The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-07
Helen had been married to Keith Burke

Helen had been marrled to keltn burke for sixteen self satisfied years. She was a talkk woman with pale brown hair, astig- rlatic hazel eyes that required glasses, high cheek bones, well-shaped mouth, and al ways touch of color in her cheeks-not a woman to be looked at twice either Tor her good or her pad looks. Her chlef ooast was that with the years sae had grown more slender, whereas most of the women of her age and acuuaintance had become heavy m body and movement Her thinness re- suited from such strict denial of food that often her body cried out against her mls- treatment of in in an unreasonable and un. reasoning irritability which vented itself chiefly upon Keith Helen was voluble in her praise of Keith when she was with other women or her relatives, but when they were alone she was continually finding fault with him.
 Keiths salary was fair one, so the Burkes lived in a modern, high-priced apart ment, fitted with expensive furniture wh1cn Helen insisted must shift with each new peried that come into fashion. She dressed better than the women with whom she as- sociated She was with these women great deal-an empty-headed set whose chief aim in life was to outdo one another in the matter of clothes, furniture aind the food they set upon the table at their ire quent gatherings together.
 Because she was so much abroad with this crowd, Helen was frequently very late Tn getting home to prepare dinner or she in- sisted that Keith meet her on the way home and they dine in a restaurant-more often the latter. ..-
 Keith lunched in a restaurant, so he was keen about going home for dinner. His day was long and strenuous one which made him feel that the acme of pleasure was to catch the first car home, get into house-coat and slippers, eat a good meal at his ease, read the paper and lounge until bedtime-if Helen happened to be in the right mood. If otherwise, the chances were that he himself would prepare whatever food they had probably first going out to purchase supplies. Then he would wash the dishes and the evening would be done before he had glanced at the paper.
 During the first years of married life the wonder of having Helen for wife was still upon him, he had endured many things cheerfully, even gratefully. But as the years passed and Helen persisted in think ing children were too much bother, and was becoming less and less interested in the home, except as it served for place in which to entertain her friends, and more irritable under even his slightest sugges- tion, he endured these same things with others added unto them, not at all grate fully, and far from cheerfully. He was unhappy Life stretched ahead of him monotonous blank---a dreary, desert. His dark hair was sprinkled with gray, the sparkle of his brown eyes had given place CO a DfOOQlnR QlScOnCenC D1ScOnCen SnOWeQ also iE the lines around his mouth and in the general sag of his great body. Helen might prate about their being almost as they were sixteen years ago-care free, no more sttled down than a newly married pair, in- vited everywhere, and almost as young as when they were first married--he did not see reason for pride in not having moved on and arrived some place in nearly fourth of mans allotted lifetime. It seemed to him rather a matter of humiia- tion-no contribution made to the good of the world, to posterity. When the sod GOV cred them, that little mound of earth and a stone marker would be all there was to show they had ever lived. They had made no vital impression on the world.
 When Keith tried to talk to Helen about these things she called him a beast and went into a tantrum that lasted for two weeks. Thereafter he kept silence but thought the more.
 On one of Keth's bleakest days he re- ceived word that Harry, his brother, and Harry's wife has been killed in an automo- bile accident. Keith took the train alone to sun-blstered, down-at -the-heel town. Helen refused to go with him. Harry was unstable and always in some trifling diff culty which bothered Keith's more staid na- ture, so the brothers had seen little of each other. Harry had not bettered his poor lot by marrying cheap actress.
 Matters were worse than Keith had antici- pated and his heLrt was wrung when he saw the poverty in which his brother and family had been living The one redeeming feature