New Britain herald., 1927-12-30

They bounced upon her with sur prised squeals and shrieks when they saw her standing in the doorway of the big. luxurious room:
 Why, Lily Lexington, where did you drop from?'
 Girls, look who's here? Just LOOK"
 For goodness sake, if here isn't the runaway bride"-and so on.
 They might have failed to send her wedding gifts or to have any thing to do with her since her mar riase to Pat. But, now that she was actually among them again, they were as friendly as ever.
 Aren't you thinner than you were?' Sues cousin, Jeanne Angell asked her. and Lily laughed and told her that she certainly was.
 If you got down on your knees and scrubbed a kitchen floor and a bathroom floor every morning of your life, you'd be thinner, too," she said, and while she was saving it, she felt as if she were talking about some other woman-some other woman who had to pack Pats lYnchbox every morning who had to scrub floors and iron shirts and darn socks.
 It seemed so natural to be here with these people she had known for years. To sit at card table, hold ing hand of bridge, and nibble chocolates from little silver dish or light cigarets from a little silver al- cohol lamp beside her.
 The fall day was cold, and when the game was over the tea tables were drawn up before the wood fire and Sue poured tea and chocolate with whipped cream on the top of it. and served little cakes and sand wiches.
 "Oh, Sue, it's so heavenly to be in a place like this again.' Lily sighed to her when everyone but herself had said goodbye and gone. I'm so e'''u to SNtllls uJ tL DIX dllu "OTk- ing like q Trojan all day in that flat with not soul to talk to but the Janltress and the grocer's boy that I'd forgotten life could be easy and soft like this" She looked around the big room where the firelight shone on silver picture frames and vases of deep red roses, on brocaded chairs and tables Of inlaid wood
 In the hall a silvery-noted bell chimed five.
 Five o'clock. . Time to go home and start Pats supper. Time to peel the potatoes and put them on to boil. Time to set the table and cut the bread. Time to fill the water pitcher and put it in the icebox. Time to go back to the never-endivg round of drudgery.
 For the first time in three months Lily hated the thought of it. This little taste of luxury and pleasure had seemed to wake her up to the tact that there was nothing pleas ant in her own life but Pat.
 Her lovely eyes, fixed on the dancing yellow flames in the grate, clouded with discontent.
 Much as I love Pat" she said to herself, T hate being a poor mans wife"
 Jack and I had dinner with Staley Drummond the other night" Sue was remarking as she blew a long plume. of cigarette smoke from her lacquer-red lips. He wondered If l ever saw you.'
 Lily did not answer She had not heard Staley's name in weeks, and he was becoming simply q memory to her Some figure out of a story book, and having nothing to do with the very real problem of buying food, clothes, drugs, news papers, and moving picture show tlckets on Pats little salary.
 He asked about me" she want cd to know. "Oh. Sue, l was dread iul not 10 tell him about Pat during all that time when was engaged to hlm, wasn't IT didn't play fair with Staley.'
 No, you didn't play fair with hlm,' Sue, all frankness, answered her. "But-do you know o-I think ne SilIl cares q lot about VOL. Jack and We're talking it over the other night, and Jack thinks so, too"
 The idea that Staley might s,ill he m love with her was curiously ey- citlng to Lily. It stuck in her mind all the way home that night. She stood in the crowded street-car hanging to strap and jostled bv the homeward- bound crowds of working people, and said to herself. One Of the richest men in this town IS in love with me-and here I am without inc price of taxicab. Here l am, hanging 10 q strap. like q cash-glrl, in q fivc-and-ten cent storc."
 She was full of bitterness without knowing what she was do- lng' Sue had stirred up lot of mis- chief that afternoon by her careless remarks about staley Drummond.