New Britain herald., 1924-04-26
The Reason Madge Strove to Keep
 Cool With Dicky

SuOh "hh D'sHs
 Hello, Madge How about some brcakfast?"
 This was Dicky's unromantic greet ing, and my pulses, which had accel- erated at his unexpected appearance, dropped to prosaic normality again. Here was no romantically-return penitent, but instead q comfort-lov- -tTg, habit-ridden individual, who de- tested loneliness and hotel meals, and was fleeing from them.
 The prospects are quite good" l ycturned with smile, provided you can flag Lillian and tell her to get more rolls and fruit. She's gone 10 the market, but she ought to be back any minute now"
 "Ill go and be a market-boy,' he promised. But, first, look here.'
 He came up to me, slipped an arm around me and turned my face up to his.
 You aren't sore, are you?" he said, kissing me.
 There was something undefrable in his low tone which puzzled me, and l looked up quickly to see his eyes not upon me, but furtively gIancing toward the bolted door that separates our kitchen from the Marks bedroom. He was afraid that his plea might be overheard, and while upon any other occasion l would have shared his apprehension, there was something about his timid- ity which, taken with the careless perfunctoriness Of both query and uaress, took the fine edge from the joy l had felt upon first seeing him.
 q Shall Fly {"
 Not a bit" I returned, making my tone as careless as his. And l made tiny but definite movement away from his embrace before he was ready to release me, a strata gem the value of which every wom- an knows.
 His arms frightened as if involun- tarily, then relaxed, and he laughed bit sardonically.
 Not quite severed from the stake yet. eh:" he queried, with narrowing eyes, and then, I suppose, warned by the anger which this favorable gibe of his brings to my eyes, he turned away with a careless, How many more things shall tell old LII to get?"
 Tt depends upon your own appe- tite," l retorted, forcing my voice to sippancy. But you'd better hurry or shell be back before you start"
 "T shall fly 70 he promised, and hurried ont of the door, while l stood shaking with anger out'of all proportion to my provocation.
 But constant fraying of the strong est hempen cable finally will snap 1t, and Dicky's most frequent taunt in our quarrels in his assertion that l fancy myself a martyr. Of course, in lis repentant moments he always pro- tests either that he did not say any hing of the sort, or that he did not mean anything he did say. But know that the thought must always turk fin his sub-conseiousness, for 1t is the first to be released when anger asainst me loosens his tongue. Wheth- CT or not the accusation is justified ts something I never have been hon- est enough with myself to thrash out.
 An Unexpected Companion
 curbed my anger back to placid lty with the aid of the paring-knlfe with which was preparing potatoes for the raw fry, which is one or I.illian's favorite dishes. And as I slashed and iabbed the unoffending vegetables I had sudden vision of the millions of women during the vanished years who must have worked off excess emotions in the homely routine of housework. It is the woman who has no tasks to oc- cupy her hands or brains who has time to coddle her temper.
 By the time Lillian and Dicky came back. laughing and breathless from a childish race up the stairs ] mad command of myself again. and was ready to assume mock dignity as they came squabbling down the hall. each claiming the victory.
 "she didn't count time out for her dropping a package and my picking it up." picky vehemently protested to me.
 'r didn't want chiralry, only jus- ice" Lillian intoned.
 "weli. next time you'll get what you want !" Dicky threatened darkly.