Evening star., 1924-09-28

eye-he was swaying on a strap
and in an angry glance conveyed to
him her entire disapproval of his ac-
tion. He apologized mutely and be-
came urgently engrosSed in "A row
of car cards. The fat woman moved
once more against Jacqueline-she was
now practically overlapping her. Then
she turned puffy, disagreeable eyes full
on Mrs. James Coatesworth and cough
ed rousingly in her face.
With smothered exclamation
Jaqueline got to her feet, squeezed
with brisk violence past the fleshy
knees and made her way. pink with
rage, toward the rear of the car. There
she seized strap and there she was
presently joined by her husband in a
state of considerable alarm.
They exchanged no word but stood
silently side by side for ten minutes
while a row of men sitting in front OF
them cracked their newspapers and
kept their eyes fixed virtuously upon
the days cartoons.
When, they left the car at last
Jaqueline exploded.
You big fool" she cried wildly.
Did you see that horrible hog you
gave your seat to? Why don't you
consider ME occasionally instead of
every fat, selfish washwoman you
mcet?'
How should ! know
You didn't see any Of those men
getting up for me, did yop? No
wonder you were too tired to go out
last Monday night. You'd probably
given your seat some-to some hor-
rible washwoman that's strong as an
OK and likes to stand up.'
They were walking along the
S1nChv Strnnt cfpnninU wildly n
great pools of water. Confused and
distressed Coatesworth could utter
neither apology nor defense.
Jaqueline broke off and then
turned to him with a steely light
in her eyes. The words in which
she couched her summary of the sit
uation were probably the most dis
agreeable that had ever been ad
dressed to him in his life.
The trouble with you, Jim, the
reason you're such an easy mark,
college freshman-you're a profess
sional nice fellow"
y X :: :;
THE incident and the unpleasant
ness had been forgotten. Coates
worth's vast good nature had
smoothed over the roughness within
an hour. References to it fell with
a dying cadence throughout the day
then ceased and tumbled into the
limbo of oblivion. The subject was
rather drowned out by the fact that
JaQueline with her customary spirit
and coolness began the long. arduous
uphill business of bearing child. Her
natural traits and prejudiceS became
intensified, and she was less inclined to
let things pass.
1t was April now and as yet they
had not bought a car. CoateSWorth
had discovered that he was saving
practically nothing and that in an
other half year he was going to have
a family on his hands. 1t worried
him He worked far into the spring
twilight now and frequently brought
home with him the overflow from
his office day. The new car. he de-
cIded, would have to be postponed
for &c while.
April afternoon and all the city
shopping on Washington street.
Jaqueline walking slowly past the
shops, stopped. Not six feet from her
a bright. new sport roadster was
parked at the curb. Beside it stood
two men in conversation and at the
moment when she identified one of
them as young Bronson she heard
him say to the other in a casual tone
Isn't it a beauty? l just bought it
today"
Jaqueline turned abruptly and
walked with quick tapping steps to
curt nod to the stenographer she
strode by her to the inner room.
Coatsworth looked up from his desk
in surprise.
Jim she began breathlessIy, did
Bronson ever pay you that three hun
dred?'
"Why-no," he answered hesitat-
antly. mot yet. lie was in last week
and he explained that he was a little
bit hard up"
Her eyes cleaned with angry tri-
umph.
"Oh, he did?' she snapped out brisk
ly. We'll, he's just bought new
sport roadster that must have cost,
anyhow, $500"
lie shook his head. unbelieving.
II saw it," she insisted. Il heard
him say he'd just bought it"
He told me he was hard up" re-
peated Coatesworth helplessly.
He was using you. He knew you
were easy and he was using you.
Can't you see? He wanted you to buy
him the car and you did" She
laughed bitterly.
'on, no, protested oOdteS" oTtIl
with shocked expression. You
must have mistaken somebody for
him."
I'VE walk and he rides on our
money she interrupted eXcitedly.
"Oh, it's rich-it's rich! If it wasn't
so maddening, it'd be just absurd.
Look here!' Her voice grew sharper
and there was a touch of contempt in
it now. You spend half your time
doing things for people who don't
give 4 hang about you or what be-
comes of you. You give UP your seat
on the street car to hogs and come
home too dead tired to even move.
You're on all sorts of committees and
YOU don't get cent out of them.
You're eternally being used. | won't
stand it, / thought l married a
man, not a professional Samariton
who's going to fetch and carry for
the world
AS she finished her invective Jaque-
line reeled suddenly and sank into a
chair, nervously exhausted.
sLI/H