Evening star., 1926-12-26
By Floyd Bell
What Happened When Barbara Hunted Freedom and Job.

Casey represented, as she realized, the
world. Nobody would understand any
better than Mrs. Casey. But she held
her head defiantly erect and thought:
I've got a right to be myself. That
comes first of all. And If marriage
prevents that. it's wrong. People can
think what they like. They're all un-
der the matrimonial illusion I've
been. for nearly five years. Now I've
got over it, and l. going to stay over
it. I can't help it if Henry's heart
breaks. Mine will break, too, I ex-
pect 1t won't be easy. But I'm going
to go through with it. Only--how did
it happen?"
She tried to puzzle that out. 1T
wasn't his fault any more than it was
mine. We drifted into it. | stopped
being myself just to please him." And
then she paused to wonder: why
didn't he stop being himself just to
please me?" And the answer came.
Men just don't, that's all"
She thought again: Il gave up my
job and moved with him to that little
New Jersey suburb. Why? Because
we were married, and married people
want to- live together, But my job
was in New York. Why didn't he
give up his job and the chance of pro-
motion and stay with me?" And the
answer came, I'D have despised him
If he had!'
Yes, it was true: he cared about his
work more than about love: and that
was why she loved him. But she had
cared about him more than about her
work; and that was why she despised
herself. But he hadn't despised her
for being that way. He hadn't minded
her changing from what she had been
to just a woman who sewed on his
buttons. No, he liked 1t. And that
was why she hated him.
But. after. all. 1t was her own look
out. 1t was too easy to blame some
one else for what happened to one
self. He had kept on doing what he
wanted to do; and she had stopped.
She had stopped to help him. Be
cause she loved him. Doubtless that
was the reason. But why had she
loved him? Perhaps because he
needed her help! That was so absurd
that it might we'll be the truth, she
reflected.
And she grew angry. Must women
be like that? Must they care so lit
tie for their work and so much for
some man? If 1t was splendid in
man to care greatly for his work,
why shouldn't 1t be splendid in
woman?
She turned again to her typewriter,
fiercely. -. But she had moth.
ing to write.
She looked about for a stray news
paper. But there was none, and she
opened the door to go out. In the
hall, her foot struck against some
thing on the floor. She picked it up.
and then remembered that 1t was the
parcel she had seen in her room. 1t
was loosely wrapped. and felt like q
book. She took it back into her room
and unwra pped It. A pink-coVered
book-"The Concise oxford Diction-
ary."
words" she said. Just what I
want"' And she sat down and copied
out: A, an, aard-vark, Aaron's beard.
Aaron's rod, aback. abacus, Abaddon,
abaft until both sides of her
sheet of paper were covered with
words. And then, feeling hungry. and
discovering from her watch that it
was halfway through the afternoon,
she went out to get something to eat.
a S she went out, a man came in:
n and she particularly noted him.
because he looked as though he might
be younger brother to Henry
She realized that she had
not thought of Henry for a whole
hour, while. she was copying those
silly lovely words on paper
She did not want to go to one of
the village restaurants. because she
might meet some one she knew; and
she did not want to have to explain
yet. She would have a delicatessen
lunch in her own room.
She bought slices of meat and bread.
butter, pickles, coffee, sugar, cream.
and a cheap alcohol cooking outfit to
make the coffee on.
When she opened her door, she
thought it was Henry sitting there
waiting for her. But no, it wasn't
Henry-it was that boy who might
have been his younger brother. whom
she had seen entering the house.