The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-05-22

I've met such lot of them." protested Mrs O'Dare, pre- tending to brush away cobweb, avoiding the sharp eyes of the other women. T can't remember them all."
 Somehow" said Laura Briggs acidly, T doR't believe Bills ever brought her to the house. You see," she paused to give her ar- row it's full flight, you see, this ones married"
 '.M-married!" Edith O'Dare stam- , mered over this. Then she was angry. She had always tried to see the best in Laura Briggs, had stood up for her when everybody else was furious at her, but this was really too much. Her Bill-and a married woman!
 Coldly she said, q think you must be mistaken. I'm sure you must" She rose to her feet, a small. flashing guardian of her home an angry hen Lrooding over her maiigned chicks. She waited, withdrawn and a bit disdainful, for her caller to make her adieux. This Laura Briggs did rather badly. She was chagrined at the effect her news had made. What she had expected. she could not say. Tears, perhaps. Harsh words for the errant son, curiosity about the charmer, the blond siren. None of these would Mrs O'Dare accord her. Crestfallen. she withdrew.
 Left alone, the little mother stormed inwardly. Not that she believed there was a word of truth in the fantastic story. she assured herself angrily. And yet and yet Bill had been spending a great amount of tim eaway from home these days. His absences had been unexplained. Gertrude Hamp- stead had been very cool to Mrs had, in fact, looked the other way. pretending not to see.
 Bill-her boy-involved with a married woman! She groaned. Suddenly she felt little sick and faint. The heat of the day, the work she had been doing. and the bined to defeat her. She was lean ing against the door frame, look ing white and ill, when Kay breez- ed in.
 "Mums! What on earth's the matter?"
 T-it's, nothing -I I just =" She put tip her hand to her eyes. staggering in the bright kitchen.
 Kay was thoroughly frightened. ''Let me get you some water. Here, lie down on the sofa! That's bet ter" Rays face was sober now. She looked serious, responsible.
 I'm all right" Her mother sat up, setting her mouth firmly. Its only-tell me this, Kay. Is there any truth in the story about Bill and some married women?
 'Oh. gosh!' Kay groaned, turn ing away. "Who told your"
 "I don't like being kept in the dark this way" protested the mo- ther. You all know everybody in town knows, apparently = and only I am left out"
 'Monnie thought 1t would worry you," Kay explained. We would all blow over. Bill,' said Kay, has had girls before this" But never one he was so serious about, eh?"
 "No-no." Kay admitted that. q guess not. Honestly. she's not a bad sort. Mother. She was mar ried to this man when she was only 16. He's no good. hear and she's been supporting him You can't blame her for wanting a divorce"
 II can't blame her for any thing" Mrs O'Dare. said steadily. "It's only that" She could not finish the sentence. Bill, her Bill, mixed up in such an affair! She had hoped for great things for Bill, ever since he was little boy. When his father died and he had had to leave school her heart had ached for him. He was so bright, so earnest. He had a fine mind, with mechanical turn. She had wanted college for him. wanted him to forge ahead, and | now-this! He would be stamped | for life as the fellow who walked off with another mans wife" The circumstances did not matter. The bare Iacts only would be remembered.
 l she was self-controlled woman. All her children knew and ap- preciated that fact. But now her | calm almost deserted her. It had ben a hard year. Monnie's palpahle unhappiness. Rays discomfort = | these things had borne themselves l in upon her. And now this! | frNn Eeu C1nfSnnQffl