Evening star., 1935-04-27
CHAPTER XVII.
HONEYMOON.
was but one smallest blot
on the blissfulnesS of the
HONEYMOON. That came toward


THERE was but one smallest blot
on the blissfulness of the
honeymoon. That came toward
L the end after the arrival of
certain Louis Bradford of
/ New York City.
1t was not because Mr.. Bradford
was SO perfectly poised and polished
and manicured or because he made
such apt remarks or wore such beauti-
fully tailored clothes or even because
his hair lay so gloriously sleek No.
1t was his lordly assurance In the
, presence Of the walters that James
envied and Jane desired TO have
James emulate.
If the walters had happened by
any chance to have been of African
descent, then Mr. Bradford might
have envied the brilliant ease with
which Mr.. Stimson handled them, but
at this particular hotel the walters.
unfortunately, were as white as their
hearts were black and they spoke a
strange and unknown lingo that Mr..
Bradford understood and James didn't.
Both the head waiter and his min
ions took one look at James, labeled
him. docketed him, despised and
neglected him thereafter. James tips
were quite as lavish as those of Mr..
Bradford, but he got only the most
obscure ill-placed tables, the most
tranSitory service.
This. naturally enough. irritated
Jane, the loveliest and one of the best
dressed young women in the hotel.
She kept urging her husband to assert
himself and copy Mr.. Bradford's mas
terful ways. James. alas. could do no
better than to bribe the head waiter by
gift Of $40 into promising better
tables in the future-a promise some
times fulfilled and sometimes not.
James remarks when they were not
made James tingle all over with
shame
You like masterfulness in a mani"
he asked once. crumbling his bread in
nervous fingers.
Yes. of course. to a certain degree
Every woman does" said Jane i'm
patiently.
Then I don't altogether see. If you
admire that sort, how you ever hap
pened to marry me- answered James
miserably. I'm not masterful. Inever
was. I never will be. Didn't you
know that until now?"
You can be If you'll just assert
yourself a little and don't let every
one walk over you who wants to" said
Jane a little uneasily. Its only a
question of making up your mind to
/ be-"
Il think there is more to it than
that"
Some one came up to their table
then to speak to Jane and the subject
was dropped.
James returned from his honeymoon
a thoroughly happy but slightly puz-
zled young man with determination
to assert himself more frequently in
the future and to take up on the first
possible occasion the study of the art
of maSterfulnesS-and to cultivate on
the side a darkly sinister gleam in his
eyes.
A few days after the return of Mr..
and Mrs James Brewster Stimson, Sd,
from their honeymoon, and while they
we're still happily engaged in what is
called in New Concord settling down."
Judge Holcomb dropped in to see Miss
Julia Pratt.
The Judge had spent the previous
evening with the Roger Bennetts and
while there had overheard Lucretia
Bennett and some Of her young crowd
laughing over the account Of the
Stimson wedding in the Daily Globe.
1t had been written up in the society
reporters best and most f1owery style,
but what excited the derision OF the
young people was the line which spoke
of the bridegroom leading the bride
to the altar.
They had insisted that it should
have been reversed to read. When the
bride led the bridegroom"
And they were right" commented
the Judge. Jane certainly did all the
chasing, but she landed James as neat
as you please And now the poor
do you think it's nice to talk about
a sweet, pretty girl like Jane Northrup
same as If she was some sort OF a
she hyena?" interrupted Miss Julia
Indignantly.
II haven't said word against Jane
except to admire the clever way she
went after James and caught him.
There's nothing new about that.
Women have been dragging men to the
altar and marrying them in spite OF
their screams ever since the days OF
the cave men"
Its a pity all you men can't be
locked up in glass cases." shifted Miss
Julia.
Now, Miss julia" said the Judge
pleasantly, you know more in min
ute than all the women in this town
in a million years and you needn't try
to pretend to me that James ever so
much as looked in James direction
until she made up her mind she
wanted him to. It's Thackeray, isn't
it, who says that any woman, unless
she has an actual hump on her back,
can marry any man she picks out, easy
as easy? Why, believe you put Jane
up to marrying James tn the first
place. though don't expect you'll ever
admit it."
"I wouldn't say did and I wouldn't
say I didn't" snapped Miss Julia,
rocking vigorously back and forth,
but I do say that young folks don't
know their own minds to speak of.
! and it is blessed good thing for a