The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-05-18
~. NJ. SERVICE.

Her cheeks were flushed and
Larry's were dead white.
mo need to go into detail. It
wasn't very pleasant. | didn't re-
gard myself as his wife and told
him so. He was rather nasty about
it. One thing led to another !.
and then we had our first quarrel"
She gave short, bitter laugh. .One
can find out good many things
about man when he is thor
Oughly angry. I found out about
Pat Thayer then. Before we had
finished 1 told him that he might
have saved himself the trouble of
going through with marriage GER
emony I told him / intended to get
a divorce Immediately, and then,
Larry, was when the cloven hoof be-
came Enthusiastically visible.
HE refused to consider a divorce.
l had married him with my eyes
open. He didn't intend that should
have any grounds for divorce. And
If l cared to bring action, he'd fight
it in such a way that the Marland
campus would become thoroughly
uncomfortable place.
81 hated that idea, Larry. love
Marland. wanted my degree from
here. ! stalled him off and was sur
prised that he seemed content to
wait. Then-one day-he came to
me and asked the loan Of a large
sum of money!
"Good Lord You don't mean. :"
Precisely. Blackmail. I refused
and he threatened to spread around
the campus the story / had been
trying to keep secret. No divorce,
mind you; no annulment. He in
tended to insinuate -. to let
the student body form its own opin-
ions. called him a blackmailer,
and he .cheerfully admitted that he
was. He said I'd never miss the
amount he wished to borrow--which
was true land, anyway, loaned it
to him. In the months that fol
lowed ! loaned him more money
Larry just to keep his filthy mouth
shut. And it isn't the amount. But
it was terrible to feel that l was
being bled by a man whose name
l legally bore. Time after time de.
termined to end it by suing for an
annulment. Then I'd think about
the embarrassment of staying on at
Marland after the gossip became
general-and l wasn't brave enough.
1t was my plan to wait until after
had my degree then to. end
the affair legally" She paused for
moment, then turned impulsively
toward the young man. 81 wonder
If you understands"
"Of course l do, dear"
"And' you think / was cowardly?'
"Not a bit. think you've been
rather fine about it."
She noticed his manner Of talk.
ing: there was nothing soft or gen.
tie in his voice. It was obvious that
he was making distinct effort to
keep himself under control.
She was surprised. 1t was the
first time in four years she had
known him that she had ever seen
him gripped by anger. There was
something primitive In the ugly set
of his lips and the blue of his eyes
had changed to an Icy gray.
i've kept pretty quiet, Tony" he
said, choosing his words with
meticulOus care. "At first l was all
with Pat. Goodness knows I'd be
the last one to blame him for want
ing to marry you. l even"-he
hesitated for the briefest fraction
of an instant, and his cheeks
flushed-T even didn't blame him
when you told me that he wasn't
awfully keen about keeping his part
of the bargain about
about waiting until summer for a
honeymoon.
"But the rest of It. It's
pretty rotten. That any man should
have married you because you have
a little money; that he should have
blackmailed you for two years that
he should have been-well nasty in
his attitude toward you. That hits
me pretty hard. Tony; perhaps be
cause care for you SO much.
"Then there's Ivy. was fair to
him about that. Ivy's a nice kid.
and pretty even if she is my sis
ter. If he wanted to fiirt with her
that was their business. But If
he's married man--and that kind
of man !. He rose abrupt.
~. I'm going to have a pretty
straight talk with Mr.. Paterson
Thayer. A pretty DIN straight
talk"
"Now She was on her feet and
her hand was on his arm. This new
Larry frightened her.
"Can't you see that you mustn't
clash with Pat? He'd be liable to
get nasty and spread the story. You
mustn't go near him now"
"I've got to. Leave yourself out
of it if you wish. I've got to con-
slider Ivy. His affair with her can t
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