THE CONFESSIONS OF A WIFE
THE MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS. CONFESSION 185
"Margie, I want to present Mr.
Sanders to you."
"Walter, this is the woman friend,
Mrs. Waverly, that I have told you so
much about," said Kitty after the
wedding ceremony.
I was furious for blushing as I
'glanced up into the quizzical eyes of
Walter Sanders.
"I am very glad to know the be
forehanded and accommodating
young woman who keeps wedding
rings secreted about her person to
produce on emergency, that the absent-minded
bridegroom and the ne
glectful best man may not be made
ridiculous and the bride tearful."
I was angry at myself for not say
ing outright 'that I had met and talked
with Mr. Sanders on the train coming
over, but I had talked to Kitty so
many times like a Dutch uncle for
her slight indiscretions that I could
not tell her with any degree of assur
ance that I had been guilty of what
she would probably call a regular
flirtation with a strange man.
Isn't it dreadful that sex must,
more or less, enter into every con
versation, every interest, every favor
that passes between a man and a wo
man? I wonder what Dick would say if
I should tell him of my little escap
ade and read him what I have written.
But of course I never will. This,
little book, is one of the secrets which
only you and I must share together.
I presume I am making mountains
out of molehills, but to you, dear
diary, I may as well confess what a
foolish woman I am. I am a splendid
preacher and as an advice-giver I am
perhaps unexcelled, but as a practi
tioner I expect I am just like all other
human beings. Of one thing, how
ever, I am sure, and that is no woman
is obliged to make loye her whole
existence even if she is married,.
There is a friendly companionship of
wits and understaudmg that is
mighty pleasan, and it makes no
claim on the heart or the emotion,
even if the companionship be between
the sexes. This man Sanders has in
terested me more than any one I have
ever met with the exception of Dick.
My interest in him bears out one
of the theories that Dick offered the
other riight when Miss Pairlow was
with us, and also my own idea that
what is sauce for the goose is sauce
for the gander. It is only to you, lit
tle book, do I make one of these old
sayings. Dick says: "No one woman
can be everything to a man." At the
time he said it I thought he was
crazy, but perhaps he may be right
and perhaps "no one man can hold
all the interests" of any woman.
My! that's a radical idea!
I am afraid Aunt Mary would think
I had gone crazy if I were to tell it
to her. Dear old Mrs. Selwin would
understand and say: "Margie, that is
just as true of women as of men,
but in all the long years that have
flung themselves behind, even wo
man's thoughts have not been free.
She has had to think along the lines
that man has prescribed for her, and
she would not dare even, think such
traitorous thoughts as you have just
spoken. That she could be at all in
terested in any man but the one who
singled her out for his favor, would
seem like branding her with the scar
let letter. W& have learned .different
ly now."
I went to sleep on the train think
ing of Dick and wondering why he
did not at least wire me.
Dear Dick, if you only knew how
much I appreciated the small atten
tions and how foolish I regard some
of the big. things you do.
I want to KNOW you think of me
.daily as I think of you I want you
to love me so much that you will
make me forget everything andev
evybody but you.
(To Be Concmuca Tomorrow.) j
--ITJ.J ' jjKl
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