The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-14

would be to take Aunt Cynthia and go to the place where they were lunching. Perhaps she wouldn't blame me quite so bitterly when I could not conceal my distress at being left alone or when my eyes were reddened because Manville had not come in until nearly morning. !, can see now that was continually feeling pity for myself and so aggra- : vating my position. have found that being sorry for ones self is one of the , surest roads leading to unhappiness., es- pecially for a woman. In one of these E moods I wrote mother and told her of Manville's plan for Anna and me for the summer. asked her to write as if she had not heard from me, urging me to bring Anna and visit her. I told her l should die if I had to go to Aunt Cynthia that I hated her; that Anna was afraid of her and her pet cat, and lot of other things 1 am ashamed now to repeat.
 When my letter was posted allowed myself to hope that mother would write so intriguing letter it would have an effect upon Manville. But my life ran on outwardly the same as before, al- though fairly hung around the front hall when the postman was due. Man LyiIle was at home when the letter did come. l read it and passed it to him.
 My plans are made for you. You may write your mother that you will stop for a week on your return in the fall. 1 want Anna to have the benefit of a long summer under the good in- fluences she will surely have with aunt"
 I opened my mouth 10 protest But the letter had arrived the day after our bridge party and the very day in-. tended to attempt to surprise Manville and Ruth Markham at luncheon-if I dared-I certainly should protest against spending months with his aunt and only a week with my mother. It surely was unfair. And poor little Anna! I kept her away from Aunt Cynthia as much as possible, Man ville's Objecting to having a child at table helping me. l was very careful not to mention it, however. l had learned that the surest way to make things uncomfortable was to give my opinion. If Manville did not at once make a change Aunt Cynthia would keep at him until he did.
 So I kept quiet when Manville said he had made all arrangements for me, knowing that to object simply intensi- fled his determination. .
 Sometimes I wonder if I had under stood women better especially women like Ruth Markham, if I should have done any different; if I had realized that her methods were the methods of her kind the world over, to allure a man by every vile she knew, even though he were married. and having won him, keep him dangling after her, uncertain; uneasy, filled with discon- tent for himself and his position; if had realized that her domination over him 'could not last because she reduced love to its cheapest terms, play ing on a mans passion, his jealousy of her, so making them her slaves-al- ternately happy and wretched-would I have been less miserable?
 Aunt Cynthia had consented without demur to 'lunching downtown. She real ly enjoyed watching the, gay life of the restaurants and was always amen- able to an invitation. We went to Ran dalPs as the place I thought the more likely to be chosen by ManVille for his tryst. A great many women were there with a sprinkling of men. Aunt Cyn- thia, who loved to talk of women s clothes, their style, and their obvious make-up-which she decried as belong 5 ing to an age not her own-was de- lighted, and talked constantly, not ap- bearing to notice that I ate scarcely anything, but watched with painful in terest each newcomer. l was obsessed with the idea that they would surely come. But when weIhad finished and they had not appeared was forced to the conclusion that I had been wrong in my surmise that they had not lunch. ed together, or that had chosen the wrong place It was maddening When Aunt Cynthia proposed that we stop and call at Mrs. Markham's on our way home I did not object, although ] hated the idea.
 q owe her a call, Susan. She has been extremely polite to me, and as she is one of Manville's old friends wish to be courteous"
 "Yes, she was at home the maid informed us, Through the open doqi were waited voieesa maa,s and s n -A