The Eugene guard., May 11, 1925, Image 11

are the Opening Chapters of an Absorbing Story. It Will Continue in The Guard Daily Beginning May 16
i " '. I TTS-- Zp3&tt&&y?5r& h
Special Section for
Second Section .
"The Flapper Wife"
Four Pages
EUGENE, OREGON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 11, 1925.
NO. 107
Here Are Hero And Heroine of Flapper Story
VOL.67
CHAPTER 1
p WS the lat night of Gloria'.
"iitood looking down at the white
Jtadr.M.Pl out on her bed
7.d fen worn by two other
her grandmother and,
iride .
kw, her own mother.
-It I eertainly don't intend to
tod of lite they had!" Gloria
Jk bobbed head at the wh.te
nil of her room.
Her dead grandmother, whose
TO;.'rn hands had ' raised ten
"children! Think of it ... .
Gloria shuddered.
-Xot for me!" she said aloud, 'Not
ill know myself !"
.
Of course, Wek might want child
m. He probably would. Most men
U want them. Why not, since they
ui none of the bother and pain of
aiviir them?
They could go on living their lives
riile the wives lost sleep and fresh
earing for the children.
Thty could rush about, doing as
fa, pleased. For their women were
(( at home, chained to the cradle . .
Xo, she was not going to have
tobies! Not even one!
So that was that!
.
Then Gloria's thoughts flew down
itiirs to the sitting room. She knew
let mother was there in the old rock
er, mending stockings. She was al
ii;! mending. And still the basket
hi always full. It held an endless
job.
Poor Mother! Mow hard she work
ed! There was nothing for her but
housework and her family, year after
rear. Ye gods, what a life!
... A woman was cither a slave or
I doll
But il she was a slave, it was her
in fault. And that's nil there was
to it
Gloria bad made up her mind that
the was through with hard work,
fererer, last week when she had said
roodbjr to her typewriter and her
job.
Gloria lifted the old wedding dress
from tho bed, and put it on the
dothes hanger in the closet. But the
ill was heavy and the dress slid off
into a heap on the floor.
"Mother!" Gloria called down-
itiira, "Will you come up here right
away? 1 want you to help me with
tiii tricky dress. It keeps falling
off the hanger."
Gloria (lordon's mother was n
Willi brown wren of n woman. All
lier life Rhc hnd "babied" her beauti
ful daughter.
Now she hung the dress nently in
Ite closet. Then she turned down
Gloria's bed, nnl put a hot wrrter
kltle between the sheets.
"Dear me, Glory," she fretted, "I
flntkoow how you're ever going to
W along without me to take care of
Twi. when you're married and gone.
"Don't you worry about me," the
trt answered, "1 11 be taken care of
12 riatht. That's what I meant to
! "hen I told yon I didn't want to
torn anything about housework. ou
it I don't know how to do it.
will have to hire a maid for me
rat from the start."
set her lovely mouth in a firm
fei line.
"I had different ideas when I was
"4e." Mrs. i;orlonignirl n.i,.tlv.
"ought n woman ought to help
su'bai.d."
1 knuw you did. Ym,r idea of
J"' win I,, take care of your
i,h"i. Mi,,, i, t , j , lk(,
f me!" t;iria sbrilletl. "Where
" " r"rl"-t sweeper I'm going
n an automobiles!
.'" m" "P my mind that I'm
he I'iek'. sweetheart . . .
oouackoeper. I'm
bed till noon, and
- and
Jjy Beatrice Burton 1925 m-SEEVICB
Eli sWjar.Tvr s-ki --M .clm
x - r,:"H K'va
have
must kiss you, dearl Think, It's our wedding day."
ling, I'm not coming down," she said softly. "You shouldn't
asked me to. do such a horrid thing."
house, and the alarm clock that had
wrenched her from sleep at seven ev
ery morning for the last two years.
Away from the necessity of working
six days a week as typist for a real
estate firm.
And mixed up with Gloria's love
for Dick Gregory was an enormous
gratitude toward him for taking her
away from al! this to a life of case
with him.
