New Britain herald., 1922-03-30
What Katherine Answered to
 I.illian's Question.

I think Katherine read In our faces that she had startled us by he, gamin-like joy at Iillians news, foi the next second she dropped her hands while an embarrassed flush stole over her charming face.
 You must think I've gone daft, she said apologetically. But. oh, If you know how tired l am Of being on my dignity You sec, Jacks pos ition in the little town in which we lived required that l keep the proper appreciation of the most formal con duct In mind, so you'll just have to forgive me"
 Forgive you .' l echoed, reading between her words that 1t was not Jacks position, but Jack himself who had so repressed her.
 "Of course, your levity is a great trial to both Madge and myself" Lil- Han interposcd with an impudent grimace at mo, but we'll try to struggle along under the handicap And when we get out to the farm we'll put you out with Marion to turn few handsprings.'
 "I wonder if I've forgotten how, Katherine said speculatively, with such seriousness in her tone that Lil- lian and l laughed outright.
 But l really felt more like tears. There was such unconscious betrayal in her abnormally high spirits. re- membered suddenly d treasure of my sMall girlhood a ack~in-the-boN, for I tn 60 n childish fashion whenever l was al lowed to play with him, and l never would willingly crowd him back into his confined quarters. Absurdy enough. the joy and relief which Katherine was unconsciously betraying at this interval of respite from her life with Jack Bickett seemedF to me like that old-time escape of my play thing.
 NIadgc Is Thankful.
 Something else came to my mind, and came with q little feeling of pan icky joy, as if I had escaped Some danger by narrow margin. l re- membered the devotion which my brother cousin" Jack Bickett, had showered upon me from childhood, and the memorable day when he had come back from a long trip and ignorant of my marriage to Dicky- had asked me to marry him before l could tell him my news and stop the revelation, so surprising to me, of his love.
 l had often wondered what would have been my answer to Jack if l had never met Dicky. And in the early, stressful, sometimes miserable days of my first year of marriage had some times been guilty of wondering wheth CT Jacks quiet dignity and strength would not have been a better anchor to my marriage ship than Dicky's volatile, tempestuous lovableness.
 I had answered the question long ago decidedly in -Dicky's favor, but Katherine's unconscious attitude brought home to me most forcibly what marriage with Jack Bickett would have meant to me. True, l have not Katherine's high girish spirits but I have stronger will than she, a more tenacious grip upon my own way" and--I sent up silent lllJle prayer or LlldIlhl ullltoS lIhl Providence had given me Richard Graham instead of Jack Pickett as my life companion.
 Lillian tumbled katherine's bags into the tonneau of my car, and mo- tioned Katherine authoritatively into the rear seat.
 "Undcrtakc It !'
 Ut will save time to tell you what's up while we are going home" she said, 'so get in here with me. Madge knows all about it already"
 T am all ears," Katherine laughed settling herself in the car,
 For several minutes there was no sound save the steady murmur of Lil- Hans voice relating the story which ] knew so we'll, the story of katie's terror of the unknown man, of her domination by him, of her queer, furtive searches of the house, and my fathers room especially evidently under the mans directions and of that final tragic night when we had planned to overhear by katie's her talk with him, and when the man had been struck by an while cycling to the rendezvous.
 There was no word Of question from Katherine, and l knew that she had