Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-06-21

There was sullen silence across the
breakfast table. Lucy Valentine bent
her head, and unseeing poked at her
food. Her husband finished his ham
and eggs deliberately, pushed away
his plate, and lounging back In his
chair, sucked the wind through his
teeth with little smacking noises of
his tongue. Then he leisurely folded
the morning newspaper, rose, took his
hat and coat from the closet and
stalked out of the apartment without
a word, sharply slamming the outer
door behind him.
Lucy sat on, thinking A look of
hopelessneSs, almost Of despair
settled upon her face. That was Tom
that was the way Tom acted; they
were in for another dreary spell of
his surliness! She thought over the
thirteen years of her married life; she
Visioned the thirteen that might fol-
pw-the twenty-six perhaps. That
Awas to be her fate: yoked to a churl,
uncouth and ill-mannered, who was
insensible of how he offended her.
And the thought that Infatuated her
most was that Tom regarded himself
as a perfect husband, faithful, good,
generous, devoted to her and to his
home! 1t was true enough. In fair
ness, Lucy had to admit that Tom
was generous; he was faithfulness
itself; he earned a good salary; he
saved; he spent every night apd even
Sundays at home, and gave her an
ample allowance. He considered that
by this he discharged his duty as a
husband, nObly, and regarded the
cause of their constant chickering's
which recently he had chosen to treat
in moody silence, as being entirely
his wife's responsibility. He never
missed an opportunity to point out to
her that he had no vices; he did not
even smoke. He regarded her sourly
as an ungrateful spouse-a cranky
unreasonable. nervous woman.
Lucy rocked her head in her hands
and moaned. Tom was so egregiously
stupid. so self-satisfed, so blind. She
could have forgiven his obtuseness
but she could not forgive his rudeness
Every day of his life he unconsciously
affronted her. and almost as frequent.
ly did so deliberately. He growled al
her, sneered at her, and when crossed
shouted her into silence.
She had rebelled this morning. The
incident that had precipitated the
whole trouble had been of trivial In
consequence; 1t always was. Ton
had said the cream was sour, and she
had casually remarked that she didn't
see how that could be since it was the
mornings delivery. and then he haG
shouted at her that he guessed he
knew what he was talking about, and
that when he said the cream was sour
1t was sour. She had said nothing
In reply: she had considered his I'M
graciousness dispassionately for 8
time, and then in the midst of the
breakfast, she had suddenly put hel
clasped hands down before her on the
table, and said her say temporarily
and earnestly, urging her right Il
courteous treatment. She was ia
miliar with the look of displeasurt
that came into his face as he listened
and reaching for an argument thai
would strengthen her words, she haG
alluded to Mr. Gray and his wife, who
lived in the adjoining apartment. ant
that had proved the spark to hi:
: anger.
For Tom hated the Grays, hated
everything about them. The suite OF
rooms these neighbOrs occupied was
on the same floor as the Valentines
an air-well separated the two estab
lishments, and upon this source o.
light and ventilation bedroom win
dow of each apartment gave vent
Much that went on in the Gray house
hold could be heard by the Vallen
tines, and Tom and Lucy listened t.
the stray words and casual, converse
lions that went on between their I'm
suspecting neighbors, unabashed.
Lucy loved the way in which thu
Grays spoke to each other. 1t was 81
different from that to which she wa!
accustomed. The man had eXtraordi
nary nuances in his voice; 1t wa!
beautifully mOdulated. and when hi
happened to address his wife as "my
dear" it was like a caress. Ton
chose to ridicule the little intimate
things they said to one another, an(
to initiate Mr.. Gray's manner. L
made Lucy acutely uncomfortable, fol
she admired Mrs. Gray, was genuinely
fond of her, and was in terror les
Tom should be. in turn overheard.
Lucy had had her misgivings as t
the decency of listening to her friend!
confidential murmurngs with her hus
bar but she assured herself thai
her motive was not unworthy curl
Osity. It was merely that she enjoyed
with a hungry soul the manner II
which this particular husband anC
wife spoke to one another. 1t wa:
beautiful, it soothed her, it was like
exquisite distant music.
She had come to be more CO les!
intimately acquainted with Mrs. Gray
since that lady had moved next door
The two women visited one another
made frequent shopping trips to