The Washington times., 1938-03-10

softly down upon the blotter
Oh, Estoban!'
There was a knock on the door
Of her dressing room.
Come" she said in low modu
lated voice.
The door opened and the man
whose name she had been writing
stood before her. He was tall and
slim and hard. His features were
as aquiline as her own. But they
were 81 years younger. And they
were bigger, bolder.
TITIA WANTS DIVORCE
'sTitia," he said, you are as
lovely as ever this morning"
Thank you, Estoban." She
smiled. please sit down." And
when he took a chair and sat look
ing at her with a respect which
veiled curiosity, she continued.
would it be too much of an i'm
position if I asked you for a di'
vorce?"
why, Titia, do you want a di-
vorce?"
Does it make any difference7"
she smiled.
Probably I will give you the dl-
yorce, just as I would give you
anything you wanted and have.
But this is new to me. May I have
a little time to think about 1t?"
Naturally" she agreed. How
are the new ponies?"
He frightened at once.
"They are magnificent" ne told
her. "The experiment of crossing
thoroughbreds with range horses
is completely successful as knew
it would be. We had been doing 1t
for years in the Argentine.
The wild horses had strength
of bone that not even the Irish
horse possesses. These last four
ponies we have bought are OF the
best. They need little breaking.
Dick Che pronounced it DeeD IS
most pleased"
THAT is lovely" she praised.
But why do you care that DICK
is pleased? Dick is just q child.
And they are not his ponies.
They're yours"
DICK HEIR TO PONIES
" have taught Dick his polo"
Estaban reminded her gravely'
land he is very good. He is a
fo1r.roal man. At 20 that IS mar
velous. And those ponies will be
his, some day. Very soon now
I am afraid, since you want your
divorce. I have always considered
the string his. Always. 1 Will not
play polo much longer"
It see," Titia said. and does
Caress approve Of the ponies?
Her eyes avoided his, yet watched
him stealthily. q,
"Caress?" Estoban echoed. -
do not know. She has not said
She does not interest herself sc
much in the polo ponies. Do you
not remember? She is concerned
with the hunters. If you will per
init now, I will take my leave.
When he had gone, Titia got up
from the desk and walked into her
bedroom and sat down before her
dressing-table. The face which
stared back at her was older than
the one at which she had looked
only an hour ago. The eyes were
dull. The skin had achieved new
wrinkles. She smiled.
PURCHASED HUSBAND
She was laughing at an obscene
secret. It concerned her reasons
for asking Estoban, her young huS-
band, to give her a divorce.
Estoban.
She was not so much accepting
q divorce from Estoban. her huS-
band, as she was relinquiShing
something she had bought. For
she had purchased this young,
handsome man, not half her age,
purchased him as coldly as he had
purchased the four polo ponies
they had just finished discussing.
That had been five years ago, 10
years after the death Of Richard
Farwell, her husband.
Estoban had come to Westbury
as manager and trainer of her
sons string of polo ponies. Her
son was Richard Farwell, I'd. That
had been eight years ago. He was.
she computed swiftly, 81 then and
she was 81. She laughed at her
self. She realized that it was hard
even to tell herself the truth about
her age. She had been 55. Now
he was IS and she was 63.
The first time she had noticed
him was on a summers day in a
polo match. She had been watch