New Britain herald., 1928-01-20

Some place gay ant gingham apron tied around her flat 1 oo-slender waist.
 T suppose she's pulling this homely wifey stuff on Pat---cooking his meals for him and keeping him just too comfortable!" she thought I with extreme bitterness. That would be just like the sly faced Ertz! To do all the things that Lily had never done for Pat --- the little extra things that a man likes to have done for him. i It came back to Lily that his house slippers had been placed neatly side | by side on the floor under his easy chair in the living room. and that smoking table had been pushed up 1 beside it.
 :, Shell land him, too. just by do- ing little things like that, the nasty Y, cat.:" she went on thinking, And it would be just my rotten luck if that piston ring made million dollars." l After that. for week she watched the newspapers 10 sec If anything 1 further was written about Pat and his ring. But she saw nothing--and she began to do her best to put him and 1t and The Erz out of her mind.
 She tried to fix her mind on Stalcy Drummond.
 She tried to do what many and many women has tried to do without success--to fall in love with Staley. She tried desperately. but without success---not knowing that Love is as perverse and contrary as a high spirited horse. and runs away when you try to make it so in any dircc- ton that 1t does not want to go.
 Staley certainly gave her every chance 10 fall In love with him. just as he always had.
 He was at the Montpelier Road house morning, noon and night: and when he wasn't there. himself. his love offerings of books and flowers and magazines and candy were. He even made Mir. Lexington some kind of loan, Lily found out from her mother.
 Well, we won't have to leave the house. after all." she announced one
 morning as she and Lily sat having morning coffee together in the dim ing.room that was beginning to look rather dingy from lack of care.
 "staley pointed out to us the other
 night that if we did most of our
 own work it wouldn't cost us much
 more to live here in this place that
 we own than it would be to move into a little flat where we'd have to
 pay rent" she explained. And. of
 course. your father is making money right along. and gradually things
 will get better with us. It's just
 that he's been sick so long and we've let the bills pile up" She shook her head rather despairingly. It was none too pleas sant for her , . to have 10 pitch in and do her own
 homework after ali these years of
 comfort and luxury when no one fin
 the family had really worked except poor Mir. Lexington whose nose had
 certainly polished th" grindstonc ever since the day of his wedding ''Staley let your father have some 7 money, think" she said, giving |, Lily sharp glance. You know how
 proud your father Is, and how he , wouldn't ask anyone a favor--but. n of course, thie was different. with :, things the way they are between you
 and staley."
 Lily looked up. her eyes dark
 gray under the mass of her light :. hair that was like the yellowest gold in the February sunshine that flood
 ed the dining room.
 |, How do you think things are be- , tween me and Staley. mother?" she
 asked. Do you think I'm in love :, with him ?'
 Love was thing that Mrs. Lex
 ington hardly ever talked about. She !, left all that sort of sentimental non e s"nse to the spring poets and The q flappers with their sheiks all. their il parked automobiles. so e,,. often
 said with whitening scorn. She had r, found out that there were many
 more important things in the world 2 than love. There was social stand x ing, for instance. the most important i. thing Of all to Mrs. Lexington. Ther f there was comfort. and plenty Of it V And money.
 z. But romantic loye--Nell, that wa. -r the frosting on the cake, the whip r. ped cream on the pudding. Al - added touch-but not really neces D sary.
 F. Why, I don't know. my dea
 child.' she answered Lily's question ,s but Staley is certainly the perso, ,r for you. l know THAT, beyond al ,e doubt"
 Lily's lovely hands with thei h nails of coral Ia cauer pointed thei ,r tips over her coffee cup. Her eye z cio1'led.
 2 "11e wants me 10 get divorc