The Coolidge examiner., 1937-09-30

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Eyes, and a strange man some
thing for a woman!" Vicky put in
hotly, triumphantly.
so that if l wanted to run around
with-well, say DR.. Bledsoe, Quen-
tin would presumably wait for me,
and bear everything, and then for
get it as if it had never been?"
But you're not that sort" Magda
reminded her.
Il should hope I'm not!" Vic
toria exclaimed, again with an air
of scoring in the argument. But
strangely enough, against this moth
er of hers who had known so many
worthless men in so many dis
creditable ways, and who so rarely
argued, or indeed said anything con.
siderable at all, she could not seem
to score today.
"You don't think, Mother" Vic
asked quietly, that any woman
who had borne a man children,
spent years of care and love on his
own child, nursed him when he was
i'll, worried over his bills and his
diet for seven years-you don't
think that that woman can calmly
put up with his setting up "a
mistress, and shaming her and
wronging her. and wronging his own
children, too? And then when he's
tired" Victoria rushed on, warming
to her subject, land comes home
calmly, she is to forgive him, and
make a fuss over him, againl Well,
perhaps there are women who
could do it. but I'm not one Of
themi"
mo, 1 didn't say that there were
women who could do it., Magda OBJ
served mildly, in the pause, as
Vicky sat back defantly and slipped
her tea, bridling, breathing hard.
family shaking her head. Il just
said that if woman could DO it she
always won out.
won the other woman's leavings.
you mean!"
well, in a way, 1 suppose. And
as l say, Vicky, it may go on for
years. Three years, four years
but then the break comes. Her
husband-and he's just as good, or
as kind, or whatever he was, as
ever-comes back. Unless she's said
something he can't forget, or done
something radical, he comes back.
Then it's the other woman's turn
to worry-the wife is holding thir-
teen trumps. She's got his chill
dren, his home, she's gentle and
kind and respectable, just as she
always was"
I'D never respect myself again
if countenanced-encouraged that
sort of thing!" Vicky exclaimed.
"Ughi"
'Oh, men don't care whether you
encourage them or not. so long as
you don't cry and fuss" Magda
observed, with her irritating power
of making a point while not try
ing to do anything Of the sort. THE
minute man leaves you, what you
think doesn't matter to him any
more. They can walk right out on
things, Vic. Women can't. quite. If
you make all this easy for Quen-
tin, he'll think you're a good little
sport. but he won't care whether
you do it by divorce or by just being
decent"
Stupefed by this philosophy, and
by the blankness and darkness of
her thoughts, Victoria was still star
ing at her mother duly. her brow
knitted, when Anna came in to an
nounce a caller. Magda had time
only for one more word:
I've always thought-and I've
been thinking it especially lately"
she said, that of all the girls l ever
knew you were the one to try the
long way-I mean stick to your
guns. and not let what anyone does
make you anything but what you
dLC. Out Iil4llO yOuY III AiOb ON''AS
ing you. You were smarter when
you were born than I'll ever be. y
Vicky dragged her eyes, eyes into
whose mutinous light a new look
suddenly had come, from her moth
er's face to the maids face. But
her thoughts were still upon what
Magda had said. and she had to
have the message repeated.
Did you say someone was here?"
Mrs. Morrison, madam. She
says she just wants to say Merry
Christmas!'
Vicky's color, under the glow Of
the fire, faded a little. She turned
toward her m t h er. Magda
shrugged.
Say you're not at home" Magda
said, in an undertone.
But an odd determined light had
come into Vicky's eyes, anC after a
hesitant moment she told Anna
simply to ask Mrs. Morrison to
come upstairs. A few seconds later
Serena came in.
ITO BE CONTINUED