The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-09-22
SERIAL STORY
WORKING WIVES ..,ss Yao III. e.! ao :s..s ~

A
He sent Miss Herrod and Sally
from the room and sat down be-
side Marian. "Was 1t something
I said this morning7 Fraid I was
pretty tough on you"
Absolutely not. @. F. ] was
pretty saucy myself"
Maybe you need rest"
"If you'll keep it q secret, III
tel you what ais me- she
laughed. II didn' eat my break
fast" .
80 that's it." His tone showed
his relief. "Shall I have something
sent in? I'll be glad to-"
mo, thank you. I feel perfectly
all right" She drank glass Of
ice water and tackled the mail.
She had tainted. Certain that
1t was one more step toward ulti-
mate ruin, she slit envelopes with
an unsteady hand. At IL o'clock
she called Dan, longing for the
sound of his voice.
The switchboard girl said, Hes
round here, Mrs. Harkness--hold
the wire" Marian waited until the
girl spoke again. II can't disturb
him, Mrs. Hardness. He's in Mi.
Turner's Office" Marian left a
message for him to call her.
Dan in Mr.. Turner's office -
What did that mean?- Mr.. Turner
was president of the firm, the
statesmen almost never contacted
him. Had Dan been reused to
a. 10 Sf0
At noon he had not called and she
said to Mr.. Fellows, Il have q Few
errands may not be back for an
hour or two"
"Okay - okay - don't come back
at all unless you feel like it. Sally
can carry on"
Marian put on her hat. She was
trembling, there were dtsagreeable
fiuttering wings in the pit Of her
stomach, the palms of her hands
were damp with terror, voices
kept up a chant in her brain.
"You fainted--women always faint
when Dan didn't call-he will
never call you again. G. F. said
you NEEDN'T come back at all-he
said Sally could carry on" 1t
was like the buzzing of angry bees.
Marian put on more rouge and
walked steadily through the office.
"All better now?" Sally asked.
Was she disappointed? OF course
she was.
Marian smiled. "Just ashamed
of myself, that's all"
Going down in the elevator, she
closed her eyes. The fiuttering
wings in her stomach beat hor-
ribly. She ordered a glass Of warm
milk in the corner drug store. The
fluttering wings resented the milk.
She took a cab to the doctors
office.
as DR.. Moss IMP" she asked,
hoping that he was not, afraid to
stay, afraid to go.
"Yes. Your name, please?"
Marian gave her name. May
sit DOWN." The room was cir
clingly slowly.
The girl helped her to chair
She went through door and
Marian waited. She looked at a
pile Of magazine. The pages had
been crumpled by nervous, wait
ing fingers. Would the girl never
open the door?
Marian got up. She would leave.
The sensation would pass. Panic
forced her back into her chair.
She couldn't chance the elevator
again. Her hand shook.
The girl came out, DR.. Moss
would see her. Somehow, she got
across the reception room and into
the whiteness Of his ONCE.
How do you do, Mrs. Hark-
ness?" he said genially. Were doc
! tors always genial? Did they have
to be genial or go mad? She sank
into chair, opening her lips. No
words came. The doctor laughed.
"It can't be as bad as that, my
dear. Pouring something into a
glass, he handed it to her. Drink
this-it'll make you feel better"
The liquid was like red fire. 1t
brought Marian out Of the shad-
ows.
She said, ct tainted - silly Of
me-"
An hour later Marian left the
doctors Office. She could never re-
member leaving. There would al
ways be blank space In her men,
DRY between the times when DR..
Moss said, You're going to have a
baby, Mrs. Hardness - In May, I
think-early in May" and when she