New Britain herald., 1922-04-01

After elght seara of married life, MARK SABRE gradually realizes that h, is neither understood by hs prosnIo ana snobhsh wife,
 MABEL. nor hy his colleagues In the firm of Fortune, East md sabre. A prom ised business hns been denied him ana promised to
 WINNING, jealous assoelatc.
 Suddenly an old sweetheart, MONA. now the wife of daslling Lord Ty' bar returns after two years of travel Mabel becomes suspicious when Nona writes Sabre an informal invitation to
 GO ON WITH yHE STORY
 "An invitation? Whyever didn't she write me?" "Whyever" again..-- May l see it?"
 He took the letter from his pocket and handed it to her It's not ex- actIy an invitation--not formal" She did what he called "ficked the letter out of its envelope. He watched her reading it and in his mind he could see as perfectly as she with her eyes, the odd, neat script; in his mind he read it with her, word by word.
 Dear Marko-We're back We've been from China to Peru-almost Come up one day and be bored about 1t. How are you?
 His thought was, Damn the let ter."
 Mabel handed it back, without re- turning it to it's envelope. She said, No, it's not formal"
 She shipped three roses with as- tonishing swiftness-snip, snip, snip! Tn half an hour h shallow basket was beautfed with fragrant blooms and Mabel thought she had enough. Well, that's that" said Sabre as they re-entered the morning room.
 III.
 She took up creamy rose and shipped off fragment of stalk over the saucer. "Why does she call you 'Marko'?"
 He was utterly taken aback. If the question had come from anyone but Mabel, he would have quite failed to connect it with the letter. But here had distinctly been an incident" over the letter though so far closed, as he had imagined, that he was completely surprised.
 He said, Who? Nona?"
 "Yes Mona, if you like. Lady Ty- bar"
 Why, she always has. IoA know that" '. Mabel put the rose into d specimen vase with immense care and touched a speck off it's petals with her fin- etA, T really didn't"
 "sMabel, you know you do. You must have heard her"
 Well, l may have. But long ago. I certainly didn't know she us-h it in letters.'
 He felt he was growing angry.
 What on earth's the difference ?" Tt seems to me there's a great deal of difference. I didn't know she wrote you letters."
 He was angry. Damn it, she doesn't write me letters"
 She shrugged her shoulders. You seem to get them, anyway
 Maddening!
 And then he thought, 'Im not go- ing to let it be maddening. This is just what happens" He said, Well, this is silly. I've known her-we've known one another-for years, since we were children, pretty well. She's called me by my Christian name since I can remember You must have heard her. We don't see much of her-perhaps you haven't. I thought you had. Anyway, dash the thing What does it matter?"
 Tt doesn't matter'--she launched a flower into a vase-''a bit. only think it's funny, that's all"
 well, it's just her way"
 Mabel gave little sniff. He thought it was over. But it wasn't over. If you ask me, I call it funny letter. You say your Christian name, but it isn't your Christian name-Marko. And then saying, How are you?' like that"
 Like what? She just said it, didn't she?"
 "Yes, I know. And then Nona.' Don't you call that funny?"
 Well. l always used to call her 'Nona.' She'd have thought it funny, as you call it, to put anything else.