The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-06-21

~ ~ - aA'N AN'Nh
I church before. lie went and brushed
his high hat. lie looked very tall
walking down the little lane TO the
paved avenue on which the church
stood. The children, small and fluffy
held each a hand. His little E,otherless
girls.
Marietta chatted as they went. "You
never went TO church With lis 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 a God-all
children do, l did myself. Why do
clergymen dress like that, father?
Why do they?"
If Mary had been there he would
have answered, why do. you wear
ruflles on your sklrt-because it's the
CUSTOM" and Marietta would have re-
piled: "Why is III" 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 were 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 TO Mary's
whereabouts. but partly because he be
came involved in a 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 nor playing a joke on
him. Her face was the face of a WON
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. 81 sat just in
front of you the other night at the pic
lures" she said. II could not help
hearing"
rushed back to the conversation with
Sam, and his heart felt like a falling
elevator. He recalled things he had
said with a relish and bitterness hid.
den from San but obvious to Mary.
He looked at his wife. Her eyes
were blazing. And yet" he said, -
love you, Mary"
Il thank you for such a love-" she
answered, "the dull little woman at
h0me-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 matrimony-nOt YOU"
"Oh, let's be hon, ST." answered
Mary, shaking her head, as If she
were shaking out salt water from IA
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 a lot of people, and yet I'm not
bored-l know what you're thinking
you think I'm not bored because I'm
not as clever as you, but"
II 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
You're no bored with your business
and heaven knows it's a dull one
every n agrees to that-duller If pos
sible than your W home-but 1t
doesn't bore you. Why not? Because
you put a lot of yourself into it."
Heretofore a sense of guilt had con-
fused Eliot, but 10Y he saw light.
ISN'T my work here just what | put
into the homer" he asked.
after Office hours, what do you put
into It'll" said Mary. "You come home
like a king expecting everything to he
arranged for you-or a guest, who
mustn't be interrupted by the children
your W childrea,- mind you"
"The men in the outer office will
hear you, If you speak so loud"
~ hope they WILL" said Mary. They
are probably kings and house guests,
too. They probably think they have
all in~alienable right to be bored by
their women and children, too"
"Well, after ALL" said Eliot, ats no,
a crime to be bored"
isn't it," she returned. Snow lis.
ten to me, Eliot. l can imagine stay
ing with a man who was unfalthfll. or
stole, or beat me, but | N imagine
under any circumstances staying with
a man whom / bored. Why should I?
Good-by."
Hold on, Mary. Where are you go
ing?" He would like to have spoken
with The tongue of men and angels,
but he was distracted by a peculiar
mental state. he felt II was impossible
that he should ever have been bored
with this vital, violent. Irritating,
handsome creature, and yet he knew
quite well that he had been.
"Oh," Mary replied airily, I'm 60.
ing to my mother's-or on a trip
really haven't decided"
And are you ever coming backT'
Eliot asked with a sarcasm that was