Volume VII Part 16 (1/2)
”True as preachin',” declared Mrs. Pendleton, adding that you could have knocked her down with a feather when she discovered it.
Elsie Howard came into her mother's room just then and Mrs. Pendleton repeated the exciting news, adding, ”Gladys says they don't live together because of incompatibility of humor!”
Elsie smiled and remarked that it certainly was a justifiable ground for separation and unkindly went off, leaving the subject undeveloped.
The next day Mrs. Howard had a caller. It was the friend whose cousin had a friend that had known Mrs. Pendleton. In the process of conversation the caller remarked casually:
”So Mrs. Pendleton has got her divorce at last.”
Mrs. Howard smiled vaguely and courteously.
”Some connection of our Mrs. Pendleton? I don't think I have heard her mention it. Dear me, isn't it dreadful how common divorce is getting to be!”
The guest stared.
”You don't mean to say--why, my dear Mrs. Howard--is it _possible_ you don't know? It _is_ your Mrs. Pendleton.”
Mrs. Howard remained looking at her friend. Once or twice her lips moved but no words came.
”Her husband is dead,” she said at last, faintly.
The caller laughed. ”Then he must have died yesterday. Why, didn't you know that was the reason she spent last year in Colorado?”
”For her husband's health,” gasped Mrs. Howard, clinging to the last shred of her six months' belief in Mrs. Pendleton's widowhood. ”I always had an impression that it was there he died.”
The other woman laughed heartlessly. ”Did she tell you he was dead?”
Mrs. Howard collected her scattered faculties and tried to think.
”No,” she said at last. ”Now that you speak of it, I don't believe she ever did. But she certainly gave that impression. She seemed to be always telling of his last illness and his last days. She never actually mentioned the details of his death--but then, how could she--poor thing?”
”She couldn't, of course. That would have been asking too much.” Mrs.
Howard's guest went off again into peals of unseemly laughter.
When her caller had left, Mrs. Howard climbed up to the chilly skylight room occupied by her daughter and dropped upon the bed, exclaiming:
”Well, I never would have believed it of Mrs. Pendleton!”
Elsie, who was standing before her mirror, regarded her mother in the gla.s.s.
”What's up. Has she eloped with Billie Barlow at last?”
Mrs. Howard tried to say it, but became inarticulate with emotion. After five minutes of preamble and exclamation, her daughter was in possession of the fact.
”That explains about her hair,” was Elsie's only comment. ”I am so relieved to have it settled at last.”
”Why didn't she tell me?” wailed Mrs. Howard.
”Oh, people don't always tell those things.”
Mrs. Howard was silent.