The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-29
RIVAL ,I;WII'V]ESI
Q 1929 n Mex SERVICE INC.

and made her double up in child
ish fit Of giggling And now-noW
CHE waited until she heard hin
- re-cnter his oTn room. ther
With great effort. Nan went about
( her own dressing for dinner. The
amber chiffon. He liked it. but why
/ try to please him nov? He Touldn
notice what she had on. His eyes
would be tuned in upon vision OF
Iris. lying in appealing helplesSness
upon hospital bed. her frag1ity
clothed in an exquisitely colored
subtIy scented negligee.
Even as her hairbrush gave
furious punctuation to her defiance
Nan knew. deep down in her heart
that if John Curtis Morgan wanted
her TO relinouish him to his frSt
wife she would do so: He would
be the last court of appeal. II ne
decided against her. there would DC
no fight lett IN her.
She did not descend the stairs
until she had heard her husband
90 down. slowly. like an old man.
r. was their custom TO assemble III
the drawing room there 10 walt Tor
Fstelles summons to the dining
room. II took all her courage to
cross the threshold, and so strong
had been her premonition OF what
she would find when she did so that
she felt no surprise, only an over
Whelming despair.
John Curtis Morgan and his son
stood before the fireplace. looking
absurdly like each other. in spite
of the difference in their sizes. Con-
sciousIy or unconsciously, Curtis had
duplicated his fathers pose-feet
planted wide apart, hands thrust
into trousers pockets, shoulders
hunched. head lowered, but eyes
raised to Iris Morgans breath
takingly beautiful portrait. How
closely kin those two werel Father
and son, by virtue Of the woman
at whose picture they gazed.
Nan was powerless to move to-
ward them. She was an interloper.
II would be indecent to intrude
upon their tragic brooding. All fight
melted out of her for the moment,
giving way to a nauseating self
hatred. If she had not "wormed
her Wav" into John Curtis Morgan's
home. into his grief, into the affec-
tons Of his son. so that marriage
with her had come to seem newt
able. he and the child would have
been free to welcome Iris home.
What did it matter that they had
been better off without her? If
they preferred sickness to health.
misery to peace, Iris to Nan,
why shouldn't they have them?
People never thanked you for doing
hings for their good.
"Oh. excuse me, Mrs. Morgan. I
didn't know you was there" Els
telle apologized as she almost
bumped into the frozen little figure
in the doorway. Dinner is served,
ma'am.'
The two before the fireplace
started. the man guilty. The Z
year-old boy stared at Nan as if
he had never seen her before, a
strange hostility in his liquid
black eyes. Mans heart con-
tracted sharply with anxiety. Did
he have fever? Why was he
staring at her like that? Had Iris
already begun to poison the child
against her? But why ask?
She had known Iris was going TO
fight her with every weapon she
could lay hands on, and of course
the child would be the most potent,
next to the terrific appeal which
she had always made to the senses
of the man she never loved and had
deserted.
"TELLO, dear" her husband
II greeted her constrainedly, as
he came forward to take her arm.
Sorry I couldn't meet you for
lunch
How did the trial progress? Any
Jurors chosen?" Nan asked, with
apparently cheerful casualness.
we went to the hospital to see
my mother" Curtis cut in, his voice