At least, Gloria intended that it
should ho ease . . . and luxury, too.
She was tired of penny-pinching and
hard work. Pend tired.
A job and a business career were
all very well in their way for girls
who weren't beautiful and desirable
. . . girls whom men didn't want.
But with a face like hers . . .!
Then she turned out the lights above
the dressing table.
She climbed into bed, pulled the
covers around her Bhoulders, and
sleepily kissed her mother good night.
Two hours later she sat up in bed
wide awoke, with the feeling that
someone had called her.
She listened. No sound in the
darkened house. .
Then suddenly she heard a low
"Bob White" whistle out of doors.
Pick!
She swung her feet over the side
of tho bed, and flew to the window.
There he stood down on the moonlit
lawn. She heard him laugh as she
threw up the window.
"It's our wedding day," he said.
"Ten minutes after twelve! How's
my bride?"
"Oh, Pick, how wicked of you!"
Gloria sold, exasperated. "Pon't you
know it's hod luck to sen your bride
on your wedding day before the
my husband:'
going to
keep my
Utrfc.
rr'!,'li e room to her dres
leaned forward and"
rT it. the mirror,
e knew
M red.,
had
tlat she was beautiful.
"'! hfiir and dark eves
Her ckin ...,.. .. A
1'"V And the forces
"" iw.,..;
B it k
,,t t ' "-'' "wen and womanly
"! ''' miHlf dicontented and
At,. I.ifwith .
b'tinning tomorrow
I'l dail
d her features
"'"r nt'd fine.
M ti,;
T 'r i:r.
'val i
a y
J.
-tie
;ll"-f:.v (r,
would burst forth
ora its cocoon, and
' flwe ' I ' IS Mm
dol
"Do you think you can afford the coat?
It's four hundred
Ar from this shabby llan ... the one I want, dear. h aid coolly.
preacher makes her yours? And be
sides, what will the neighbors think
if they see you?"
"Oh, bother the neighbors! Tt'j
won't be your neighbors after tomor
row, anyway," Pick replied in a sti;,e
whisper. "liook here, I want to Wrt
you. . . . I've been thinking abot
you all evening during that doggopfd
bachelor dinner . . . ."
With a bang, Gloria shut the win
dow, and went back to bed, $ '.
She lay there waiting for the sond
of Pick's roadster. But there
no Bound anywhere except the lone
some shriek pf a train in the distance.
At last she got up and locked out
of the window. Pick hadn't moYfcd.
He was still waiting for his kiss. .
Gloria opened the window.
"Why in the world don't you go
home?" she asked crossly.
Pick didn't answer at once. He
stood twirling his hat in his hands'
"Oh, have a heart, Glory," he said
finally, "Come on down to the front
door for iust a minute. ; . . I mu9t
kiss you, dear! Think, it's our wtd
ding day."
Gloria hesitated. After all, where
was the harm In one little kiss in the
dead of night? In another twelve
hours they would no man and wife.
"All riehL I'll be rlcht down," she
whispered.
She put on her bathrobe and thrust
her bare feet into slippers. She tip
toed out into the hall.
Halfway down the stairs she
paused.
This was not the thing to do!
She was making herself cheap
. . . "easy." The way to hold a man
was to keep him guessing. To kiss
him so seldom that love-making
would never lose its tang and flavor.
A man was a born hunter. He
loved the chase. As soon as he got
what he. wanted, ho was off at top
speed for something else, for some
body else!
Well, she would keep Pick running
after her! She would never go to
him as she was going now! Never!
She turned and ran back to her
room.
"Pick!" she called softly from the
window. He came out from the
shadow of the porch.
"Parling, I'm not coming down,"
Gloria said. "I just can't. It wouldn't
bo right. You shouldn't have asked
me to do such a horrid thing I"
Without answering. Pick crossed
the lawn and started his car.
Gloria lay In bed listening to the
sound of it. She heard it for a long
time, and she knew that Pick had
gone out on the avenue, to take one
lost look at the house he hod built
for her.
What a boy he was!
