The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-16
.TODAY'S SHORT STORY
Wax Wanted

Tears are not becoming to six months bride and especially at 9 in ithe morning. The newly-wed of tra- ditiop, is enrolling gayly at that hour, while she makes the little cottage as neat asSa a pin. Of course she wears a white wrapper and rose in her hair.
 Bertha Henry did not own a white negligee and home meant a f0ur-room apartment in a rather good neighbor- hood. The morning work, with the as- I sistance of a vacuum cleaner, took her about an hour, as rule. Then she was free to divert herself in any way she liked. Usually she sewed bit, read while, ate bite of luncheon, went for walk and marketed. A harmless enough way to spend the day, and when Louis the Devoted came home at 6 sharp the evenings were as in nocuously passed--a movie, once in a month or so theater in town, sometimes game of, bridge at a friends.
 No serpent could possibly squirm into such an Eden. Or if once there what apple could tempt this Eve? Louis gave her plenty of money, she really liked to make some of her own clothes ---and better loved to add tidy sum each week to the savings account. Der tha was determined to buy a bungalow some day" and Louis was determined to do whatever would please his little wife.
 Tears, then, surely had no place in the Henry scheme of things. Yet l Bertha lay prone on the couch and sobbed. Presently she sat up and dried her tears with a pOuting sullenness quite foreign to the usual cheer which had earned her. husbands approving title of Bright and Bertha.
 l She neglected the cleaning th6t day I-louhgedi about until afternoon and then went in to town to risque mati- nee. .
 Dinner was delicatessen feast that night, much to the wonder of Louis Afterward Bertha did not care for the movies, nor for calling on the Warmers, nor, it appeared, for anything except curling up on the couch with the latest fluffy stories. Louis did not read much after the stock market and sporting page had been exhausted, He wander cd around the rooms, suggested game of. cards was snubbed, and finally fell asleep in shis chair.
 He awoke hours later, in cold roomS al0tfa, Somehow he felt that Bertha had gone somewhere-to be sure she was pIesent in body, but not, his wife. A tpll, distant, critical person Twas in hersplace, ,who served his break. fast in bored way and was busy elsewhere when he waited at: the door I for the goodbye kiss. Hurt, ,bewildered, he.s,went without it.
 | In q surprisingly short time after he had gone the front door opened. Der tha did not think locks were necessary in an elevatof apartment, SO the latch twas always turned for entrance, unless she went. out. .%.>s .s.f Whoever was entering apparently knew this. A heavy tread sounded down the little hall. A coarse, vulgar hlooded woman came in and seated her self familiafly at the breakfast table Ewhere Bertha was still toying with a lcup of coffee. The woman next door 1 ' He's gones eb? I'll bet you never found out a: thing! Ain't you the min ny, though ? I fell you the men are aii@ alike-the smoother they act at home the more certain they are to have outside ties. Huh!. Don't T. know? Caught my man with pie tnre 'of show girl in his pocket--say, the alimony I got wasn't half my right. tell you F saw your. hubby with a blond jane on, Broadway the ..other lnight-the nighE he saidehe hadda work. Don't beifeve 2 word he says. Go after him. Get him. Say you'd be sur prased the people in this building that live like cats and dogsAiust settin' ready to bust up. Bay, d'yon know the Harpers don speak? She Ain't what she oughta be--I'm telling you! The foo he'd know s Say, the Kentons aren't really married-both divorced. Seea Don't speak to her-slire.. she's pfeasant-. that's the way with them women. Now you sit tight-<want a dandy detectiya2 My lawyer got me n peach-Agets the goods all right all right. No? Well. say, that sounds. like my phone-see you later" 1
 The, woman. numbered out-a fir- ure for .mirth in her trailing neeii- gee of georgette and lace. For the first time since living in the apartment Bertha got up and locked the front door securely
 Then she went back to the dining room and sat for an hour gazing at nothing in particular. If she saw nothing, she heard over and over again m the ears of her mind the vile tale the neighbor had told her the day be- fore-a tale of intrigue that was. far from intriguing. The man in the case was Louis Henry, the woman a well known frequenter of cafes. That Der tha knew that Louis never even looked in at such places was no argument The woman-next-door--Mrs. Flynn said he was there.
 Bertha sickened as she thought over the neighbours vile speeches. Mrs. Ken ton was friendly, and Bertha could see no harm in her. The Harpers and their little girl had especially impressed Bertha as being we'll bred, quiet peo- pie.
 Bertha had never known one of the species. poison tongue and all this was new to her. How she wished she had never spoken the friendly word which had given the woman next door the chance to push herself in. Louis ab- solutely refused to speak to the crea ture.
 Bertha wondered ifsshe were guilty denying recognition to one of his sub