San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-19

The Making Of
a Husband
A nm Lisle's N ew
Phrase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure

BY ANN Isle
Chapter lat

sweet about Jim a. she IL about
her Zeks Schmidtr' I asked ny.
self.
The gold Of the moon, the simmer
Of light on the pear blossoms, the
soft fragrance from the Towering or
ehards may have added their bit to
my mood. But ! found myself all at
once very humble, very honest and
very uncritical--of Jim or myself.
Love is the one thing that counts
! told myself with q sentimentality ]
mistook for honest sentiment.
1 went into the house and approach.
ed jim with my pulses bounding and
my blood dancing. I crept back Of him
and put my arms around his neck and
laid my face against his hair as said
softly:
II love you dear. Are you
glad?'
What's thatY Jim asked, lifting
his newspaper and shaking it out as
q preliminary to turning the pages.
I was not to be daunted 30 easily.
/ laughed. slid around on the arm Of
his chair and, leaning against him,
tried to take the paper from his hand,
as murmured softly into his ear:
Il love your
"Then for the love Of Mike let me
tead my paper!' Jim said irritsbly.
Without a word / slid from his
chair. ] felt as IL he had struck me.
I was shamed by this ignoring of my
advances, this imperviousness to the
magic Of spring which was sending the
blood eoursing through my veins like
streams flooded with melting snow.
/ couldn't get out of the room fast
enough. / was % ashamed / wanted
TO run away from myself and the real
ization of how Jim had ignored the
love and tenderness with which ]
= longed to dover him. started up the
"a fsairs to my room. But ] felt I'd
wihoke IL didn't get out-away from
a dur walls--into the open-back to ma
InCre. Ny thoughts were incoherent,
cad aotic and clamorous.
coyI hurried down the stairs again and
Salt into the night. j sped to the gaze.
weL-an down the path, across lots and
sing fleetly by a little side road that
fsds to a deep in-curve Of the river
itIsnk. i plunged ahead for two miles,
4 y way lighted by the moon, but dark
4 Wing az ! went deeper and deeper
: o the woods where knew perfectly
r fell was insane to venture alone at
n his hour of the night. At last ]
lnered in the moonlight.
y Its lovely. Lovely !" I cried
hloud. eff only Jim were here"
n'hna n lao.L.I
dissusted with the lack Of pride that
impelled me confess husband to
whom ] have become such a matter of
indifference.
Il wonder IL there Is any hurt more
terrible than that husband inflicts
on his wife when he let's her see that
she doesn't thrill him any more, L
thought bitterly. why doesn't Jim
care a little? Am / growing so old
and unattractive that he just takes
me for granted and never feels the
magic yearning he used TO know"
Il won't 90 back thought. I'm
let him miss me-or see il he does.
III stay here all night and see if he is
frightened"
So l sat down and gazed sadly at
the river, refusing to see how silly 1
was and what tragedy l was making
of nothing. 1t did not occur to me to
be afraid. to consider the fact that it
was 0 o'clock at night and that / was
two miles from home, with dark coun-
try roads and leafy woods between
me and the warmth and light Of my
own fireside.
/ sat there, lost TO thought. I be-
gan to wonder IL romance always dies
like this--without a mans knowing
of its departure or missing it, and
with a woman feeling as if she were
being nailed into her coffin and DOOM
ed TO living death. i was so lost
in thoughts of how cruel IL is for a
woman to find that she has lost all
power to thrill her husband by a word
or touch or caress, that did not
notice the way the silver of the moon
was fading from the river. When at
last j did observe that the wake of
light was gone told myself:
THE moon has set. You must have
been here an hour, at least. He doesn't
even miss you"
II grew darker. Suddenly there was
a stir and murmur among the leaves.
"A wildcat !" 1 told myself in terror
that did not take into consideration
the fact that none has been seen here
abouts for years.
There was a peculiar moan. Il
crouched down in terror. Then real
lied that hoot-owl was'calling. Again
the leaves stirred, and then a cold
puff of wind famed my cheek. In
another moment drop of rain fell on
my nose.
1t was raining. I got up and be-
gan to run. Presently / found my
self deep in the woods. / had not
crossed back across the main road go
! knew was not anywhere near The
Bircbes or The Hedgerow or Tara
sov's shack.
'I'll probably catch my death of
cold" i thought. Jim will bc sorry
them
Tears Of self pity began to run
down my face as stumbled on in the
dreDching rain.
Maybe Jim won't even miss me.
Maybe he thinks I've gone to bed. He
won't look for me. may be out here
all night. I'll get frightful cold if
nothing worse happens"
/ shivered with fear and cold and
misery. Then my foot caught in some
thing. ] plunged forward. Something
struck my head fierce blow, and
fheu darkness shut doun over mo