The Day Book

CONFESSIONS
OF
A
WIFE
A MAN'S WIFE
AND
HIS
BEST
FRIEND

(Copyright, 1915, by the Newspaper Enterprise Association)

After luncheon I stopped again at Mary's. I think both Dick and I had a good time.
(After seeing his mother Dick appreciated me, and after reading Jack's letter I thought I had a prize in Dick.)
Our meal was perfectly delightful.
Dick said:
"Let's have a beefsteak,"
and I was glad to have him say it.
It seemed like old times when we were first married.
"Do you realize the responsibility, dear, of having to be the only man in a family of five women?"
"None of you gives me much responsibility except Mother, dear. Poor Mother! I'm going to try and be awfully good to her."
"We'll both be as good to her as she will let us be," I said as he left me.
I found Mary back in her little office crying as though her heart was breaking.
I just stepped up to her and put my arms about her.
"Oh, Margie, Margie, what a mess I have made of it all," she whispered through her tears.
"I don't see how you could have helped it, dear."
"Yes, I could. I need not have married Jack in such a hurry, but I just felt I could not live without him and, Margie, he told me he could not live without me, and now he says it is all a mistake. He never loved me. He just loved love.
The ugly, forbidden things of every-day life always stand in wait to murder love, and, Margie, after love is slain life still has to be lived, engagements kept and a smiling face shown to the world.
I am not sure I am strong enough to stay here and go through with it.
"Margie, I am a woman just like you are. I like to have a good time. I like people to be nice to me. I am young. I can't look ahead of a life of just work, with Jack away and myself here in this position.
"You know men well enough to know, Margie, that there are always plenty of them ready and glad to be nice to you.
Since Jack has been going about so much with other women all of his men friends have tried to console me for his absence.
All of them have tried to make love to me in more or less vigorous fashion.
Last evening one of the men who has been going out with him for the last month or two came in—just as we were shutting up the shop. All the people went and left us alone together, and he began to make love to me, saying:
'Do you know you are the most fascinating little woman I have ever known. I wish you would come and take supper with me.' I said: 'Do you realize that I am the wife of your best friend?'
"I certainly do. That is why I am asking you.
Jack does not know what he is losing.
If I had you do you think I would go 'batting' around with the women he goes with?
Why, my dear, if you are true to him, you are a fool.'
"I won't listen to such talk. I am going to shut up the shop now. You must leave. I don't want to be seen coming out of the shop with you at this hour.'
"Then you are not going to take dinner with me?
I promise you I'll take you some place where you will not meet your husband and that peroxide blond that he has in tow now.
You need not be afraid.'
'I am not afraid of meeting my husband, for I am not going with you nor any other man.' I said, and then a terrible thing happened.
The man came up to me and put his arms about me and fairly crushed me to him, putting his unspeakable kisses all over my face.
"I fought like a tiger and succeeded in scratching his face.

'Oh! you would, would you?' he said as I hurt him.

'We'll see, my lady,' and he began to drag me toward the door.

"I don't know what he intended to do. I don't think he knew himself, for by this time I discovered he had been drinking. However, he stumbled against that bookcase and knocked it over, and in the confusion I got away and out on the sidewalk, where I waited until he staggered out and, without even a look at me, entered his machine, which had been standing out in front.

"Would that man have dared to do that, Margie, if he had not known that I was on the stage when Jack married me and was still a well-beloved wife?"

(To Be Continued Tomorrow)