At twenty, she was more worldly
wise than Pick, in spite of his thirty
years and his reputation as a lawyer.
He was like wax In her hands. She
could make him utterly miserable by
refusing him a kiss. And when she
was tender he would willingly go
through fire and water for her! He
snid so.
.... When she did kiss him, she
was never thrilled by It. What ex
cited her was the power that kiss
gave her over him !
Yes, Pick was mad about her. He
would give her anything she asked
for. And she was not going to be
slow in asking for the thinks she
wanted . . . leisure, love and luxury.
Mot above all, luxury!
Gloria's first thought tlie next
morning wss "This is my wedding
day.
Her seeond was "This is the last
morning I shall have to wake up In
this dingy old room, thank goml-
neBstM 4
She hated everything In it, from
the battered brsss bed to the imita
tion ivory toilet set.
By tomorrow morning she would
i be the wife of a man who could buy
I her wonderful things .... a toilet
S t of silver, perfumes, Iney hand
kerchiefs, chiffon stockings too thin
ever to be mended!
She had made up her mind that
her honeymoon would be a shopping
trip. too. With Pick to pay the bills
".Sweetheart,- Piek had said, "let's
honeymoon in some quiet plar-e where
we can be alone," But nhe had
laughed him to scorn.
"Pon't you know you mn be Ion
lier in a big city than anywhere else
in the world, ailly?" she had asked.
"I've decided on Montreal. It's ro
mantic, but it's full of lovely shops
and restaurants. And we Bhall Btop
at the Hits .... and be very smart
and Ritiy!"
Pick had laughed. And she had
her way.
So when a certain train rolled
across the couutry that November
night, Mr. ond Mrs. Kir hard Gregory
were on It. Their drawlug room waa
packed with bridea roses.
"You're like a rose, yourself, my
little Glory! All mine at last!" Pick
murmured. His arms held her close.
Hia eager lips pressed down hungrily
upon hers that were so smooth and
cool.
CHAPTER II. '
JER honeymoon was the most won-
ui-nui nme or uioria a itte.
. She slept tho mornings away, and
breakfasted elegantly at noon.
In tho afternoons she and Pick
hired a fiacre to take thorn far up
the ateep.road to Mount Royal, or
out into the country.
They ate in quaint little French
restaurants.
And Gloria shopped!
She bought beads and earrings and
more than a dozen bottles of French
perfume, while Pick stoyed in the
hotel reading.
Gloria had never known anyone who
read so much as he.
"For a rising young lawyer, you're
quite a high-brow, it seems to mo,"
she said one morning.
She was lying back In a long chair
while the hotel hair-dresser marcelled
her reddish gold hair. She laughed
almost scornfully.
Pick made no answer. He sat
down and picked up a book, only to
put It down. Ho filled his pipe and
laid it uulighted, on the dresser.
tome nere, restless soul, I want
to talk to you," Gloria held out to
him a slim hand. "Do you know, it's
awfully cold out doors? I nearly
froze yesterday. I need a coot. I'd
like a fur one. I'vo been looking at
one in that little shop down the
street . , . . "
Her voice trailed off. The hair
dresser had finished her work and
was putting her iron and brushes
away in a little black hog. Glory paid
her.
Kl -S5 SX v f I ' I
Gloria Gordon
Dick Gregory
The moment the door had closed
behind her, Pick come across the
room. Ho put his hands under
Gloria's elbows, holding her away
from him.
'Look here, please don't havo peo
ple bunging around hero nil the time,"
he said. "Vou're beautiful enough
without having your hair curled
every time the wind blows. I want
yon olone, all to myself . . . ."
With sudden passion he pulled her
to him, and kissed her eyelids, her
mouth, the little hollow of her throat.
"Wonderful! Beautiful!' he said.
I is voice wss choked and queer.
Gloria could feel the beating of his
heart against her own, and the quiv
ering of hia hands. j
With one of her own she pushed j
him away from her. She smoothed (
down her ruffled hair. )
"Po you think you can afford the;
coat? It's four hundred dollars . . .j
the one I want, dear," she said cool- f
ly. "It's a jacket of Siberian squiBrel.'
