San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-23
The Making Of
a Husband
Ann LisLe's New
Phase of Jim and
Ansse's Marital
Adventure

How much can. j for81ve! re
peated thoughtfully. @How much
have I already forgiven? How much
more are you planning to ask me
to forgive, Jim?"
jim learned forward in his biz
chair and stared at me through the
growing shadows Of the big studio
at The Birches. :,
II don't know why ! ask you such
. Sentimental question" he said, Al
last. II guess IL was what the law
calls q hypothetical question. ] sup
pose I'm sort of-dopey from all we
have been through. Maybe my brains
still frozen
Jim essayed q laugh. It didn't
ring true. His voice wobbled ant
broke; and then a queer. . tense : Silence
tell between a.; Questions DARED
through my mind like goldfish swim
ming around their bowl. ! found my
self full Of queries.
".Are you bored By life here at The
Birches?" wanted to ask. ARE
you getting tired Of the role OF de-
voted husband? Are you always
playing parts? Have you found your
self yearning after pretty little Ar
lette? Do you see trouble coming
and wish TO ward it off? Can !
help You? Are you really anxious to
break yourself Of your habit OF phil
andering? Would you like to be G
devoted husband for the rest Of your
life and steer clear Of The Other
Woman who seems bound to appear
on cur horizon once in 30 often? Are
you thinking of Envy Mason and Val
Cosby and Rosa Cordova and Ruth
Gregory and the procession Of ladies
who have worried me 20, and are you
wishing you could avoid adding Lit
tie Arlete valleau to the series?"
But how could I ask Jim such
questions? How could offer to help
him conquer hi tendency TO seek
amusement in change-in filtration
and philandering?
Jim's voice broke In on my reverie.
Now there was querulous note in It.
"Didn't you hear me speak to you?"
be asked.
Didn't you hear me give a dozen
different answers ut once!" 1 re-
sYou didn't say a word" he pro-
Il know IL. But I thought a lot"
Jim LAUGHED. Ths querulousness
had not gone from his voice, but he
was obviously amused as he de-
manded:
sDo you think we are SO perfectly
sttuned that ! can read your
aNo~worse luck. wish you
eould
~Would you be willing to risk that
ali the time, Cara Mar"
why did you call me that, Jim!"
I asked more sharply than ! intended.
ne started, stared at me reproach-
folly and then said:
II don't know. It just came. Must
a man give his wife an account OF the
why's and wherefores of his tenderness
and the way it expresses ITSELF"
"No, but it was odd"
"Odd that / should use beautiful
words in speaking to beautiful wom-
an like you, Anne?" :.
you don't often call me beautiful
Jim!" :,
II won't do Il again II you object. :"
IT don't, but when It 10 SO unfa-
miliar / can't understand" Jim in
terrupted with curt:
@You can't understand what I'm up
to. You think / have an object in
view. You suspect me Of Interior mo-
tives when I try to express what is
in my heart"
~Tbat ien't it." protested.
"what is it them"
Il don't know" I cried, feeling that
things were suddenly at skies and sew.
ems and that just when ] should feel
the happiest felt the most pathetical-
y defeated.
II called you Cara Mia and you
tripped me up on that as IL II were q
crime to use those words" Jim said
accusinsly. II felt full of tenderness
and you met It with the cold school
marmishness q man does not look for
in his wife. You complain that +
look elsewhere now and then for ro-
mantle moments, but it wouldn't be
any wonder IL / really did when you
are so exacting"-
I got up and ran from the room in
tears. I didn't want Jim to see me
cry, but couldn't hold back the hot
tears Of vexation. / had been through
a lot during the days of the blizzard.
From the moment when 1 dragged
Jim back down the snowy road where
he had been pinned for hours beneath
q fallen tree ! have been living In a
constant state OF tension.
Jeanie's odd settling of matters with
Nicholas Perry had cost me more than
I realized ut the time. Her reconcilia.
ton with Pat had come with startling