The Key West citizen., 1940-02-12
Chapter %
Sues Temper

AS . NAA pa
TXIELL, don't let's think of Geo
w lily tonight, dear. We're hav-
Ing such a lovely evening"
"You may bel" Bob's emphasis
on the pronoun definitely accused
her Of lack of sympathy with him.
Z can't get this confounded state
Of affairs out of my mind. Sue, why
do we stay on here anyway? Let's
sell the house and go East. They've
been wanting me at the home Of.
fee, you know. Let's shake the
dust Of this place off our shoes and
60 find us another house some
where on Long Island"
Sues heart gave leap at this.
Never to see Cecily again, never
to hear that silvery voice! But a
moments thought always caused
her to veto the move gently.
"You know as well as l do, Bob
darling, she'd follow us. Her peo-
pie are there, she's told everyone
that she's going East when she gets
tired Of st. Joseph. Any day now
she'll grow bored with us, she's
bound to bel You know that"
Yes, Bob knew that, and after a
certain amount of eXaSperated ar
gument he always agreed with
Sue. But not before he had done his
best to hurt her, she thought! Oh,
not before he had unerringly said
those things which set her heart
beating with actual pain.
eff you loved me the way love
you a hundred Cecilys wouldn't
bother me. I'd laugh in their faces!
It's knowing that down in your
heart you despise me for deceiving
you"
'Bob, ! don't despise you. Don't
be silly!"
"Well, you don't love me! Or" he
added with unexpected perspicac-
ity. "you aren't in love with me,
Sue-you never have been. You're
fond Of me, and you graciously al
low me to adore the ground you
walk on but as for anything else,
it's simply not there!"
She grew a little pale. "Bob,
that's not fairl love you as much
as have it in me to love any man.
II it's not what you expected, il it
doesn't satisfy you. can't help it.
! told you before we were married,
/ warned you"
"Sue. Sue, don't cryl I'm brute.
! ought to be taken out and shot.
You love me a thousand times
more than ] deserve. It's only
only that sometimes ! feel that |
don't really have you at all. Sue:
that it's only your body. your-af-
fection hold in my arms; that the
real you is off somewhere | can't
follow. 1t drives me mad-that
feeling!" He would have her
crushed close to him now, holding
her so tightly she could scarcely
breathe.
Usually she poured out words of
loving reinsurance: but one sultry
night in August when he had been
more than ordinarily irritable, she
said:
"Do you think you're taking the
best way to find the real me, as
you call it? | know this summer
has been a trying time for you,
Bob. but it's been difficult for me,
too. I've done my best to make
things easy for you. I've gone out
with you when I'd a million times
rather have stayed at home, and
I've cancelled engagements at the
last minute when it meant embar-
RAISING apologies and explanations
which didn't explain. After all.
why should / have to be the one to
soothe. and be tactful. and suit my
life TO yours? I'm not responsible
for Cecily's being here"
It was the first time she had al
lowed her temper, that quick
flashing temper which had been
the demon of her childhood before
she had learned to control it. to
burst into words. Bob's Jaw sagged
ludicrously.
'Sue-why, Sue!"
You're behaving like a child,
Bobl" she went on. eff you hadn't
made It perfectly apparent to Geo
tly that she can bait you success
fully. she'd have tired of the game
and gone East long ago. When are
you going to grow UP and meet her
as she should be met; with a
smoothly impervious surface to
her references to a past which, ac-
cording to you. is wholly non-ex-
istent?"
Broken Enchantment
uEBURST into a shout of laugh
II ter.
Heaven defend the right, hear
the childl You're actually Scolding
me. Sue. you're Raging me like a
regular fishwifel Go onl It's great
to hear you. say, did Allen have
te put up with much of this sort
OF thing? No wonder he always
seems to handle you with gloves" "
She had herself in hand again
and gave him smile for smile.
You never believed me when !
told you had a temper. Now you
see for yourself what it's like.
won't say I'm sorry, Bob, because
/ meant every word ! said; but
promise not to fly out at you like
that again >. soon."
The incident proved a salutary
lesson to them both. Sue discov-.
cred to her aStonishment that she
had accomplished more in Eve
minutes by this straight speaking
than all her tact and soothing had
done all summer. Bob knew a sur
prised respect for his slim young