on
studying singing Amy Talbot Arm
old. the famaus soprano, will give a
recital this evening at the"
Dicks face came into this thought,
and it fed
Dick will get fat too when he's
old" she told herself by way of desper-
ate consolation.
But Dick was a lad, barely in his
twenties, half the age of Adam, Dick S
face was chubby-but it was the round
ness and chubbiness of boy he would
not develope waistline for 20 years
if then.
He did get so white, when Adam
made that-speech-" she said to her
self.
She remembered Adam with his sill
yer paper crown over one ear. the
handkerchief that had blindfolded hin
around his neck, the CLINT of his dia
mond shirt studs-of course he would
choose diamonds, the well cut dinner
suit that only made his figure more
settled-she remembered she looked
quickly at Dick, in her surprise ovel
Adams speech. Then, as quickly sht
glanced away, for the sight of Dick.
face was like a pain that shot through
her.
If only Dick had money-that was al
ways the problem. Donald had no
wanted to marry Jane because h
couldn't support her; Claire quarrele'
with Luther because she wanted to g
back on the stage to earn NOR
money
He might have said goodnight sh
thought, remembering that Dick ha
gone up TO Adam, quietly congratulate
him while all the others were pourin
enthusiasm upon them. Then he ha
sat with Dee for time and when tn