The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1923-10-05
BY morning, however, he had dis

Denlnu tnU Worus WAS there, however.
1t was Sunday. He would take them
| to church. He had never taken them
| to church before. He went and brushed
| his high hat. He looked very tall
walking down the little lane to the
| paved avenue on which the church
stood. The children, small and fluffy
held each hand. His little motherless
girls.
Marietta chatted as they went. you
never went to church with us before,
did you father? You're always so
| tired on Sunday when mothers home.
/ The first time Doris went to church
she thought the minister was God--all
children do l did myself. Why do
elergymen dress like that father7
| Why do they?"
If Mary had been there he would
have answered. "Why do you wear
ruti1es on your skirt-because it's the
CUSTOM" and Marietta would have re-
| Piled: "Why is it?" and then the con-
versation would have been taken up
by him and Mary as to whether Mari
eta was seeking information or sim
/ ply trying to thrust herself into the
foreground. But now Mary was not
there he felt obliged to try and an
swer his motherless little girl, and she
actually appeared to try to understand
him, SO that they we're talking
rather earnestly by the time they
reached the church door.
In the afternoon he did not play
golf, partly because he did not want
to answer questions as 10 Mary's
whereabouts, but partly because he be-
came involved in hymn Marietta had
been most incompetently committing
TO memory for six months.
He went eagerly to the Office the
next day, and waited nervously
through the early hours of the morn
ing. About twelve Mary came. One
glance at her told him that she was
neither crazy ner playing Joke on
him. Her face was the face of wom
an who had been through two days Of
suffering. They went into his private
office without greetings of any kind
and shut the door.
Mary was direct. II sat Just In
front of you the other night at the pic
lures" she said, 81 could not help
hearing"
There was pause. Eliots mind
rushed back to the conversation with
Sam, and his heart felt like falling
elevator He recalled things he had
said with relish and bitterness hid.
den from Sam but obvious TO Mary.
He looked at his wife. Her eyes
were blazing. And yet" he said. II
love you. Mary"
81 thank you for such a love" she
answered, "the dull little woman at
home--no, you didn't say that-quite.
suppose you had overheard me telling
Virginia or Caroline that you bored
me to death-that I'd stopped reading
because you never talked of anything
but housekeeping details"
That's most unjust" put In Eliot.
Il said matrlmony-not YOU"
ooh, let's be honest" answered
Mary, shaking her head as II she
were shaking out salt water from
wave that had passed over her "Your
marriage Is me, and mines you. And
It's duller for me than II is for you'll
don't even get TO town every day and
see lot Of people and yet I'm not
hored-I know what you're thinking
you think I'm not bored because I'm
not as clever as you, but"
81 wasn't thinking anything of the
kind" said Eliot, and he imagined
that he was telling the truth.
"Of course you were, but that Isn't
the reason. The reason IS that no one
can get more out of life than he puts
into it-or out of marriage either.
You're not bored with your business
and heaven knows it's a duh one
every one agrees to that-duller II pos
sihle than your own home--hut It
doesn't bore you. Why notl Because
you put a lot of yourself into IT,"
Heretofore sense Of guilt had con-
fused Eliot, but now he saw light.
Isn't my work here Just what put
into the homer" he asked.
after office hours, what do YOU put
into itf' said Mary You come home
like king expecting everything to be
arranged for you-or guest, who
mustn't be interrupted by the children
Your own children, mind YOU"
The men In the outer office will
hear you, II you speak so loud"
81 hope they VIII, said Mary. "They
are probably kings and house guests
too, They probably think they have
an inaliennble right TO he bored hy