Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-03-30
IllIIIIIIIn
HARRIET and f6e PIPER
BY KATHLEEN NORRIS


because of them. She had not come
to this hour without knowing what he
meant to her, this quiet man with the
splendid mouth and the keen gray
eyes, and she trembled now with an
exquisite emotion that seemed to
drown out all the past and all the fu-
ture-everything except that she loved
him and he needed her! But when she
spoke it was as cOolly as he:
"Mr. Carter-what of your wife?"
His eyes met hers wearily.
divorce proceedings were insti-
tuted Immediately it was definitely es-
tablished she had gone with young
Pope. The decree will be absolute"
But that will not-cannOt alter the
situation" Harriet faltered.
You mean" the man hesitated,
you mean you-that you regard me
as married still?"
Harriet, mute with emotions abso-
lutely overpowering, nodded without
speaking.
"Will yOu-will you let me think
about it?" she faltered A sudden
brightness came into his face You
know how l was brought up to think
of divorce" she went on pleadingly.
I've made plenty of mistakes in my
life, but I've never deliberately done
what 1 felt was wrong"
"And this would be?" Richard asked
slowly.
GGINn11-T hor +ho,1ch+ oh u
she answered slowly. "My people
my sister and her husband-would
say so! II, would have said so OF
some other woman!''
This would not be an ordinary
marriage; you would be entirely your
own mistress" Richard said, with
quiet significance. "It would be a
marriage only in, the eyes of the
world"
81 see," she said. I'll must have
time to think about it,"
"As long as you like!" She had
risen, and now he rose, too, and went
with her to the library door and
opened it for her. "When you decide
come and tell me-" he said, bowling.
She turned to give him a parting
smile, with a desperate wish to tel
him half the honor and joy she would
| feel in taking his name, in sharing his
responsibilities, but the pleasantly i'm
personal nod he gave her chilled the
words unspOken. Harriet fled to hel
room.
MY chance" she whispered, press
ing her cold finger tips to her ho
cheeks, my chance at last-and
can't take it! No, can't take it
don't care what his world does o.
thinks-my world doesn't permit it
No-I can't Not a divorced man, no
a man with a living wife! I've beer
a foel7I've been wrong, plenty o.
times, but I've never committed my
self to folly and wrongl'
She stared blindly ahead of her
After a while she spoke again, half
aloud:
"Oh, but why does it have to b,
this way! If could go to him, tel
him what he means to me, If we wer
poor-if we could take a little plac
next to Linda-never to see Nina O
his mother or Ward or Roy again
Oh, what heaIan! How 1 should Low,
it, planning tor things together, a
Linda and Fred did, having him COM
home to me every night!
"But 1t isn't that way" Harriet sud
denly recalled herself sensibly, "ant
it is folly even to think about it! H.
is a rich man, and a married man
and that ends it. That ends it."
A great desolation swept her spirit
She fell from bitter musing to weaken
ing. The law permitted it, after all
Plenty of good women had shown he
the way. The family needed her; sh
might do good here. And above all
she loved him.
She heard a stirring in the bee
room.
"What time is it, Rosa?" she called
suddenly aware of weakness an
fatigue.
"My goodness, how you frightene
me, Miss Field! It's just noon."
"DO you happen to know if Mr.. Cal
ter is still downStairs?"
"Yes'm, he is; he's expecting MI
Fox to come"
Harriet smOothed her tumbled hal
and went slowly downstairs.
But 1 love him. she said, sue
denly standing still on the landing
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