She laced her fingers at back of j
hia neck, and held her face up to his. j
"Say you'll get it for me," she said.
Without a word Pick nodded and i
turned away. He picked up his pipe!
and his book. j
"I'm going down to the men's !
lounge for a while," he said shortly.
"I'll meet you at the elevator at two. j
We'll hunt up a new place for lunch,
shall we?" j
And so It happened that the new
Mrs. Richard Gregory came home
from her honeymoon wearing a costly j
fur coat, fragrant with scept.
They went to dinner that first j
night with Pick's father and mother !
in the old homestead. 1
"Roly-poly pudding!" said Pick j
when Maggie, the maid, brought in the :
dessert, "I'll bet mother made it
just for me.'
"She certainly did," answered old
Mr. Gregory. Mrs. Gregory beamed
at (iloria.
"Pick sometimes has nervous in
digetion, as you probably know, my
dear," she said in her rich contralto
voice, "and when he hax an attark, I
always cook everything for him my
self ..... very carefully. "You un
doubtedly will, too."
"I can't coo," Gloria said In a ,
very small voice. "I con't cook at
all."
Mother Gregory frowned. Then
her wide brow cleared.
You will learn," she smiled com
fortably. "You will learn."
And Gloria amiled back with her
ripe Hps. But there waa no smile in
her amber eyes. They were like
pools of water that no sunlight has
warmed. .
. , She would never learn to cook!
She would never bo a house-hold
drudge, her hands shriveled with
washing dishes. Her nails broken.
. . If Pick's mother thought this
was the kind of girl her son had mar
ried, she was jolly well mistaken!
Gloria widened her eyes. She
turned to Mother Gregory.
"By the way, I'll need a cook Tight
away," she said sweetly. "I wonder
if Maggie would know of nnyono who
wants a place. If Pick has n weak
stomach, my efforts at cooking would
kill him, most likely."
- After dinner sho ond Pick walked
homo to the new house. It was white
with green shutter, and it nestled
among the evergreens that surround
ed it. Everything in it was fresh and
new. Pick and bIiq had spent happy
months buying furniture for it.
"I any, Glory, I wonder if we can
afford a cook," Pick began the first
of what Gloria later colled his "econ
omy sermons."
They had just come Into the little
house. Glory switched on the lights
and sighed with joy. The house with
its Chinese rugs and yellow silk cur
tains was a dream. A dream come
true I
"Afford a cook? Why, of course,
we can afford a cook," she said.
It was absurd that a surcessfhl law
yer couldn't afford a cook for his
wife!
"I'm not so sure,"' Pick said. He
set their bags on the floor and drop
ped into a choir.
"You see, dearest," he went on.
"the furniture isn't quite paid for.
And our honeymoon sent a thousand
dollars to the four winds. Then, there
was the fur coot I gave you . . ."
"Well, for goodness sake, whot did
you want to get married for, if you
couldn't afford to keep up ft homo?"
Gloria asked with sudden fury. Sln
waa tired, and she was sure that
Pick's mother hated her.
"Your mother thinks that I ought
to spend my whole llfo cooking, so
you think so, tool Well, I'm not go
ing to . . . d'you hear? I'm not going
to fry nil the color out of my cheeks
standing over a red-hot stove for
hours ond days and years . . ."
Then she burst into wild sobbing
and ran upstairs.
Sho threw herself on the bed in
their room, and waited for Pick to
come to her. Sho wanted him to mm
fort her. to forgive her, and to tell
her she could have a cook.
But he didn't come. Kho listened
No step on tho stairs.
Then Glory began to laugh. Not
as sho had ever laughed before In nil
her life, but with grout gasps that
shook her from head to foot.
And ns sho laughed tears rolled
down her face.
... All nt once sho was oworo of
Pick standing nt the foot of tho bed
lie had h big pitcher in his hands.
Then she felt the sting of Ice-wal
in her face!
It choked ond blinded her. But
she went on IniiKhing ond crying. Kb
tried to slop. She couldn't stop!
