Evening star., 1922-06-16
"Tell Your Husband Everything

"HE living room Of the Pumpkin
Shell was long and narrow.
The beautiful old mahogany
that its mistress had inherited
from her grandparents gave 1t
dignity. Gay chintzes that she had
pillaged from bargain counters gave
it charm, and the tall jars of lilac
boughs gave it sweetness.
But to Merriam Lindsay on GER
tain spring evening 1t seemed as
bleak and barren as courtroom.
John Lindsay. big and blond, had
carried her to the sofa under a rose
shaded light. With perfunctory
courtesy he had arranged a pillow
under her bandaged ankle. But when
he seated himself opposite her In her
great -granddaddy's tall-backed Wind
sor chair and folded his arms Mer-
riam felt like the most hardened of
culprits about to be cross-examtned
for a heinous offense.
She nervously tucked the pins into
her bronze curls. She wet her lips.
She shivered.
We'll" she began with much
hesitation, "if-if you wouldn't look
quite SO con-condemnatory." Her
delightful ,stutter as she ploughed
through the longest word she could
muster did not rouse so much as q
ghost of a smile on Johns rigid
countenance. why. then ] could tell
you just exactly how it happened.
You see I did all the mendinE. The
livelong day I-I-m-mended. Johnsy
don't suppose you can even guess
how loathe that mending.
Merriam, are you stalling Tor time
or have you a real explanation to
make?"
ITS ever so real" she hastened to
assure him. "Only. you not being a
woman and you not being me. 1t may
seem just the least. teensy. weensy
nrst Honestly. 1t was the mending
that did it. Mending puts me In such
vile humor. Makes me feel sc
NANCY and no count and poverty
stricken"
Need We pause to harp upon the
meager state of my finances?"
"Johnsy, dear! I wasn't harping or
anything: 1 rather hate harps any
how, they're SO sentimental and mid
Victorian and unjazZy and She
gulped miserably as she watched him
Il Just meant that even II we were
multimillionaires and / had a button
% sew on, I'd get that same feeling
!t's-it's pscho-something or other
And from that got to thinking abou!
now II my ankle wasn't broken Id
top mending. and then 1 thought
about how l couldn't dance for ever
so long and how you seemed to like
my not being able to dance. and that
made me think about the last time
did. when you got SO cross with
me- and Richard got 80 cross
She put her hand over her mouth jus,
second too late.
Richard got cross with you! What
right has he to be CROSSE"
Exactly what I said" Her in.
dignation did not impress him.
Go on" he prompted. that is. &C
IN. If this has any remote connection
with the fact that this chap Slocun
had the impertinence to shove his
way into my house today"
Il would go on. Johnsy." her pa.
tient sweetness was comic, "if you
Just wouldn't keep interrupting me
He did not shove his way In here.
happened to think about him. quite
accidentally, and that reminded me
IF the fact that he had rented Leila
iraham's apartment. while Leila was
,broad. and that made me remember
that had loaned Leila my crutches
,ast year. when she was in some
amateur theatricals. You know those
old crutches I had years ago. when
this foot was sprained. So I tele-
phoned Rich to have him ask his
man to tie them up SOS Nan could
,ick them up for me tomorrow. when
she went to town. and, 10 and be-