New Britain herald., 1926-06-23

ett's waiting arms. She stood for a
 moment looking down at it, her
 lips working, and slow, agonized tears dropping from her eyes.
 Then she turnci and before Ran.
 ny could stop her. she was gone.
 She snatched down her old coat i from the hall tree as she went out
 She didn't hear his frightened voice
 calling 10 her as she ran down the
 stairs and out into the gray after noon. He came after her and caught | her by the arm, but she pushed him away as if he had been a stranger or an enemy.
 1 She never remembered her walk ! through the cold, wet streets. i She never knew how many peo- { pie turned and looked with puzzled eyes at her haggard face, as she went along the familiar ways to Bleak street.
 She rang the bell of the tall mar row house. Rang it and rang it until she remembered that Aunt Agony had gone downtown that afternoon for some more little blankets for the baby.
 He would not need them now, the tiny thing.
 My baby's gone. My little. little baby" she said aloud, as she walked slowly around to the back of the old house and sank down on the kitch- on steps where no one could see her as she cried out her loneliness and her heartbreak, where no one could find her and take her back to The Nest.
 She knew she was never going back 10 The Nest.
 There was nothing 10 go back to now.
 The next few weeks were any thing but pleasant for Fanny Phelps.
 For one thing he missed his son, The baby that he had scarcely mo- ticod except when it cried. had meant moie to him than he realized until now.
 For another thing, his wife. Syl- via. would not see him.
 She would not see anybody, for for that matter. except Aunt Agony and Dr. Buzzard
 She lay pitifully weak and silent and indifferent 10 everything in her old bedroom at the top of the Bleak street house. Sometimes she broke into fits of wild and terrible weep ing, and when Aunt Agony tried to comfort her she pushed her away.
 Don't bother with me-" she would sob, you can't do me any good, anyway. No one can give mo back my baby"
 Dr. Bnzzard shook his wise old head over her. and said that the only thing 10 do was to let her alone, as she asked.
 Ranny called at the house every day or two, but Sylvia wouldn't see him.
 "l never heard O. anything SO ab- surd,' Mother Phelps remarked acid ly, when she came home from her iF NlN II lS'lllllN o lctl It'lt anu IltdGu the news. "The idea of woman re- fusing 10 sec her own husbandl She must be out of her mind."
 But out of her mind or not, Syl- via had no wish 10 see her husband. She wanted only to be let alone just as she and the baby had been alone. shut away in The Nest, for so many months.
 "No wonder she doesn't want to see the place again." Aunt Agony 5niffed ali Mother Phelps one after noon early in January. its been a prison for her."
 They had waited a month for Svl- via 10 come to her senses. and re- turn to Rauny and The Nest. But they had finally made mp their minds that she meant what she said, when she refused ever 10 set foot in il again.
 So here they were, packing up the painted furniture and the old Stein way piano, and the little crib where he baby had died. and sending them way 10 the storage warehouse, until Sylvia should want them again.
 If she ever does.' Aunt Agony ldded grimly. She didn't think that Sylvia would ever live with Fanny again.
 'Why would she want to live with oim?" she asked Mother Phelps, as hey unscreWcd the legs from the lining room table. You may be his mother. but I'm goingto tell you hing or two about him. just the ;amc,"
 And tell her she did. She let her nave it straight from the shoulder. oo.
 Hes been running around with | his girl and that ever since he mar jed Sylvia" she snapped, with a rigorous nod of her gray head. Now, her, what do you think of that?"
 "I cant believe it." Mother Phelps declared, dazcd.
 She really couldn't believe that Fanny would be untrue to his wife, either. He might be irresponsible md selfish and neglectful of Sylvia, put that q son of hers should be un- 'aithful to his wife, oh, no! It wasn't rue! It couldn't be true.
 Aunt Agony shrugged her thin shoulders.
 "Oh, well, believe it or not. it's rue, just the same" she said dryly. ! You wondered why Sylyia's | through with Ranny anI I'm trying 0 tell you!"
 As q matter of fact. Sylvia had sever told anyone that she was trough with Ranny,
 What had happened was that they III took it for granted that she was trough with him forever.
 That is everybody but Fanny