Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-12-02
The
Other Man
By Ruby M. Ayers
Second Installment

Pauline hung up the receiver
slowly and turned away from the
telephone.
Dennis isn't coming home till
late" she said.
Barbara S.ark blew a cl. I'd of
cigarette smoke into the air, turn
ed a page of the magazine she was
reading, then glanced up.
"Oh! Business?" she asked cas-
ually.
"He didn't say"
There was a little silence. Paul
inc went back to her chair and
took up the work she had been
engaged upon so happily a mo-
ment ago.
81 should give that up if l were
you," Barbara said in her lazy,
musical vice. "How long have
you been at it,"
Ever since l was engaged"
Pauline spread the cloth across her
knee and regarded it critically.
Time flies, doesn't it? You've
been married-how long?-Six
months?" asked Barbara, musing-
ly.
NEARLY" Pauline's blue eyes
sought her friends face rather
sombrely. cit seems longer-some-
times" she admitted.
Barbara laughed. "Not very
complimentary to Dennis"
Dennis is a darling."' Pauline
gathered up the elaborate cloth.
"He's a perfect darling," she said,
with enthusiasm. -
Barbara stiaed another yawn
and turned another page of the
magazine.
And they lived happily ever
AFTER" she quoted rather cynical
ly. Pauline leaned forward, her
chin resting in the cup of her
hand.
81 want to ask you something"
she said, suddenly. MAY II"
MY lamb, why not:?" Barhara's
dark brows lifted in mild ariazc-
me,t. "What is it? l pror1ise to
answer to the best of my limited
elocuence.' Pauline slipped to her
knees beside her friend.
II think Pm just beginning to
understand hat life isn't the SIN
pie thing l thought it was" she
said slowly.
EFF it were we should find it
dull and uninteresting," Barbara
declared. "Itis the uncertainty
that keeps us going at all. What
is the important question?
Paalint looked down at her
new wedding ring and twisted it
thoughtfully; then suddenly she
raised her eyes.
"why don't you like Dennis?'
she asked.
Barbara was lighting yet anoth-
er Characterized white slender
fingers paused in their task; then
she answered evenly: "But l do
like him. I like him immensely"
Pauline shook her fair head.
tits nice of you to say SO, but
somehow I don't quite believe
you. There's a sort of feeling OF
antagonism whenever you and he
are in the same ROOM"
Barbara interrupted calmly:
isn't it rather be who doesn't
like me, don't you think? And
isn't it perhaps because l am here
that he has suddenly decided not
to come in to dinner tonight"
Pauline sat back on her heels
and looked up at her friend. She
admired Barbara immensely, and
yet nobody had ever called Barba-
ra beautiful. Striking looking
had been Dennis O'Hara's reluc-
TAM admission. 1.-THE sort of wo-
man a man looks at because he's
not quite sure what she is"
1t was a true if not very lucid
description. Barbara was tall and
slim, but she rather affected a
droop, and she had queer monde
script eyes that were sometimes
dark and sometimes pale, and a
beautiful mouth, and hair of a
real leaf brown. She wore clothes
that were like nobody else's. God
knows where she gets 'em,' Den
mis- grumbled. She seemed to be
a perpetual source of grievance to
him.
"She gets them at quite ordi-
nary shops" Pauline said, ever on
the defensive for her friend. "But
you see she designs them herself,
and she's SO original"
Barbara certainly looked orig
inal" enough now, as she stood
with one hand on her hip look
mo down at pa,,line with an in