Evening star., 1927-05-30


penny in the slot Of some
weighing machine and stood by, eye-
ing the result proudly.
IA woman's the better for a little
meat on her bones" he would tell
her. 1T shows somebody's looking
after her"
And she no longer clenched her left
hand for fear somebody would see
her SCARED forefinger. open it out"
said lordly James. ''It's only lazy
hands that people have right to be
ashamed. of. Only" and here his
voice would soften-"only I wish the
blisters were on mine, not on yours,
my girl"
He always called her his girl, and,
In his eyes, Margaret really was a
girl; he had never quite gotten over
his astonishment at the depths of
her ignorance in some matters.
Well, I'm darned," he would say.
Didn't they ever tell you anything
at alp"
''They," in his mind, were Mar
garet's family, and less Immediately
that terra incognita of aristocracy
abducted her. Certainly put one
over on them," was his manner of
referring to that abduction.
There were good many things
we were taught not to discuss" she
would say, coloring family. "It wasn't
considered ladylike.''
We'll, you can't be a real honest.
to,John woman and be their kind of
lady. at the same time" he would
retort. and chuckle a bit.
Undoubtedly he was a vulgar little
man, but he was honest, good
humored and sturdily independent.
stand on my own feet" was one
OF his commonest expressions. Oddly
enough, Margaret not only did not
resent his vulgarity; she seemed, in
deed, rather to like 1t. It was, per-
haps, her idea OF a gesture toward
truth, after a lifetime Of polite eva.
sions.
And probably 1t was. James hon.
esty was his outstanding quality; he
had tremendous pride in it,
"You can tell them" he had said,
during the strange days of their
courtship, that I'm no great shakes
as to money or. position, but you
can tell 'em for me that I'm honest
And that's more than they can say"
Which was, by the way, the only
reference he had ever made to Mar
garet concerning the presence Of her
brother-in-law in the penitentiary.
They lived very simply. They had
three rooms, bath and a kitchen
ette, and Margaret never got over
she let the tub fill with hot water;
taking a bath Eat home" as she
still called the Bayne house, had re-
quired deliberation and preparation.
The furniture had come from 'the
store" at discount, and in the eve-
nings, after her bath, Margaret
would put on a bright pink kimono
and sit in front of her shiny dressing
table and brush the long, heavy hair
which was her only beauty.
James would be reading the paper
In the living room, and the odor Of
his cigar would come in through the
doorway. 1t still seemed incredible
that a man-her man-was in the
next room, with the door open be-
tween.
Sometimes he would call in. He
had taken to reading the society news.
Il see your cousins. the Sam Par.
kers, are going abroad"
Really! They're leaving the chill.
dren with the governess, dare say"
Mrs. willoughby-Jones is giving a
luncheon, Margaret. Ask you?"
NO. Why on earth should she?"
"Well, why shouldn't she?" he
good as anybody she'd have there"
And Margaret would smile at his
belligerent tone.
On the day Holly's engagement
was announced in the papers. James
took one with him to the store and
showed it around proudly.
Seen this, Smith," he would say.
My wife's niece. She's marrying
young Brooks; father was Schuyler
Brooks, you know"
To which the department respond.
ed in kind. Smith. or Jones. would
call James and show him a table
cloth.
See this tablecloth, Cox?" he
would say. Just sold it to young
Mrs. Maginnis; mother was a Flah-
erty, you know"
And James took his ragging cheer.
fully.
He adored Margaret. Beyond his
wife, his home and his department in
the store he had no life, and wished
none. He liked his world to be
within the reach Of his arms.
1t was to this humble terrain, then,
that the battle of the Bayne pride
was to shift, and that right speedily
They had come in from the movies
and Margaret was in front Of her
toilet table. She looked up. and James
was in the doorway with the news.
paper in his hand.
See here" he said, did you know
that there was a move on to get
Tom Bayne out Of the pen?"
my goodness. no!''
"Well, there is. Or was"
They're not going to let him
out?"
The pardon's granted. Kidneys
gone wrong, or something. Say he's
dying man."
"Oh. James, she walled, "What