Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-09-06

~ 1ta AAAN1io ~ Gtt tHClH1 aEi
laid out Ii was Enid Cunningham
who. drawn Immediately to the
string OF pearls, had read the card
and cried out incredulously. Look,
even her husband has remembered
her birthday, II seems" Lunch at
the Ritz, dinner at Pierre's, a box
party at the ~opera-the event had
been celebrated as well as IL de.
served. But Hobart, who had given
his wife that string, had gone out
of town to play golf.
This was Lilllan's fifth birthday
as Mrs. Curtis Hobart. But be-
cause of something quite uninten
tional, perhaps, In the tail of Ends
remark, she found herself looking
at life through a window the exist.
ence of which came as a great sur
prise. She was painfully aware of
something In Ii that tugged at the
strings of her heart. She found
herself saying. This is not life. |
am not living. | am only pretend.
Ing to live" She heard her so-called
husband as he came up to 60 to his
room. A thousand times she had
heard the same footsteps at the
same hour and LET them pass her
door. But without knowing why she
slipped into a ~peignoir, went N
and said. Hello"
Curtis was still In golf clothes
Ills face had caught the sun. Good
morning and good night he said.
Have you hal a good time todayl"
Wonderful. Come and look at my
presents g%littering In the light"
He did so, uncomfortable con.
scious of the fact that he was q
trespasser In that room. "Oulte q
show" he said.
Something from every one. And
even my husband remembered my
birthday, 1t seems.
He nodded, smiled and went out.
Curtis hasitated next morning
outside the door OF her bedroom
on his way downstairs. This girl
whom he had married for love had
not married but had been married
to him. Her brilliant and schemlng
mother had brought that deed
about.
He felt an urge to go In. That
wonderful DOR was empty, but
through the open windows came the
rustic of young leaves. Spring had
come to town. A well-bound book
was open addressed to himself. He
picked this up with q greedy hand
as his eye caught some writing on
the margin of the book. The words,
1.-THE Key to Paradise" had been
underlined and against them had
been written "A child, boy or girl"
He drew the letter from the enve-
lope as something touched his
heart.
In the garden alive with flowers
there stood Lillian. Then she saw n
man come out of the kitchen carry
Ing a tray-a man with a smile on
his %sun-tanned face. His golf
clothes smelled of grass and tobac.
co so that her mind turned back to
the previous night and the words
outside her door.
but wish to be Alone" she
said.
You will be alone" he said. 1--WE
sent the servants away. You and |
r going to see what the simple
life win do"
But this was hopelessly wrong
r1e wanted to be quiet, to think,
and here was the very man whom
she didn't want TO see. She found
herself In a panic and turned TO
ward the door.
He blocked the way with a quick
movement and his face was boyish
and grave. please don't CO." be
said. Lets look life In the face. /
will be your servant"
She stared at her husband.
And so they had tea together as
though they had really been mar
ried those wasted years ago. The
light had almost gone and Curtis
sprang to his feet. "Good Lord" he
said, there's dinner" and went out
with a rush. And she, too, said.
"Good Lord" and followed him into
the kitchen
She had never supposed that any
thing funny could enter into this.
But when she caught sight of Cur
tbs, the finished man of the world
peeling potatoes In his shirt-sleeves
with the concentration of one who
was engaged on a work of art, her
laughter rang through the room
Give me that thing" she said, and
took the pan and the knife. Peeling
potatoes was a woman's job.
He gazed at this girl for q mo
ment with something new In his
eyes. 1t might perhaps have been
hope.
And 30 day after day this pa
thetic week went merrily by.
She asked two questions when
that week had come to an end. @Was
the Key to Paradise any carer to
her hand? Was she going back any
nearer to the fulfllment of the mis-
sion she knew to be lifeT She
looked at the man whose chivalry