Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1934-10-06
By Elisabeth Sa,sxGy Holding

II hcue vuur room win he neat. sad
RFrs. Porter. 3 little disconnected. 'K1n
sure hen want 70 Sc t.
~weM~ said James. now long is be
going 70 szay97
-1usk TO lunch. this time
-wen, II be had an airplane he'd get
here IA about fifteen minutes. Xou can
40 shout q hundred miles an boar.
He turned back % bis writing in sais
sitting tent, and AkrG Porter stooa knr
q time, hoping be would say soznefz1ins
more
'what are you writing, dear7~ she
asked presently
20, n0thingl" said James. hastily.
@Just some writing"
she turned away then, heavy-heart-
ed
~They do-shut me out. she thought
TITS no use my trying to deny It. OF
course, I know they're fond OF me-
but some children simply adore their
mothers"
she went 70 look at her sweet peas
for suEace. They were really wonder
full those sweet peas; people passing
along the back road stopped 70 lock az
them; they were every color. dark vine
red, purple, mauve. the palest PINK
She bent over them, inhaling their
delicate fragrance, touching the fragile
petals with her finger.
I won't be silly" she told herself.
They're only children. It's not fair to
expect too much"
She returned to the house, told AM
nette that Pete would also be with them
for lunch, and then went 10 the sitting
room to begin her practicing.
She was at the piano when her hts-
band mounted the steps; the ardent
bril1iance Of q Chopin mazIrika muffled
the sound OF the doorbell, and she die
not know he had come until the piece
was finished and he spoke.
Hello, Lydial7
She turned little pale, and rose,
holding out her hand.
Hello, Stephenl" she answered.
It was strange, It was dreadful. that
at the sight OF him the happy good win
she had felt while reading his letter
should 50 utterly vanish, that she
the old. bitter things
HYou.re too damned seriousl" he mad
told her once, and she felt that be was
thinking that now. She imagined how
she must appear TO him: a slender
young woman with brown hair and
grave, gray eyes. pretty, but lacking la
style, q little colorless he had never
taken any interest in her music, her
studying; he had never attempted to-
share her love for good books, her de-
light In 8 garden
"And I did tryl" she thought. II took
an interest IN ell his business affairs.
I always welcomed his friends. / was
always willing to go to those STUPID
night clubs with him, and those tire
some, vulgar musical comedies"
She remembered her last birthday,
less than year ago. Stephen had pro-
posed taking her out to dinner and 3
play-and he had got tickets for the
show he wanted to see. It was not Of
ten she lost her temper, but that had
exasperated her too greatly, that pre-
tense that the evening was for her
pleasure.
you must have learned by this time,
now hate those revuesls she had cried.
you need something to make youf
laugh he had answered.
But he had changed the tickets, and
they had gone to see wonderful play
that had moved her TO tears At the
End of the second act she had turned,
meaning TO thank him nicely, but she
mad found him preparing TO go out.
I've got TO 60 out and have a
smoke" he had said, ~and a breath Of
'resh air-if want to keep awake tin
he end"
So IL had been In everything. And.
n April, the end Of her endurance had
'ome. A new building was going up OPP
posite the house where they lived:
when she opened the windows on the
right spring mornings there was only
he maddening noise Of riveter, dust,
.lamor, ugliness. Stephen had not car
ID how she felt about it: he had ex-
,ected her to stay there until July, and
hen go to big, noisy hotel at the sea-
ides
y can't--live this way any longer,
Stephen" she had told him one eve
ling. There's no use in our trying tol
% on
She had thought that often enough.
Iut she had not quite meant to say It