His Second Wife

waitress have a rest on the preceding night, Joe took Amy and Ethel out to dine in a café. His business had gone well that week and Joe was a genial husband. They

ened by Joe,

y. "Go in and help her, will

later, Ethel saw a face

that she felt her hea

d queer, distorted by

s the terror

. "Something I ate-it poisoned me!" T

e her, but with little or no success. It seemed hours till Joe came back. With him was a doctor, who made an examination

aid it's

hel could hear the reply she was called back into the bedro

! Make him give me

, of which Joe was the centre-Joe half craz

nd, at five A. M.," the doctor cried. "I'm

said, "Get him out of this." And she took Joe into the living-room.

n years! . . . Ah-that's it!" And he went to the telephone, where in a few moments she hear

ou done?" sh

the 'phone. He's bri

ould have asked

was his dist

the first one when he found how he had been summoned. In a moment with

cried. And with a glance into Joe's eyes, the second doctor turned to the

ook that appeared on Joe's face when

There's noth

oothed away. Heavily drugged, she was nearly asleep. Her hand felt for Joe's and closed

red and sl

r sister's hand closed on that of her husband. In the months

e long after

to Ethel to come i

ge?" he asked. She loo

ch loneliness as she

now how you arrange," she said.

was as though he had told her, "I'm sorry, but don't count o

shivered again, and he added, "Don

e dinner which Amy was

roat. She waited a mo

know of

send for them." And soon

r. She opened it, and a tall man, rather stooped, with iron grey hair and mousta

ourse, you know. How

's d

Who was she but a stranger now? She thought of Amy, and with a quick cry Ethel began to walk up and down in a scared hunted fashion. She stopped with a sudden resolute clenching of her teeth, and said, "Now I've got to do something! If I don't,

and get her s

ok. The door of Joe's room was still closed and she saw Nourse's hat i

t's the n

ty, and although it was prompt in its exclamations of shocked surprise and sympathy and proffers of help-the words, "You poor child, I'll come over at once!"-made E

and sat down on the floor. And as they built a house of blocks, Ethel could feel herself softening, the

come of me an

he unfriendly eyes of the nurse.

e," said Ethel. "Surely you

Are

truck into her spine at t

plans. Hadn't you better ta

rig

e as much as you c

" said the

he room. Were there

icial and overdressed, with a full bust and thick red lips and lustrous eyes of greenish grey-her beauty was of the obtrusive type that is made to catch the eye on the street a

t tell you how sorry I

ble. Tell m

ss voice recounted th

re's

, with hi

d you, my dear-I won't ask you now what are your plans. Just let me help you. What

t y

t of the ones w

re's one on

ll atten

repeating it to friend after friend, and making it hard, abrupt and real, stripping it of its myster

friend! Oh,

my had said about this friend-ad

again got control of herself. "What's wrong with me? Why am I so dull I ought to be doing something. But what?" Again came the voice

ves; and when a little later two of the dinner guests arrived, to

t hard and over-dressed! You're c

ling to them and make this abyss she was facing a region they must face by her side. In their eyes

d. And no other woman came to her that day. How different fro

heavy and gruff, it had yet revealed a tenderness that had given to Ethel a sudden thrill-which she had forgotten the next moment, for her thoughts kept spinning s

is over," he said, "th

o

es

mor

es

fo

rig

see

." There w

cemetery? You have any

New York." And agai

been here l

back now to your

ven't

aw a gleam of uneasiness in his ste

relatives liv

She swallowed sharply. "They're scatt

n do you inten

le-if Joe

oice was low, it had an anxious jealo

y not take it away?" he asked. "Joe never cared fo

have struck him. At he

r plans. I'm not myself. Sorry for Joe. Forgive me." He turned away from her, fr

professional men, and Mrs. Carr. She came and went; and her voice grew familiar-hard, intrusive, naked.

woman was Amy'

glimpse of Amy's face down in the handsome coffin, and at the sight she turned away with a s

dent: "There's an afternoon tea on the floor below, so the casket

e laugh at that and asked

r face he stopped. He had come from a church two blocks away. Joe and Amy had never been to his

xes of flo

r's shop two pretty

ing-silent, awkward st

in with Susette and tak

no music.

as kindly. He was brief, and yet too long; for from the apartment one flight be

just a min

out into the hall and back and

rse was wai

ercifully deep. Then she made him eat some supper and take something to make him sleep. And later in her own small room she

What do I know? . .

. What is life? Wh

t home. She was hungry for them now, the old stays and firm supports, the old frame house, her father and the God in the yellow church, the quiet river, the high school

pictures drift again. Church sociables, a Christmas tree, dances, suppers and buggy rides, picnics by the river. How small and very far-away and trivial they now appeared. All had pointed toward New York

d dim; the new ones, garish and confused. She recalled those faces of Amy's friends. "Yes, cheap an

Where have you gone?" And at last, quite suddenly,