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CONFESSIONS OF A WIFE
HOPELESS AND HEARTSICK
"Do you know, Margie, you have
not danced with me tonight?" asked
Jim.
"If you will take my thoughts
away from my troubles and concen
trate them in my feetJim, I'll bless
you forever more."
"You may be able to do that,
Edie," said Mr. Holmes. "I have
found that Mrs. Waverly's mind is
too big to give way to her little feet"
"Very neat very neat, Holmes,"
answered Jim, suavely, "but I'm go
ing to show you how Mrs. Waverly
can dance when she has some one
who is a real partner to dance with."
But as soon as whirled me away
Jim demanded: "Margie, I believe
you are going crazy."
"I think I am, Jim," I acquiesced
meekly.
"What do you mean by letting that
pig of a Holmes try to dance with
you and all the while make him
think you are interested in him."
"I was interested; Jim, and more
than all that, I am going, from now
on, to be interested in everybody.
Oh," I said impulsively, "I wish I
could tell all women not to concen
trate all their interests in their hus
bands." "But, my dear woman." asked
Jim in a surprised tone, "where
should a wife's interest be concen
trated if not in her husband?"
"Yes, Jim, her interest, but not all
her interests. You see in me how
she becomes so absolutely bankrupt
when he fails her."
"Is it so bad as that, Margie?"
"Yes if you call it bad to lose
faith in everything and everybody;
to suspect my own sex and to de
spise yours; to say when I get up in
the morning, 'What is the use of it
all?' and when I go to bed at night,
Oh, that I might go to sleep and
never wake up.' To have hours when
a reckless mood makes me think I'll
do the most outrageous things, and
to realize immediately that I can
never be other than I am. To grieve
not for the loss of Dick's love "
"Margie, you have Dick's love,"
interrupted Jim.
" but for the knowledge that I
have lost not only faith and trust,
but hope," I continued as though he
had not spoken.
"Just a little while ago, Jim, you
were taking me to task because I
was so seemingly frivolous, and now,
when you have surprised me into
showing you a little of my real
heart, you are still horrified.
"However, don't let's talk about it,
let's dance," and, little book, dance
we did, doing for the first time in
many weeks the old familiar stunts
until every one left the floor and ad
miringly watched us do our exhibi
tion dance.
After a little 1 did forget, little
book. I gave myself up entirely to
the rhythm of the dance, my brain
was lulled to sleep and my mind was
centered in my feet.
"Thank you, Jim," I said as he led
me over to Dick while our audience
applauded with great vim.
"Sometime I'll expect to see you
and Margie in vaudeville," remarked
Dick rather sarcastically.
"I hardly think I would care to
make dancing a vocation," I said.
"It is too great a pleasure. I think
if I should even go to work again I
would go back to school teaching."
Dick looked up quickly. Evidently
the thought that perhaps I had con
templated doing this was new and
annoying to him.
"Haven't you "had enough of this,
Margie?" he asked rather roughly.
"Plenty," I said quickly. "I only
want to go over and .tell that pretty
Mrs. Holmes that I am coming over
to see her very soon, and bid good
by to Eliene and Annie and then I
am ready."
Where do you think, little book, I
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