Evening star., 1924-05-25

to meet him, and flung herself into
his arms.
A MONTH" she cried How did
you stand it? I've felt like a widow.
I'll never let you go again"
Its been fearful" he mumbled.
But I'm filthy. Is there time for a
bath before dinner"
There is not. Wash your face and
come right away. I'm off to serve
up"
Morgan barely touched his food,
hardly raised his eyes from his plate.
Marjory chartered brightly, and told
several anecdotes of the developing
wonders of Morgan junior, but even
these brought only vague smile and
response.
After dinner she washed up and
Morgan retired to the living room to
smoke instead of helping her place
the dishes on the rack to dry. Mar
jory's heart felt like adamant and her
brain never clearer.
Morgan was walking restiessly up
and down the room as Marjory
seated herself with a piece of needle
work. He threw himself into a chair
I've got something to say to you,"
he announced. his voice harsh and
! abrupt.
Yes" asked Marjory sympathetic
cally. Business bad" I've noticed
YOU looked rather worried"
No. It's worse-much worse. II
don't know how to say it,
You haven't been specuIating with
the firms money!" asked his wife
anxiously.
How can YOU say such a thing"
He looked astonished and outraged.
| "Of course, i didn't really mean it,
| l know you're the soul of honor. But
somehow that's what a woman nat
urally thinks of-in this old town, at
| least-when her husband comes home
| looking tragic
| We'll, / haven't. Honorable-I
| don't know what I've got to say will
| sound very honorable to you, but it's
! got to be said"
We'll, spit it out" said Marjory,
with the inelegance of her genera
ton. I'm sure / can't imagine what
1t is, but you'll feel better when you
| get it off your chest"
| Morgan sighed heavily. She looked
! so innocent and trusting, so sweetly
! concerned
It's this-I want YOU to get a
| divorce
Morgan Chester" Marjory looked
as if the floor had risen and bounced
| her upright. Then she laughed.
You never were very good at jokes.
| Morgan, dear, and l must say that
was rather heavy one. Try again"
! Il mean it," he said desperately.
! Marjory permitted her face to be-
| come serious.
But why? What's wrong If 1
haven't made YOU happy and COM
| Portable in these two years and more,
| you should have pointed out my
faults. I'm very adaptable"
fouVe-you made me perfectly
| happy. But it was a boy and girl
affair L am boy no longer"
you were as much of a man two
years ago as you are now. One NAV
be a boy when he goes to war; but
after two years Of it he comes back a
| man, unless he's moron. wouldn't
have married you if you had been
boy. 1 detest boys"
MORGAN looked at her for the first
time in displeased surprise.
Logic ana MarJOry,
+ She was regarding him graveIv,
| speculatively.
What made you feel so suddenly
| grown-up?' she asked
"Oh-can't you guess:'
! Fancy yourself in love with some
other woman? I've noticed that ham
| pens to men of any old age. Mr.
standish is going on fifty and is max
ing fool of himself over little Polly
Orcutt. But you've hardly reached
the chicken age"
| Morgan growled. Certainly not.
That's the point" And then he burst
out violently: "I love a woman. And
for the first time. AS man falls in
love-not boy"
| Il suppose you'll go on falling in
love every two years or so-as Won
feel more and more mature"
"Marjory! You must take me seri-
ously:
Impossible. You are exactly like
| baby, tiring of one toy and shriekiny
Tor another. You are anything but
hattering-but somehow I feel even
more mature than you do, and almost
as maternal as l feel for Mordkins."
He swore and sprang to his feet.
you've got to see things straight,
and you've got to give me a divorce.
l want to marry Lydia Farren."
| He glared down at the little figure
in the chair.
But Marjory answeSed ruminatively,
That New York girl? She certainly
does look like an old-stager. So she's
taken you in hand?'
| "She loves me and wants to spend
her life with me. She's had her own
| experiences and knows her own mind,
as / do now. / tell you he
biushed crimson and swung on his
eels-"it's-it's-one of those great
passions that come to man and
woman only in lifetime"
| Passion is the word for it. WHY
not have an affair with her and get
over it?"
Affair he thundered. She's as
good a woman as you are"
i Il doubt it. She looks like a pretty
cold proposition to me. And L never
tried to take a woman's husband
away from her"
"She didn't try. She struggled
against it as hard as did. She went
north in August to break away from
it all, and intended to go east from
Vancouver. But she couldn't. She
didn't expect to meet me in Santa
Barbara 1 knew. I went there to
meet her. I was all in. We had a
week together. We both knew then
that it was for life. We were in mis-
cry until we made UP our minds.
When a man and woman realize