San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-12
The Making Of
a Husband
a nm LiSle' s N e ~
Phase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
Chapter So.

mood to stage my grand reconcilia-
ton with JIM" said Jeanne arising
and smoothing down her skirts. Its
pleasant here at The Birches. I've
stayed longer than i intended. i
must run. I've an ppointment-"
She paused and looked at me with
a challenge in her eyes.
with Mr.. Perry?'' / asked forcing
myself to the direct question.
Yes" jeanne answered with a
little laugh. I'm dining with him to-
&ight in town. Pat has conference
men seem to have them often enough
to avoid the monotony of dining at
home with the same woman every
night. Marriage would be tiresome
II 1t were all just regular routine. I'm
learning that. In fact that is the one
thing Of which I'm sure. I'm in
clined to think you're a great silly to
cut out Ralph Lacy completely
Perhaps" / said
1t was all / could say. / found
that l have reserves of my own. To
protest to Jeanne that Jim fills my
life, and that when he is devoted to
me nothing but jim and his interests
is real to me would be salt in her
wound. couldn't apply it. And Il
have far too much reverence for
Ralph Lacy and the quality Of his
feeling, to tell Jeanie that in fair
ness TO him l cannot claim the friend
ship l could both trust and enjoy.
But shortly after Jeanne left an in.
cident occurred which SO disturbed
me that / quite forgot to worry over
kaA f,,I hall f.,I 10
ward the problem l feel she is trying
to solve in the way best calculated
to make it worse. There was a tap
on the window, and thinking Jim had
come home early and was amusing
himself by startling me a bit, / re-
sponded by picking up ball Of darn
ing cotton from my workbasket and
throwing 1t at the pane from which
the sound appeared 60 have come.
The answer was a little crash OF
shattering glass.
20 why, it isn't Jim" told my
self with a little shudder even be-
fore / saw the big stone which had
caused the damage.
At the moment ! knew no fear,
though / was alone in the house and
darkness had fallen. / went forward
and picked up the stone. AS / did
so / became aware that heavy cord
was tied around it and that was
meeting strong resistance as tried to
lift the stone. Strengthened up with
the beginning of terrible fear in my
heart. As / did so saw a face leer-
ing at me from the outer darkness.
/ could only see that it was dis
torted face, pressed against one OF
the unbroken windows and staring
past me at the warm luxury and com
fort Of the room where l was sitting.
ran forward crying OUT.
"Who are you? What do yon
want? I'll call my husband"
There was a stridcnt hooking laugh
and the face disappeared. heard
duick and stealthy footsteps. And
then silence seemed to shut down upon
me.
stood transfixed by fear-not
daring to move-not willing to think.
A hoot-owl sounded in the tree out
side the window. l did not believe
it was n bird, but felt that it was
part of the terrifying experience which
did not seem to be over. The owl
sounded again. And then ] rushed
desperately to the windows and drew
the curtain over first one and then
another, with a sense that j could
endure the fear that was besetting me
IL / did not feel that / must reyoiye
rapidly from window to window I'M
der the scrutiny Of the peering eyes.
l heard a laugh 1t was several
seconds before / realized that 1T was
who had laughed. Then l said
aloud: -,
"I've scared him away. Saying I'd
call my husband did the trick"
I sank down and covered my face
with my hands. Then I forced my
self to get up-and make a second at
tempt to pull into the room what
ever it was that was tied to the othcr
end of the cord that lay across the
rug tracing its way from tho tsone
that had shattered the window to the
open pane through which the wind
was sucking the curtain.
The string was henvy--a thick man.
lila cord. and it seemed tied to some.
thing. for / could not bulge it, nor
pull it in.
ave got TO 20 out and see what
IFS fastened to-" / told myself.
But even as / was making my de-
termination to venture out into the
night and the terrors II held. the ten,
sion on the cord relaxed, and pulled
in n severed end which had been cut
with sharp instrument.
I drew back n step, trying to smut
out the thoughts that crowded INTO
nv mind. A moment later L heard
noise in the kitchen. The room was
growing black before my eyes, things
swan in a haze. Everything seemed
TO be slipping away from me.
7 nut out py hand and steadied my
self against the back of char. .,
"You can't faint" ] told myself
sternly. You'll be at the mercy
ct"
I looked down at the stone in my
hand. 1t was smudged over with
familiar looking red mark. IL was
the red palm.
Anything but this suspense !
told myself. and / walked forward
toward the kitchen.
Someone was stirring about there
cautiously. / had to know who IL
was that had ventured into my house
and was moving about so stealthily.
ITO Be Continued.)