Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-11-13

~ T1.51 7775--77 5--,555 I---J--.T
/ s,.,, 1885. ~, III. ...t7....s,
/ Ruth 10 take unon, her slender shoul.
ders the entire resnonsibilities Of the
household.
For eight months, Christian Cowen
lay fiat on his back ID a rigid plaster
cast on a hospital cot. For eight
months, Rut Cowen twinkled on her
toes, 70 meet tho expenses of that
driven little household, land strangely
enough, thrived doing 1t. And so did
her baby. 1t WAS imposslpleato en-
ploy the services Of a.nrree IN tho
household, and so, 70 shef despair &C
nrsf she was obllged ~ entrust the
child TO nursing home for Infants.
But the little girl, even as her mother,
seemed to bloom and blossom under
what might normally be considered
an ADVERSE condition, and as Ruth
beh<iaSthis take place, her heart on
tnat score az least was hght witmn
her. Gad au nlaag 1 aaa hne
1t was a strenuous, nerve-racking
life, darting like frenzied messenger
OF sweetness, between the dance hall,
the nursing home and the hospital
where Christian lay strapped to MS
cot. a,
His recovery was tedious, slow and
. torturous. And yet, Ruth who how
cred so lovingly over him, did not
know the most tortuous aspect OF IT,
Lying there day after day, week
AFTER week, month after month, the
pressure OF the secret Jealousy came
to be almost unbearable to Christian
Evenings, when the ward ngnts were
low and the patients about him had
dropped on 10 their troubled sleep, ne
was forced TO lie there, visionlng huth
IN the arms OF others. II was ihpos-
sipie 10 Imagine Una. tne men who
heid her ala NOT thrill 10 her near
ness as he uiu' IL was inposs'oie "
hsht uowh the frenzy hho"ihs 'n"I
even as ne lay tnere' sie was uesir-
aDie 10 others IL maze OF hihi as
the months wore on a rretrui' nervous
irasciDle patieht' sharp WIN nus
nurses critical, even cruel IN MS
rellarAs u hu'n .
Ihere came time, however, Wheh
CHRISTIAN on crutches' was ape 70
leaVe the hospitai was even aple' oi
On evening, 70 llopple uown' wnen , us
slsteu ny nu'h' anu ST On t.e s,ue ell'A
III the uance iiaii anu "a.on ,no s'ene'
IL was MS IDEA that TINS might ease
the secret torture.
On the contrary, 1t only seemed to
indame It.. The sight OF her, tlreless,
enthusiastic, playful, even with the
burden Of her responsibilities full
upon her, actually seeming 70 dehght
In the act OF the dance, was even
more than ne could bear.
Poor Christian, In his sense OF de-
feat and in his love for this girl; and
In his fear and torment for her, he
was all warped inside, and Of that
Ruth knew nothing. She only saw
her MANNED, nervous husband through
the eyes or her desire to serve MIN
and to amellorate, II possible the
dreariness OF the semi-invalidlsm that
seemed 10 stretcn Wearily ahead'
by now, the hurting jealousy OF
CHRISTIANS began 10 take on certalh
menace lie plainly detected that In
Huths dancing there was Joy-or-llfe
There was one Spanish fellow In
particular, who used to spend his en-
tire strip Of tickets In dances with
Ruth, toward whom she seemed to lift
a face as dewy as flower. Sitting
on the sldelines with his crutches be-
side him, slow Smoldering mates began
to burn In the manned husband OF
Ruth.
The two things that Christian loved
best In life, that small, dancing mother
and the small child she had begot, were
In peril. And somehow, to the fever
ish brain OF the troubled young nus
band, the Spanish fellow who came to
the dance hall once or twice week
began to be the symbol OF that peril
One evening, there occurred In that
dance hall what seemed miracle, al
though medically, and in the colder
annals Of science, II Is known as
"trauma."
In the midst Of what was the routine
performance OF Ruth dancing around
the floor in tho arms of the young
Spaniard, Christian, unable to bear
any longer what seemed to him the
amorous clasp Of these two, jerked
himself to his feet, and forgctful OF