San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-15
The Making Of
a Husband
A mn Isle s N e 10
Phase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
Chapter IS.
BY ANN Isle

lou Know WndL Is III tnlS note
i asked of May Valleau, who stood
across the kitchen of the Birches
watching me with yelled eyes as read
the communication Nshe had tried to
keep me from seeing.
Il don't read so good" said the
girl.
But you did read it." 1 per
sisted.
"Yes, 1 have made him out" she
answered.
You know then how we are being
threatened by some mysterious en-
etny" questioned.
Il don't think it for you they
mean the HARM" said May.
Mot for me-my husband then?'
] questioned as much Of myself as
of May.
Not real for you-not for him, she
said slowly and with evident diff
Guilty in finding the words to express
her meaning. For just whoever it is
that come live here. For the happi
ness"
Someone begrudes us our happi-
ness. Someone objects to seeing hap
piness in this house." l murmured.
Then you know who it is and why
our peace and joy are making an en-.
envy of someone who is jealous. Why
do you know that, May? Why"
Il know what the note he say"
cried May. why you think l shall
know more as you do? Why you
don't trust me? Don't / make 10
show how it is / like you all times?
3 Don't l work by you? Don't l work
I good? Is it for nothings l work by
you so happy? You think 1 am wish.
Ing you the barms?"
mo, i dog't really think that"
/ answered. But | think some crank
has q grudge against us, and l be-
lieve you know a great deal about it.
You ought to tell me-"
Il not have anythings shall tell, :"
May replied.
May smiled as she spoke. Her smile
carried a certain amount of convic-
tion. But found myself recalling
5im's theory. 1t had seemed fantastic
enough when he expressed it. But
now / began to feel that perhaps Jim
w9s right when he suggested that the
Red Palmer" might be BERTHE Lin
gard, returned to the scene of his
brief happiness and disappointment,
and resenting crafty the fact that
married couple were finding joy in tn"
home he had built to shelter his
Lisa. So i asked a sudden pointed
question of May Valleau.
Did you know Mr.. Lingard? Were
you acquainted with him and the
lady he brought here?"
Nays reply astounded me.
H. ,r,al 10
him / have see other mans UNI
happy. My maman-my pretty
Petite maman-she 20 away with
My papa he drink. But this Tarasov
this man that take my maman, what
he do?"
What did he do?" 1 asked.
Il think he go crazy" said May. al
think he love my maman real, while he
never can marry her so she got real
husband, my papa. | think Mr.. Lin
gard he perhaps like that. And his
maman, and Mr.. Lingard be never can
make her happy. This Tarasov he
never can make my maman happy,
neither. / don't know how it goes by
right and by wrong. If husbands bad
and lovers good and still it bad
woman shall have levers when hus-
bands so wicked, how ! know what
are right and what are wrong? How
/ know? How anybody know"
THE law is made to protect so.
ciety," said severely, adding: "And
marriage VOWS are sacred. But what
has that to do viii us?p | demanded.
What have BERTHE Lingard and this
Tarasov man to do with us?"
You not sec?' asked May.
Then queer question popped into
my mind and / asked il sternly:
WAS this house empty when your
mother ran away with Tarasov?"
May stared at me. Then she laugh
ed. There was Darkness in her
mirth that was terrible. But her
words when she jerked them out had
q strange effect Of being unrelated 10
her and the mirth with which she had
tried to disguise herself and her feel.
ings.
Maybe my manan she hide here
like you think. Maybe she think that
here my papa don't look. Maybe she
think that IL she hide where maybe he
look he come kill her so he take her
from Tarssov. From Mr.. Lingard
they take his Lisa while she live.
From Tarasov, my papa never take
mp poor maman. She die. And so
think this Tarnsov he crazy like Be-
tie Lhgard. They all crazy and this
house it know more than it tell. You
go away. This house not healthy. II
never tell, but it wait. It make to go
like cat-how you call it?-pouncc.
These notes not like. ! got moth
ings / shall tell. But here got much
j know"
May put her hand TO her heart
with a gesture of ineffable pity and
fear. Her psychological understand
ing, her calm immortality, her shrewd.
ness and superstition startled me. She
was ignorant and yet so pathetcaliy
wise. And in this moment l felt that
she was loyalty itself. Even the
thefts Of which she had acknowledged
herself guilty seemed to show her 10y
atty. As | thought Of the poor. pa.
thetic little trifles she had taken to
beautify her little sister. Arlette. some
thing began to formulate itself in the
back Of my mind, and asked with
a breathlessness that astonished me y
"This Tarasov--is he dead?"
81 not know" gasped May.
And Arlette--is she very like your
mother?" I asked.
"She Just like. Why you make ask
ingl" cried the girl as IL / had done
some terrible thing. The terror in her
eyes started me. ! felt that his big
seemingly stolid girls life was Of
tragic pattern-and i seemed to be in