The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-08-17

English replicas or in Oxford Hall, the
only apartment house permitted in the
restricted suburb, things wouldn't be
right. Shed be only a widow and a
widow IN her set had practically no
social standing. In Oxford Gardens
you were invited out in couples-with
n maj the most valuable half. A
bachelor or a widower didn't have such
a hard time Of it but a woman alone
was pretty much out of thing+invit-
ed to a dinner or a bridge party at the
last minute to fill in but never exactly
In demand or wholly desirable.
lift anything happened to George,
that would be different. A little diff
ferent, anyhow. She'd be lonely but at
least Lois wouldn't have him. For a
brief moment there played through Ro-
put 1t aside. Not because she wa
afraid. She didn't know how to 60
about it. She'd get found out-there
would be awful things in the paper.
They'd put her through a third degree.
There would be a terrible trial. The
electric chairl
She suffered, in one brief moment, all
Of the horrors Of q murderer, came to
herself with a little shudder. Anyhow,
she didn't want George to die. She
She wanted George to ive-and with
her. Happily with her, If it were pos
sible.
ALI Of the stories she had read about
how women kept their husbands, or got
their husbands back after they had
wandered away, went through her
mind. How did you really get your
husband back, ono he had gone? The
fiction versions were too unbelievably
simple. But there must be somethingl
A sort of an unhappy nervous frenzy
came down " Roberta. She didn't
want to lose Georgel Every minute, no
matter what she vas doing, the emo
ton would surge over her. Lois and
George!
There were three bedrooms in the
pretty little Oxford Gardens home. The
largest, with its four poster twin maple
beds, was, Of course, the room George
and Roberta occupied. The maid &C.
cupied the smallest bedroom and the
third bedroom, furnished in green ena-
mel and rather fussy accessories, was
the guest DON
The guest room was seldom occupied.
Usually it was empty and in apple pie
perfection, save for a thin layer of dust,
the kind Of clean dust that settles over
a room that is cared for but not lived
in.
Roberta decided to move into the
guest ROOM. She could not possibly
keep on sharing the o with George.
She couldn't put it into words. It
was a grown-up Interpretation of the
childish II won't go where I'm not
wanted" yet she felt she was not want
ed In the house at al-and she hadn't
the slightest intention in the world of
leaving.
She was afraid George would de-
mand an explanation. She hadn't ever
slept in the guest room except one time
when she had had a cold which left
her with an annoying cough and she
didn't want to keep George awake.
Now she thought it over and decid-
ed to have insomnia. It was hard for
Roberta to have insomnia. She was the
sort who fell asleep the minute her
head touched the pillow. It was almost
agony for her to stay awake once she
was in bed. She got sleepy far too cas-
ily-when they went out to dinner and
she should have been gay and animated.
Now she forced herself to lie awake
in bed until after she heard Georges
regular breathing and she was sure he
was asleep. She did this for half a
dozen nights. Then she announced her
plan at the breakfast table.
Darling" she said, 1--WE been lying
awake for hours after you're asleep.
And I wake up at unearthly times. -Four
In the morning! And can't get to sleep
again. I think I'll have Annie move
my things into the guest room. II I'm
awake I an turn on the light In there
and read without disturbing you"
She watched Georges face.
THAT sounds like q sensible plan"
he said with no expression at all as he
piled marmalade on another piece Of
toast.
I'm sorry you're not sleeping well"
he added, c~ourteously.
O, he didn't care! He didn't care!
He didn't care!
and plate and cup and saucer all at
his smooth and pleasant face.
Il know you're in love with another
woman!" she wanted to tell him. "You
don't love me! You love her! You
are seeing her all the timeI On the
sly!"
She wished she could scream. She
wanted to stamp her foot. She smiled
calmly instead. lift she only knew
what to dol
That day she and Annie moved her
things into the guest room. She would
miss, she knew, the little intimacies Of
sharing a room with George. Those
last minute AFTERMATH" conversations,
the ~pleasantest part Of parties. But,
somehow, staying in the same room
With George "a the n thing she
couldn't do.
(To Be Continued)