San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-07

The Making Of
a Husband
Ann Lisle' s N e 10
Phase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
BY ANN Isle
Chapter So

Copyright. 1925, King Feature Syn, Inc
Our suitcases and bags are kept
on a high shelf in storeroom closet
of The Birches. When 1 went to get
them down to pack for our trip to
Canada, 1 found that Jim had ar
ranged them so compactly that l
could not move them. So 1 went out
to the kitchen to ask May Vallcau
for help.
"You go somewhere" she asked
with less than the usual stolidity.
"To Canada for the Weekend" i
replied briefly. y
"How soon you think to go?" May
questioned, with unmistakable inter
est.
"This afternoon, I replied. "At
once. / want to pack now, so please
get the bags down for me at once"
May dried her hands on her apron
and followed me to the store closet
with something quite puzzling in her
manner. She climbed upon a chair
and began moving things about on the
shelf with a firm alertness unlike
most of her movements. When she
had lifted down the bags L wanted
and had carried the luggage to my
room, she fingered to ask:
Maybe you not have so much time.
If perhaps you shall put out what it
is you want for these trip L shall per-
haps put it in those suitcase. For
YOU to miss the trains would be
shame. Mr.. Harrison he go, too!
You not be here New Years? You
90 for New Year's?"-
"YOu seem pleased at our going"
! laughed, lifting my head from the
bureau drawer in which / had been
immersed for a noment.
l was astounded at Mays express
sion. 1t was a combination or salts
faction, alarm and pretended inno-
cencc.
Il like you shall have nice times.
like you. All shall be good by you"
was what the girl said. But there
was far more implied.
returned to a contemplation OF
my lingerie, trying TO select dainty
things that wouldn't soil or muss on
trains and in bags. But my mind
was not on the relative values of law
cnder glove silk and blue crepe de
chine. 1t was busy with certain
threads it wanted to tie up. And
suddenly l flashed up from my bend
ing position with n sharp:
"Do you think it's wise for us to
70 away instead Of joining the STRAIT
ION party, May?" .
Il think maybe you like it better,
she said with actual not pretended in
nOcence.
| knew then that I had the girl
, little off guard. / could not be GER
tain that she knew of the threatening
anonymous letters we had received.
but / was quite certain that she did
know we had been invited to join
the STATIONS, and / had purposely re-
Trained from making any mention OF
this. Realizing that May is Oative
of the odd little artistic and foreign
colony where we are living, / felt
sure that if the person or persons
who had written us the letters signed
with the smudgy red hand were in
the habit of threatening "undesir-
ablcs," May might know of it. So l
continued with an air of absent
minded abstraction 1 was far from
feeling:
"It's business trip. We have
to 20. I'm almost tempted TO let Mr.
Harrison 90 to Canada by himself, for
I've an idea l should like the people
at Mrs. Stratton's party" -,
"Oh. no." protested May. 81
don't think better you do that.
think better you don't stay. Maybe
YOU go with Mr.. Harrison. You
surely have nice times. And thai
safest in case somebody not like
- The girl stopped abruptly. Hei
mouth shut in a thin line, and she
cried suddenly:
MY prunes they burn. / go sec
Then / come back and make packing
for you while maybe you go tele
phone Mrs. Stratton how it is yor
shall not coming
As usual in moments of agitation
Mays patois was increasing and hcl
aueer argot with its combination Of
back-country dialect plus French Ca
madam and the Dutch of ZeI,
Schmidt was thickcning to something
that sounded like an imitation Of TIL
Letters of a Japanese SchOOlboy.
So l knew May had something on hei
mind, aud L had an uncomfortable
idea that the Something" might hav'
to do with the anonymous letters.
When May left the room l stood
for a moment trying to puzzle thing
ont. Undoubtedly she knew enough
to make her anxious to have us re
move from the danger zone and no
go to the Stratton house-party. L
came to me that she might be on rap
port with the "Red-Palmers tina