The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-04-24
When Pride Goes
By ELEANOR BERDON
Mcclure syndieate-wNU serviee)

oAAOOSAiC0 TIC StlIl Ulu6 lOIQS OF nGr
immaculate dressing gown beneath
her carefully as she resumed her
seat opposite Jim.
Some women might ignore appear
ances the first thing in the morning
but not Claire.
She slipped her coffee, now luke
warm, and wondered when Mary
Fenton would get over that annoy-
ing habit of phoning so early. Then,
her eyes falling on the hotel bro
chure which had come in the morn
ing mail, Claire recalled the prob
lem she'd been trying to discuss
with Jim before the phone rang.
"Jim-please. This is important.
/ want to send in our reservations
today. Won't you talk to Julie?"
Julie would listen to her father.
He'd be able to persuade her to
spend the summer with her mother
at the Mountain Lake House. II
wasn't as if Julie didn't love the
mountains. Claire knew why She'd
taken such a stubborn stand about
remaining in the city But she
wouldn't - she wouldn't let Julie
continue to make a fool of herself
over that Johnson boy.
What's that, Claire? Talk tc
Julie?" Jim's voice came muffled
through the intervening pages of his
newspaper. Claire noted irrelevant
ly the striking contrast of his pre-
maturely white hair to his bronzed,
still youthful face Yes, by any
standards, Jim was a terribly at
traCtive man Women like Mary
Fenton thought her rash, leaving
Jim alone in the city every sum-
mer. But that was ridiculous! One
had to be sensible And if Jim's
publishing firm kept him tied to his
desk during the sWeltering summer
months, that was no reason for his
wife and daughter TO suffer, too.
AS for distressing Jim-well, either
he loved her, or he didn't. Should
he ever decide he didn't, she had
too much pride to want to hold him
to an empty marriage vow.
If only Julie had inherited that
same pride! That was what was
worrying Claire now But what was
Jim saying?
Good Lord, Claire, the girls old
enough to know her own mind. If
she wants to stay home and take
some courses, let her I'll be here
to keep an eye on her"
Stay home and take courses.
Couldn't Jim see through that
pathetic alibi?
But, Jim" oh, what was the
use! He wasn't even listening.
She'd have to handle this herself.
She'd make Julie go with her.
There'd be no more of these pitiful
attempts to attract Grant Johnson's
attention. Making up excuses to
phone him, humbling herself for a
smile, a brief hello, an intricately
Unanswered date.
Even if one could win man by
such tactics, it was an empty vic
tory. One had to have pride, Claire
reflected Julie was too young to
realize that. Her heart twisted with
love and pity as she remembered
how unhappy the girl had been all
these past months. But she'd been
wrong, so wrong. If two months
absence meant losing the boy, he
wasn't worth winning in the first
place.
Jim was getting up to leave.
''Will you be home for dinner,
dear?" With two books due to go
to press within the week, Claire
knew how rushed he must be.
"Dinner? Why-why, no. No,
I'm afraid it's going to be two late
nights in a row Sam and l didn't
finish those proofs we went over
last night"
Claire meticulously poured her
self fresh cup of coffee from the
silver urn. "Oh, yes. 1 didn't have
a chance to ask what kept you last
night"
THAT history text. It's giving us
q lot of trouble. Well, good-by, my
dear"
The door had scarcely closed be-
hind Jim when Julie came into the
breakfast room. How slowly the
girl walked-how pale she was, the
signs of tears around her eyes and
noSei
Good morning, Mother" Julie
slumped into a chair and stared list
lessly at her orange juice.
Claire didn't answer for mo-
ment. She was lingering the hotel
brochure. Then, Julie"
"Oh, Mother, do-do we have to
argue again about this summer? l
want to stay home. I've got to stay
home" jules voice was desper-
ate. There was pleading in every
fiber of her slim young body.
"Yes-yes, of course you can stay
home"
Mother" Her voice was sud-
denly joyous.
I'm staying home. too" AS she
spoke, Claire was crumpling the
brochure, her cleaning nails tear
ing through the heavily engraved
paper.
Gosh. Mother, don't know what
made you change your mind. But
I'm glad-Tm certainly glad you
did"
Of course Julie didn't know why
eho'l oLo.1ol bor ~ ind PlIt Claire