Evening star., 1926-06-06


| liveries, the remoteness from city
| luxuries. Gale went through all the
| Jokes. She missed her trains and
stood wearily waiting for others,
while she wondered if the twins were
| hungry, and II the occasional woman
helper would want pay for an extra
hour. She knew all about bad de
| liveries, but they never seemed funny
| to her. AS for the remoteness. there
| were nights during the first Winter
when Bill was away or remained in
| town rather late, and Gale stayed
alone. and was frightened-afraid OF
nothing but her own fear.
She tried to tell Bill about 1t once.
| and he laughed and asked her what
, she could possibly he afraid of.
| NO one wants to murder us and
| we've nothing to steal" he said COM
| fortably, and kissed her and laughed
at her.
| The only things that really amused
| Gale We're her twins. They were her
| only cause for laughter. With them
she always felt her spirits rise. but
when they were asleep and she was
alone with housework and bills and
y
| So very sober that Bill. not knowing
| quite how frequently he did it, stayed
| in town oftener and oftener and came
| out on the late train. There was no
| use in coming out and then going
| back. as he told Gale, and she. rea-
| sonably. had to agree with him on
| that. He had a new line OF work
now which he felt sure was bound to
bring in more money. In the mean
time. Gales tiny income took care OF
the monthly payments on the house
and Bill paid the monthly bills when
he got around to it.
X ** X
iONE Sunday night Norma came
" out for dinner. She rarely came,
| for the suburb was distant and the
| twins were noisy. Besides, she saw
| Bill in town. He went to the Pedlers
| for supper now and then. They
| talked, Norma and Bill, of many
things and among them of party
| Norma had attended during the week.
Bill, it appeared, had also been there:
How did you like Hazel?" asked
| Norma.
Handsome, isn't she? And rather
clever" said Bill. We had a great
time together"
"She said she was crazy about you,"
| Norma told him. II said you were
safely married and locked in by twins
and she sent her sympathies."
Gale flushed. She felt hot re
sentiment steam up all through her
and settled in round ball in her
| throat.
who's HaZel?" she asked.
"A friend of Penelope's," said
Norma. awfully nice GIRL good-looking
| vamp.'
Il don't see why she pities Bill for
being married" said Gale.
That's a joke
"It shouldn't be a joke
They both laughed. the brother and
sister.
"Tell her when you see her Wed
nesday." said Norma, that your
wife doesn't approve of jokes about
Where are you going Wednesdays
"Oh, | meant to tell YOU I'm hav-
ing a party" answered Norma. "Will
you come in and bring me some of
your napkins? Nothing's clean at
our house, I suppose. I forgot to
look them over
"I never can go out Wednesday
night" said Gale; that's Mrs. Casey's
lodge night. She can't come to look
after the twins"
Mrs. Casey's lodge night struck
Bill as being very funny. While he
was laughing Gale wondered some
what grimly If he would go without
her on Wednesday.
But before Wednesday other things
went under the bridge. One Of them
was Bills job. He had been adver-
tising manager for firm which sud
denly stopped paying salaries. Gale
looked horrified when he told her.
please, Gale, don't be SO serious.
| Nobodys dead. YOU know"
But you won't get your salary
these last two weeks"
"Oh, well, I'll land something better.
I've an idea."
''Ideas!" said his wife scornfully.
"Can we live on ideas?"
Bill got a little angry.
What do you mean by that?"
Cant you decide what you're 60
ing to do and stick to it? My father
had one position for 20 years.
Bill laughed. He couldn't help it,
But Gales head went very high at
that. When he tried to make it up
with her she was unresponsive. That
| was on Tuesday and on Wednesday
Bill did not go to the city until after
noon. In the morning he PLAYED with
the twins, rather disturbing their
routine. Then he read the papers and
finally after lunch drifted UP to the
city. Gale wondered H he had for
gotten Norma's party. She had not.
Just before dinner Bill telephoned
4 that IL she didn't mind he'd stay in.
Norma wanted him badly-needed an
extra man. He thought he'd stay in
town till the late train
Every WE'LL" said Gale and hung
up. Bill wondered at her brevity,
then took 1t for what it was. There
was a cartoon in the evening paper
of the same thing-a wife getting
sore because her husband stayed in
town. He went to Norma's. played
with Hazel Dewitt and didn't realize
that it was too late for the last train
until 1t had been gone an hour. He
meant to call up Gale, but, as Norma
said, she would know what had hap
pened: and his head being weary with
excitement and stimulant when the
party broke up at o'clock, he for
got to call his wife. tumbling into bed
instead, in his old room.
* X y X
TN her little house with the twins
Gale waited. There was no eve
ming paper to remind her with its car
toons of how very funny the situation
was. 1t was storming outside: March
winds and rain were doing their best
to make the little house ghostly. The
clock tortured her with its remainder.
shA Mas afraid thai - Fa'lla pszen