The evening world. Newspaper, February 18, 1922, Page 19

f eign as aL gg ENG ga IC ia EET cn || al | adie Meehan el eal . was—when she wanted to be. there until Mabel came home. She came and sat on the arm of his chair and rumpled his hatr. He looked up at her. She smiled. He smiled back. He couldn't help smiling at Mabel when she smiled at lim. He loved her. “Where have you been?” he asked, and took her hand in his. That was what her father had recommended—frankness, with gentle- ness. He wanted to know where she had been. He wanted to know ill about it. Therefore he would ask her, at the same time taking her hand tu show that he was asking in a friendly spirit. Mabel raised her eyebrows expres- sively. . “What a question!'’ she said. She said it lightly; she said it as if He set it didn’t mean anything ut all. But it was an obvious evasion. Jolin saw that. That was like a woman. That was like Mabel. But he kept on. “What a perfectly simple question,” he said evenly. He was not angr}. He spoke gently. But his words had a sort of edge to them in spite of him. His tone was the tone that expects an answer. . Mabel slipped off the chair and sat down in the chair oppo- site him. Mabel stretched her feet out in front of her and leaned her head back luxuriously. It was as if she were saying: “I am a little bored, but if I must be bored I may as well be comfortable.’’ “You. sound,’’ she said, ‘‘so like a perfectly old-fashioned husband. Don't you really think, you sound husbandly, John?"’ Something stirred in gome memory—like the memory of the day he had pursued Mabel to the very door of her father’s house and caught her in his arms and held her against arm of his John Palmer; her will. “Would you mind unswering my question’? he asked. Mabel was startled to hear John spenk in that tone. Mabel was startled by his tone for the second time in her life. Only John seemed implacable. There was in her this persistent memory of a John who would not be denied; and the memory was akin to fear. The memory ga-e her a curious thrill. And because she was beginning to be afraid, Mabe! yawned. She yawned ostentatiousy. She yawned like a lazy and luxurious kitten. John Palmer feet, and when he stood up he towered over Mabel. John Palmer spoke, and when he spoke he should have realized that he was not being just frank. He should have realized that he was get- ting mad. “Would you mind question?"’ he repeated. “Of course not,’’ said Mabel. Her small teeth came together with a click. “T have been dining at the Country Club with Arthur Millingham." John looked at the clock after 1 o'clock?" he asked. Mabel yawned again, yawned ostentatiously than before a little deeper into her chair. ‘We danced, of course,"’ she said. once before had rose to his answering my “Until more and sank OHN PALMER slowly returned to his chair and sat down. “Don't do it again!'’ he said, Mahel sat bolt upright. “What do you mean?" she asked, and her tone was the tone of battle. “Precisely what I said." Mabel stared at him with hard, de- flant eyes. John Palmer his teeth shut. “Do you really imagine,’’ Mabel asked, ‘‘do you really imagine that you can give me orders?” John Palmer had a sudden violent impulse to slap her. The impulse was so strong that he clenched his hands It was so strong that for a moment he could not speak. “you talk like a Turk,’’ Mabel con- tinued. ‘You talk as if you owned me."’ “Why shouldn't 1?" he “Aren't you my wife?’ His tone was quite calm; it was so calm it should have have warned him; it was so calm that it should have warned Mabel. But they were bott past warning. “Why shouldn't [?'' he repeated And this time his tone was not calm stared back at her, repeated Mabel was frightened. She had got in deeper than she had intended. But she was not going to admit it. She was not going to give an inch. “There's just one reason, John,'’ she said. “If you do, I shall go home." “No,” said John Palmer. He rose to his feet. ‘‘No. You will not go home.'’ Mabel slipped out of her chair. In a flash she assumed that old air of hers. In one breathless instant she had ceased to be an angry wife and become the challenging girl--the girl who seemed to say, ‘“‘Come and take me—if you can."’ . ° “'So good of you to tell what's what,"’ she said blithely. ‘“‘But I'm on my way.” She started toward the door. stood watching her. forbear to take one John She could not look over her shoulder. ‘‘Goodby'’ she said, and started out of the door. John started for her. She ran. John “WHY.” SAID MR DURBROW TESTILY, “I'D SAY: DEAR, AREN'T YOU FLIRTING A BIT?'” caugiit her, his arms, “You roughly. Mabel struggled to free herself. “I'm going home,’’ she said pas- sionately, “You're going to Palmer fiercely. For perhaps a second Mabel lay re- laxed in his arms, and then she fouglit like a mad thing. John’s arms tight ened ground her slim body. She tried to kick. But John held her too tightly. She tried to scratch. But John Palmer walked up the stairs with her as if she had been a ch''d. As he reached the door of her room she made one last effort. John Palmer merely held her tighter, his fingers pressing into her soft flesh like iron bands. Mabel turned like a cat and bit the thick part of his hand until the blood ran. John held her tightly ir will, will you?’ he said bed,"’ said Jolin * * e John Palmer was a big, powerful man, slow to anger. He had been brought up to take the protective atti- NEXT SATURDAY’S C WEDDING CAKE By SOPHIE KERR Illustrated by WILL B. JOHNSTONE A Woman's Deception That Gave Distinction to a Party and Helped a Second Love Affair ORDER YOUR EVENING WORLD IN ADVANCE tude toward women. But he an angel. Ten minutes later, while Mabel sobbed with fury, John gently bul irresistibly put her to bed and tucked her in. The next morning John