European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 19, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse A j a or v-a2 " j v. By Daniel Farson illustration by Edith Werner huh i Iii Iii. I As he slammed the door a plaintive cry came from the drawing that you David he made no answer. Is that you David the voice was thriller this time. -. Yes he said in an expressionless tone. He delayed his Entrance and deliberately fussed Over the letters which Lay in a neat Row on the Silver tray on the Large Chest in the Hall. He examined them and smiled with from England copies of the Lon Don times and some illustrated Maga Zines. That meant an hour of real in. Joyent after dinner. He gathered letters braced himself and marched into the room. Of there you Are his wife said fatuous by. She sat in a tall embroidered chair at the end of the. Room. He took a chair near the door and though it was facing her managed to sit sideways ii order not to look at her. As a matter t fact it would have been hard to look at her for the bunds and shutters were Down and the room was almost fool woman he thought. You Only make it hotter by shutting yourself in like he shifted his position slightly so that a beam of Light from the Hall fell on the letter he had interesting Nis wife asked. Yes he answered mechanically an then continued to ignore her. After he had finished it he folded it carefully and said in a Calm forced manner Well and How Are you knew her answer would annoy him. He wondered Why he behaved like this. It would have been easy to have bounced in cheerfully to have made the conversation she wanted to hear. But somehow he derived a masochistic pleasure out of asking the question knowing full Well that he would suffer from the she said. Of i feel the note of desperate pretence which fooled nobody and was supposed to fool no body annoyed him. They sat in silence staring at each other through the Semi darkness. How overdressed you Are he thought. Cov ered with frills and folds literally raped in silk. No wonder you feel hot. Strange How-1 could have loved you so desperately ten years ago. There must. Have been something chemical betwee Nus. Also that was in England Long ago when you were a Young English Rose with red Cheeks pouring Tea out of a Silver Teapot on the Lawn of your father s country House on a Cool eng Lish summer s Day. Life was very pleas ant then Tennis Lazy afternoons on the River Strawberry Jam for Tea Cool nights. How Remote from All this you laughed a lot then infectious rippling laughter. I killed the laughter in you. Why do i treat you the Way i. Do wham i such a Swine you do me no harm. People Tell me Day in Day out How Lucky i am to have such a wife. I Don t hate you. I just Don t like re a thoroughly decent Good woman and if l can t be kind to you Why at.,least can t i be civil to you " " it s hot in t it he remarked knowing All the time. How her reply would exasperate him. It did. Yes it is she sighed. Well that s that he thought. That s the end of tha Brilliant conversation of god he moaned slightly under his breath. He Felt very sorry for few years before the mention of the words hot or heat would have caused great excitement. His wife had taken the Indian climate As a personal affront at first she had spoken of Little else. At first he had sympathized. But after a time the everlasting discussion of the heat got on his nerves. This was partly due to a guilty conscience. No woman certainly no woman As spoil Edas Mabel should have been taken out of her victorian English background an placed in the Middle of steaming India. The change was too great. Finally feel ing himself at fault he had flared up. Well what in heaven s name do you expect me to do about it do you think i like it any More than you do do you want to go Back if so Tell me and i la to to arrange she had started cry ing softly. He had stroked her hair gently kindly until she stopped. Poo Mabsy he had said. You do hate it Here Don t you and you re absolutely right. It s a shame that with All the Nice. Places in i had to bring you Here. Bloody Indiano it in to she had cried Don Tever say just so Long As you re with me nothing matters i m sorry i Veblen tiresome. I m afraid i must often be a trial to you. Do forgive pity she had never had children. He had always wanted a son. A child might have prevented the break be tween them. A child would have give her something to do someone to talk to. But even without children it Wouldhave been possible to Jive harmoniously in England. He knew of Many couple who had fallen out of love but who so buried and distracted themselves i their friends and interests that they lived together quite happily if distantly. But Here there was almost no one to talk to and almost nothing to do. least he went off on expeditions an business trips. She did nothing All Day Long. Little by Little hts bad temper had limited their Range of conversation. No she usually answered disinterest edly with that martyred look that so angered him. But he knew that if he would Only give her a word of encouragement she would be her old self again. Now she Rose unsteadily to her Feo tand tottered slowly across the room he scrutinized her As she passed. Poor Mabsy. The heat had faded the colors of her. Silks and she had faded wit them. The color seemed to have drained out of her face. She looked Beautiful but in a different in finitely pathetic Way. I think i la grand change she said very Well dear he replied. He listened to her footsteps tip-4apping across the floor and slowly slowly painfully of so painfully climbing up the stairs poor poor Mabsy. He must make special Effort tonight. He waited a moment before going upstairs. In his room he looked at the Mirror to see if he too had faded. There were deep lines in his face and his eyes were tired. But that was All. There was not even a Streak of Gray in his Black hair or Mustache and his Sun baked face made him look rather Dis. To anguished. For a few moments he looked at himself with satisfaction then he started to change. Forgetting the ordeal of the dinner table remembering the times and the magazines he started to whistle. I the next Day he was sleeping peace fully after Tiff in when he was Awak ened by a piercing scream. He Hur ried out onto the Lawn where he found his wife pointing wildly at some Bushes. A Snake she cried. A Long yellow one. It went in it was probably a cobra he said coldly. It s probably Miles away by now if your screaming did t give a heart Mabel greatly disliked \ being spoken to like that in front of servants. She pursed her Mouth and put on her sour expression As he called it. What a the matter he Aske l i have you eaten a Lemon or some thing her lips pressed together tighter. He went indoors but he could t sleep. Thereat was terrible. He stretched himself out on the floor. Soon he heard a Rustle and opening his eyes saw his wife above him. I do wish you would t speak to me like that before Bakir she said it. ?
