New Britain herald., 1928-01-04

It Represented About F Thoughtful of them to send it. wasn't it?"
 He stared at her, plainly puzzled. T think it was nice of them to send it," he said. They know you have to do your own washing" "Oh. they do. do they?" asked Lily, fine scorn in her voice and her eyes. Well. what would you say if told you that I'd made up my l.lind not to do 1t any more at all? What would you say then?" For some reason 1t maddened her to hear Pat talk about her doing her 1 own washing in that calm way
 just as if there were nothing more
 to . days washing than there was to lighting cigaret or sticking a stamp on an envelope. Didn't
 he realize how she slaved every
 Monday with tubs, and soap and washboard?
 Suddenly she made up her mind l not to use that washing machine. This was the time to put her foot
 down and refuse to have anything to do with ft-to have anything further to do with washtubs and wringers. I'm not going to do any washings
 from now on. Pat" She gave him 1 the news very quietly. When I've
 reached the pont where people are so sorry for me that they start giv- ing me labor-saving devices it's time | l turned over a new leaf. .. ,.
 Look at those hands! They look like a day-laborer's hands! Look, at
 them!" & She held them out for him to see. You ought to be ashamed of your
 self to let me have hands like ! those!" she raved. "If you were any
 kind of a husband you'd hire a laundress for me, Patrick France. Instead of that you encourage your family to give me a washing ma chine for wedding present." T didn't know anything about the thing" Pat declared. He tried to take her in his arms as she brushed past him on her way to the bed- room.
 But she jerked herself away from him and stood before her mirror with her hands spread out upon tho i top of her dressing table. What
 was it Staley had said? Some
 how, l never can think of you as
 having to work, Lily. I'd have 1 taken care of you. never should have let you marry anyone
 but me"
 "He still loves me-" she thought,
 her serious eyes fixed on her lovely
 image in the mirror. Hes sorry for
 me because I have to slave the way
 I do-and all Pat thinks of is hay
 ing supper on time and getting his
 overalls washed once a week" ! In other words. she had become a
 household drudge for Pat. while for
 staley she was still a very beautiful
 girl who ought to have married him
 and let him take care of her forever
 after.
 He would have taken care of me,
 too." she said to herself. and as she
 switched on the lights in the dining
 room and set the platter of broiled
 chops on 1t. she had a swift vision
 of Staley Drummond's table, with its tall candles, its flowers and the old colored butler lowering over it
 in his white linen coat. Life
 would have been entrancing in staley's luxurious house, after all. And after supper, while she scraped cold grease from the plates and enptied the garbage into the pail at the back door, she thought of the way coffee was always served
 in the living room after dinner in staley's perfectly ordered house. T may as well face the fact-Y
 made a mistake when l married" she decided. scrubbing out the sink afterward. T still love Pat, but i Mother and Sue were right. There's q lot more to married life than just
 love. Love is nothing compared | to comfort and good time" Tired and aching to the very '''eDA "" 1A Ai'i Douts, S1lG went straight to bed as soon as the dishes
 were put away and cried herself to sleep while Pat sat at the sitting
 room table, drawing pictures of his
 new piston ring.
 I The next morning at ten o'clock the door bell rang. And when Iily ! flew to answer 1t a delivery boy came toiling up the steps with a big | pasteboard box in his arms. Mrs. Lily L. France?" he asked. ! and as Lily nodded he laid the pack
 age on the floor at her feet and ran l down the stairs again.
 There was d red-and- white label pasted across the top of the box with the words: Reliable Pharm- acy' printed Npon it. They had q familiar look, and it was while Lucy
 vas opening the box that she re- memhered that Staley owned some stock in drug store called the Re liable"
 The box was filled with tissue 1 paper wrapped parcels-pink, clover bath salts in a big glass bottle. dust | ing powder liuuid soap two iars of