The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-09-26
Gasual &Mughters
by VIRGINIA HANSON /.

SON-0-
couldn't go home. Her family had
consigned her to perdition ten
years before, and in the mean
time her mother had died and
her father married again.
Her savings dwindled. In des-
peration, she took anything. She
waited on tables in cheap Broad
way restaurants; she even washed
dishes for a week. Then she got
sick.
But Dan and Julia were look
ing for her. They found her, and
Dan asked her to marry him.
She was pacing nervously from
window to door and back again.
The cigarette had burned almost
to the edge of the dresser. ! got
up from my chair and extin-
guished the stub in an ash tray.
She paid no attention to what !
was doing.
you see" she swallowed
painfully-'I've always known he
did it because he was sorry for
me, that he's never loved any,
one but his first wife. I've tried
and tried not to let it matter,
just to go on loving him anyway;
but every once in while l break
out and do something silly, like
trying to make him jealous. or be-
ing sure he's having an affair
with some woman"
She paused to moisten her soft
curved lips with the tip of her
tongue. l don't think l ever felt
so sorry for anyone in my life.
But I did not speak, just waited
for her to go on. Anything I could
have said would have seemed too
hollow.
That's why I drive so much at
night" she said at last in a stran-
gled voice. Sometimes - some
times l follow him. / have spells
when I'm insane with jealousy.
It's destroying me. know it's in
sane, but / can't help myself. I'm
always bitterly ashamed when l
find he goes just where he says
he does. But the next time | do it
all over again. Once l got the idea
he might leave the meetings early
and go on somewhere else. so
once in a while | drive around
and around, watching his car to
make sure it's still parked where
it was One night-one night ]
passed a florists shop ard saw a
man come out with a box of flow
erS and get in his car and drive
away. It was dark, but the light
from the show window filtered
out, and it looked like Dams car
and the man looked like Dan. !
went through hell that night. /
walked the floor waiting for him.
l might have done something ter
rible-irrevocable. But when he
came in he was in uniform-it
was an American Legion meeting,
or something of the kind-and the
instant I saw him remembered
that he had gone in uniform that
night. And the man l saw was in
civilian clothes. Of course it
wasn't Dan. But that just shows
YOU"
Tngratiating'
."HAVE you ever let him know
L L you were jealous?"
"JuSt once. When we were first
married. He snubbed me so
frightfully that I've never dared
speak o. it again. Kay. a woman
is at a terrible disadvantage when
she's in love. I'm so afraid that
I'll lose what little have. Not
that it's such a little thing to be
his wife. to make his home for
him and darn his socks and see
him every day and-and be here
when he wants me. If l wasn't
fool I'd be happy. wouldn't II"
There wasn't any answer to
that, anG she didn't seem to ex-
pect one. l watched her draw up
chair and sit down facing me.
She did not relax. but her face
had Smoothed out a bit, as if the
painful confession had been a re-
lief. Like drawing an aching
tooth.
Il was going to tell you about
Sandra, wasn't II" she asked pres
emily. Il didn't mean to talk so
much about myself. | just want
ed you to understand how such a
thing could happen.
JEFF still had a year at the
Academy when Colonel Tack died
and Sandra came to New York.
Dan suggested that | ask San
dra to West Point for a visit. So
Of course ! did.
Il liked her very much az first.
She'S-she was ingratiating, you
know. Dan thought she was per-
fect-always did. / noticed that,
of course l wasn't very happy,
but l hadn't yet learned that
there was no use trying to make
Dan jealous. He just didn't notice.
There were fiockS of cadets
around the house all the time,
and they all made a fuss over me
you know how kids are-and !
used to play up in the hope that
Dan would see l was still fairly
young and desirable. But as I say,