The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-10-19

ssPooE Daddyl" Margaret Snliied rIt
 \ when Jennlfer had left them, "she wraps you round her little tin- ger. It's nothing to you how late she stays out with that Tom Beck. leyp
 He startled her by . burst Of laughter. Tt ail comes back to me. You are your own mother saying the same things she said when l used Co bring you home late. She was always sitting up waiting for you. If she caught . glimpse Of me she gave me hell. l refnember one nIghts-niany riights--When you said to me, Beloyed'-that'S what you called me then-'Beioved,' you said what are we going to do about Mother? She still wears . hustle on her brain and hobble skirts on her legs That's what you used to say"
 What she said now was supposed Co be very withering;
 what dId you have to drink at the club2 You must have stayed quite q while at the 18th hole"
 He withered Into his own room, feeling like . Wldower with q surly fousekeeper replacing his lost wife, Ills eyes ran lonely along the book. shelves where . few old books had been left by c previous tenant, Walt picked I'D the first one his hand feli on; q little collection Of nliScel- laneOns poetry. old fattened flowers fell out of it, or stuck to the pages they had stained with their life- blood, mere blots now. He had Co smile at c quatrain of Oliver Her- ford'B:
 "dather rosebuds while ye may,
 For time brings naught but sor.
 row;
 The pretty kittens Of today
 win be old cats tomorrow"
 on antoher page he read 6 more ancient Stansa; :. T loved thee beautiful and kind
 And piighted an eternal VOW; So altered arc the face and mind,
 'Twers perjury to love thee now" THE Icy eplgram was like . slap | in the face. It was his own story. Y0t it had happened a hun. dred years before to somebody else. Perhaps t had always been
 He had married one Margaret and he lived with another HIS bride had gone away and he was keeping her successor as Q kind Of ioveleSs mistress. Margaret her. self was the perjurer: unfaithful to her earlier self: unfaithful to all her highest duties.
 Without thinking of the same words no was thinking what Len had expressed as Breach Of Prom. iSe." Margaret was not keeping one of the epromises she had made.
 The living fruit Of that dead nar' Tlage broke in on his breeding now. Jennifer had changed to simple dinner gown. very simple gown, . tight sheath, hardly more than Q cAiyx from which the flower Of her body seemed about to leap, But Margaret cried after her in scorn;
 Look at herI Shes indecent"
 Jennifer laughed back;
 what I'm built like Is no Inc formation Please. Everybody In town has seen me in a bathing suit. Why aren't you dressing for dinner your. Self7"
 Margaret was taken by surprise, Me dress for dinner? With noe body here but your fathef?"
 Nobody but my fatherI Poor DadI"
 ENABLE to think up q quick re- V tort, Margaret took refuge in her radio. Jennifer closed the door on the racket and appealed earnestly to Walt. She was all a.tremble as she preached the dreadful subject What are we going to do about Mother?"
 Daddy, love you SO my heart is breaking. l love Mama, too, but-she'S letting this home crack Up and founder. Mother must have been wonderful once. remember what 5ile Wa5 when 1 was little girl; how you two were so close. But it's been years since she has treated you like anything but case of the hives.
 "Is 1t something biological, DadP So many married women and men, too = act as if they had never loved each other. It makes me won- der if I'll so the same way and break my husbands heart. That's what makes me keep putting of marriage" She gave him a shy. de- precatory smile. I've been asked. And now Tom Beckley is begging me. to marry him so that we can spend his fiirlough together. Of course, hardly know him. But who knows anybody? You and Mama must have felt the same way. love her. but what if I should turn out 10 be like her as a wife?"
 Hilyard felt cold. Hadn't he heard Rr A A