Smyrna times., 1936-07-16
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
JOCKS WIFE
BY Virginia Woodan

Inc ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tudl iC NoaAu'iS
turn with a bride, everyone in the
suburb Of Stony Hills Swhos knew
him pitied, sight unseenthe bride.
aShell either kill him or divxce
him within a year." Mira Hender-
son said.
Lorna turned out to be very tiny
young woman, at least ten years
younger than Jock, whose wistful
blue eyes frightened adoringly
whenever they rested on him. A
quiet, mousey little person, she took
her place in Stony Hills society and
was Immediately liked.
1t was beginning to be supposed
that marriage had somewhat
changed Jock when the car busi-
ness popped up and became public
ly known. Jock decided, after
particularly successful real estate
deal, to buy his wife a car. She
set her heart on a small one, mex
pensive and light, which she could
drive easily and without firing her
self.
Jocks real self appeared. Fig
uratively laying back his long ears.
he baked, set his jaw, and pur-
chased her a big heavy car. giving
as an excuse that it would not be
50 easily overturned, that 1t was
safer. AS usual, he was overbear-
ingly opinionated about the whole
subject and having once made up his
mind he held to it with the stub
bornness of bull dog.
After that the incidents mounted
fast. Lorna wanted a fur coat and
Jock bought her riding habit and
a horse and insisted that for the
sake of her health she should ride
at least an hour every day. Women
shuddered at the daily sight of her
small figure, graceful and dutiful,
perched on the spirited chestnut.
She wanted to go to Cayifornia,
but Jock took her to Maine where
there was no danger of earth
quakes. She wanted silver tea
service and he bought her a fur
coat.
1t wasn't that he was stingy. He
was really very generous. But peo-
pie who knew said that If ever a
woman had cruelty grounds" for
divorce, poor Lorna Whitaker was
the woman. She professedly loved
violets more than any other flower
but her garden was filed to over
flowing with rosebushes and the pit
iful little bed of violets near the
driveway was constantly torn by
the wheels of Jocks roadster.
Mira and Walt Henderson played
bridge with the Whittakers on Mon
day evening and Tuesday morning
Mira made the rounds of mutual &C,
quaintances to tell the latest.
my dear, while we were playing
bridge, Jock mentioned that he had
made a real estate sale that had
netted him a three thousand dollar
profit. Poor Lorna looked across
at him you know that sweet.
trusting look of hers'-and said,
oh, that's perfectly lovely. Jock
Now / can buy those three elm
trees for the back yarG. They are
really beautiful little trees and the
man guarantees them to grow
~And, my dear, wish you could
have seen Jocks face oh,
you've seen him do it? The
way he thrusts out his under lip
and sets his jaw and narrows his
eyes? He did that and then he
said, Il don't want to put any more
money in this place. We may not
be living here in five years and it'd
take that long for the elms to grow
to be any good at ALL
Il thought Lorna was going to
cry, but she just excused herself to
look after the supper. In thirty
minutes she was back with the
plates and she had baked mullins
and they were really terrible. She
apologized and said that the stove
took spells sometimes.
"Jock Immediately got that trium-
phant look on his face. There,
you see,' he said. Talking about
buying elm trees and she needs a
new kitchen stove. Why, just to-
dsy got letter from the furni-
tnre store telling about some fine
bargains In kitchen stoves. I'll 90
down tomorrow and pick one out
Poor Lorna bit her lip and said
something about not really needing
"a new stove, but you know Jock
he had definitely made up his mind.
She'll never In this world get elm
trees for her back yardI"
While Mira Henderson was spread.
ling the story, Jocks wife was talk
ing over the telephone to the man
lager of the furniture store.
This is Mrs. Jock Whitaker
Yes, you remember / was In your
place last week and selected q
stove? Oh, yes, he got the ad.
.vertisement you sent him. Thank
you very much. Now, he's coming
in today, so please show him the
stove ] picked out and tell him 1t Is
the latest thing I'm stoves but that