o'clock, as he always did. at himself in the mirror. He did not look changed. And yet he must have changed. The John Palmer he was accustomed to see in the mirror cou not have done what he had done. While he was bathing and shaving and dressing, John caught glimpses of himself in the mirror, The mirror kept reminding him what an immense body he had, what powerful shoulders, what a thiek neck. What a brute he was! What a monster! Had he always been like this man he saw in the mirror— this ape, this gorilla? He could never have Mabel again He had lost his right to her—forever. It was all over. He could not think, was not rose at & He looked He did not dure ‘LOOK HERE, MY to think. Hie rcould only press the meiory of that horrible ten minutes out of his mind, that ten minutes thut had stripped him of all his training, and revealed him as he was-—-an ani- mal, a cruel, violent, vengeful animal, without pity, without chivalry, with- out decency, John Palmer sneaked out of his house on tiptoe, lest some one should see him. He could not bear to face the parlor maid. He could only run away and hide. He would walk: He would walk fo: miles across country. He would get a train somewhere and go away, for- ever. iV. ABEL awoke at 9 o'clock. She awoke refreshed. She awoke with some mysterious and secret sense of happiness. lor the moment she only knew that she was happy. And then she remem- Mabel lay very still while she re- OMPLETE STORY THE EVENING WORLD'S FICTION SECTION, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1922, “"“"—""—"" g — membered. For a few seconds she de« ated whether it had really happened, It couldn't have happened. It must have been a dream. On her shoulder were four broad streaks of purple and green, the bruises left where John Palmer's fingers had pressed into her flesh. Mabel stroked her bruised shoulder tenderly. The bruises hurt, but she continued to stroke them as if thers were some obscure pleasure in the pain, She got up and looked at them in the mirror. They were shocking bruises. . What a brute John was! She would punish him for being such a brute. She could punish him because he loved her. He couldn't have done what he had done if he hadn't loved her. Mabel wondered if by any chance John was still in his room. It was early, very early for her. He might be. She would like to show him what he had done to her. She slipped softly, over to John's door and tried the knob gently, and slowly opened the door se that she could peek into Jolin's room. He was gone. But his bed had been slept in. Mabel crept into John's room, slipped into John’s bed. It was still warm with the warmth of his body. Mabel snuggled into his bed and went to sleep, OWARD noon Mabel put on her hat and walked over to Maizie Blaze’s house. It would not do to tell Maizie Blaze too much. But she had to tell Mazie Blaze something. She had to talk. And she couldn’t,wait until John came home. But she took care to tell the parlor maid where she was going, 80 that John would know where to find her if he should come home before she did. “What's happened?’’ asked. “What makes you think anything has happened, Maizie?"’ “T can sce it in your face." “John and I have quarrelled,'’ Matel said simply. Maizie waited. “‘He—he objected to my friendship with Arthur Millingham."’ “IT should jolly well think he might,” Maizie retorted. Mabei considered. “T don't care anything about Arthur —not a bit,"’ she said. “That makes it all the worse,” Maizic Blaze said “John Palmer is about the finest man I know. You've treated him shamefully. You've been a little fool." Mabel sighed. ‘IT know," she said, “T made an awful mistake."’ “It's time you realized it,’ Maizie Blaze said. ‘IT hope you'll tell John so."’ Maizie Blaze “He's terribly angry,’’ Mabel said. “Tt's time he was angry. I've hoped and prayed that he would get angry, I wish he'd spanked you.” Mabel's eyes filled with tears. “T-t-t-that’s j-j-j-ust w-w-what h-h-he d-d-did,’’ she sobbed. “*What?'’ cricd Maizie Blaze. “He s-s-spanked me."" Maizie looked at Mabel. “I don't believe it.” Mabel drew back her blouse and ex- posed the blue and purple streaks on her shoulder, Maizie Blaze jumped to her feet. “Why,'’ she cried, ‘‘that's the most terrible thing I ever heard of. The brute!”’ It was at that Palmer arrived. Mabel slipped into the next room. moment that John “Is my wife here?’’ John Palmer asked. “Yes,"" said Muizie Blaze, “But you’re not going to see her."' They stood facing each other, John'g eyes were dull with pain. Mazie’s eyes were bright with anger. ‘You insufferable beast!’’ said Maizie Blaze. ‘*You--you monster!" John Palmer looked at her misere epbly. It was true. Tle was a monster, **You will never see Mabel again,’* said Maizie Blaze. ‘‘Never!"" Mabel came into the room, Mabel walked straight up to John Palmer and put both arms around his neck. “John,’’ she said, ‘please take me home,"’ John’s arms tightened around her, John kissed her. John held her very gently. : Mabel turned and looked over her shoulder at Maizie Blaze. “Do you think you can separate us?’* she asked, Maizie Blaze watched them go out together. Maizie went to the window and watched them walk down the street close together. Matzie shook her head slowly. Mr. Durbrow, seeing what was plain for any one to see, spoke casually to John Palmer one evening at the Coun- try Club during one of those brief intervals when he could be seen apart from Mabel. “Everything all right between you and Mabel?"’ he asked genially. “Very much all right,’’ John said. “I knew it would be if you'd just take my advice,’’ Mr. Durbrow said, “Just a little frankness was all that was needed."’ John nodded gravely. ‘Yes, he said, ‘‘just a little frank. ness,"’ (Copyrighted. 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