Presently sho heard the low rumble of
Pick's roadter under her window
. . . . And the next thing she knew
It wns brood daylight. She lay in her
own bed, very tired ond hungry.
"What's happened?" she asked her-
A Love Story Written
About Modern Folks
t
4
1 1 a
Gloria Gordon nmr
riod for a lifo of oaao
niid luxury.
But in Iter qu('nt for
ploHHiiro hIiu forgot
1 1 1 r liunbanil and llio
bellcr tiling of life.
Tlicn Kin; camo liack
to tlii'in.
Von will lie inti-fPhl-cd
in reading of liur
experiences in "Tie!
Flapper Wife," wliieli
will riturt serially in
Tho Guard next Mon
day. It is a human docu
ment which carries a
forcible sermon to all.
Gloria's story has
been written by Rcat
rice. Htirton, a talented
newspaper woman, who
is skilled to detect the
deeper currents of emotions which sweep women,
men.
The first installment of this absorbing story is
published herewith. Another full paRC installment
will be published next Saturday. Thereafter the
story will be carried in daily installments.
if
GLOW A GOKPOM
self. For she felt blue and unhappy
as If something dreadful were hanging
over her. Then she remembered lost
night.
"Pick!" Gloria called, "Oh, Pick!"
Immediately ho appeared In the
doorway. His face was covered with
lather, and he held n shaving brush.
"Pick Gregory, why did you throw
that water into my face last night?"
Gloria asked. Pick grinned.
"Because I thought you hnd hys
terics, and I guessed right," he cheer
fully answered. "I went out and got
Hoc Seymour, and he gave you some
pills to put you to sleep, or you'd
probably be crying y:;t ... or laugh
ing. I'll admit that the laughing got
my goat."
"Well, don't you ever dnre to throw
one drop of water ot mo ever again,
no matter whot I do," Gloria said
solemnly, "or III walk rigjit out of
this house and never come back.
D'you Understand?"
'
Inslnntly he was beside her bed
holding her close, stroking her per
fumed hair.
"PnrMiig, I was a brute to do it, but
I'd nlwnya heard that loo water was
a sure cure for hysterics . . ."
1 ick stopped talking ond put a
finger to hiq lips in warning. From
the stairway came tho tinkle of dishes
and the nronialic smell of fresh cof
fee. Maggie, Mother Gregory's moid,
walked into Ilia room carrying a huge
t ray t
"Here sht in! Tho world's best
cook!" Pick said with a flourish,
".Mother hns promised to lend Maggm
lo us for a few weeks, until you get
your bearings, Glory."
"Indeed, I wanted to come, Mr.
Pick," Mogglp Haid heartily.
"I phoned Mother lont nitrht that
yon were ill, ond Maggie came over
first thing this morning," Pick ex
plained when the door hsd closed upon
Maggie's brond bock. "And she sent
word that you were not to worry
about her. She says she con get
along beautifully, olone, for a few
weeks."
It bad not occurred to Gloria to
worry about I tick's mother In a moid
lens house. She seemed so large and
capable ... so adequate to any of the
small worries of life.
There was breakfast for two on
the big tray . . . chilled grapefruit,
jdiirn-d eggs, and coffee with thiek
ci t am.
Gloria beamed at Pick over the
rim of her cup. Her eyes were soft
o a child'!, once more.
"Purling, I wa dreadful lnt night,
wasn't I '! Tell me I don't deserve
Much a duck of a husband," she cooed.
She patted Dirk's log band. She vm
yielding and adorable now (hut she
actually had o cook in the house.
For she hod had her own way, as
he always hod since the day she waa
born!
"I'm afroid my Glory is a spoiled
child,' Pick snid, but his voice was
deep with love.
"Next time she hit a tantrum I'm
going downtown ond play poker all
nig lit. with the boyn," he finished.
Gloria gnve a goHp of surprise.
This from Dick!
i ".hist you try slaving out nights!"
' she cried, ".lust, you try to pull any
S thing like that on me! Po you know
! whot I'll do?"
j (To be continued Saturday, Mi-y HI.
j ond daily thereafter)
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