The Washington times., 1935-02-02

| WOLu! 1 never nave any CdSH
on hand to speak Of. How do
you get that way?"
Just sold a picture"
You did? Say. was down
at Foreman'S the other day and
saw all your pictures. Which
one did you sell?"
do you recall religious
subject-Christ and the Apostle
John? 1t was bought by an
Episcopal school,"
/ "Why-I-that is" Archie
suffered and then finished
lamely: Eyes, I remember that
one"
He had gone with Sharlene
when she had bought that picture
to donate to the school, and he
had remembered just in time that
she had asked him not to mention
the expedition. That was one wife
with tact, he reflected enviously.
The Club
Stuart went along aimlessly, not
because he was interested, but be-
cause he had an hour to kill before
he was to meet sharlene for the
polo game.
1t was a small room in which he
found himself presently with
Archie, expensively furnished and
dominated by a handsome portrait
OF Prince Albert Of England. Five
or six other men drifted in, laugh.
ing and telling stories. Stuart
knew some of them. They were
all Americans, all we'll dressed,
one or two tired and bored under
their gay cynicism.
"Mr. Van Duren, our President;
this Is Stuart Pennington, Shar-
lene Standings husband, you
know"
"Ah. Do you qualify as a Con-
sort?" asked the gentleman to
Stuart's mystification.
He sure does!" Archie ans
wered for him. But he doesn't
know it yet.
Cocktails were brought in and
the men all stood and lifted their
glasses toward the portrait on
the wall, while Mr.. Van Duren
proposed a ringing toast.
ITO the noblest ConSort Of US
ALL"
! Over luncheon Mr.. Van Duren
elucidated: You see, Mr.. Pen.
nington, we're a small band OF
men held together by a common
sympathy for a common fate"
"Fate?" asked Stuart curiously,
taking in the atmosphere OF
luxury and high good humor.
Eyes. We're the Prince Con.
sorts! Bill over there is the hus.
band OF a famous writer-Kath-
leen Emmett, you know. Louis,
like Archie, has the honor of be-
ing the conSort of motion pic
ture star. Morrison has a very,
very rich wife, as I have-and
you, too. This. my friend, is the
select circle Of (as we jokingly
say)-Kept Husbands. We should
be honored to have you join us" J"
What do you get out Of it?"
Van Duren shrugged. well, the
compensation Of knowing that we
don't suffer alone. And-we have
a good time. We drop out masks,
and are ourselves"
And the Queens" asserted
Archie with relish, cant follow
us here. There's never been a
women in the place.
I'm not sure" spoke up the
one designated Bill, that Mr.
Pennington qualities. He sells
pictures, he isn't absolutely de.
pendent on the bounty Of his
wife"
well" Archie began impul,
Sively, and stopped.
Kept Husband
Mere drop in the bucket" de,
Tended Morrison peSS!mistically
II sell automobiles. but any com.
mission I make is an infinitesimal
fraction of the amount that 1t
takes to keep up one of my wife's
cars"
well. who cares?" laughed the
fat, jolly one called Louis. Let's
have another cocktail"
Before luncheon was over
Stuart glanced at his watch and
rose hastily. 1.-TWO o'clock-1'm
to meet my wife"
They all laughed loudly. "Of
course. of course, little Consort.
Run along. quickly, lest you be
late and incur the Royal Dis.
pleasure"
Stuart escaped without making
any promise to return. Jehosa-
phat! He couldn't join an outfit
like that! He wasn't the type to
get satisfaction out of jibing at
the thing that crucified him.
But it did not help any to find
himself classified as a Kept Hus-
band" e. He snatched every mo-
ment possible to work at the
meaningless picture he had
started. He toiled at it, getting
UP at dawn, after four hours of
sleep. When Foreman came up
to see 1t he threw up his hands
in horror. ...
Prophecy
Stuart, in a panic of fear after
Foreman had left. remembered
ForreSter'S prophetic words in
Honolulu: You'll never do an
other honest stroke in canvas. b"
He cut the picture into ribbons
with his knife. and sat with his