Affinities and Other Stories

Mary Roberts Rinehart

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

I AFFINITIES

II THE FAMILY FRIEND

III CLARA'S LITTLE ESCAPADE

IV THE BORROWED HOUSE

V SAUCE FOR THE GANDER

AFFINITIES AND OTHER STORIES

AFFINITIES

SOMEBODY ought to know the truth about the Devil's Island affair and I am going to tell it. The truth is generally either better or worse than the stories that get about. In this case it is somewhat better, though I am not proud of it.

It started with a discussion about married women having men friends. I said I thought it was a positive duty it kept them up to the mark with their clothes and gave a sort of snap to things, with out doing any harm. There were six of us on the terrace at the Country Club at the time and we all felt the same way that it was fun to have some body that everybody expected to put by one at dinners, and to sit out dances with and like the way one did one's hair, and to say nice things.

"And to slip out on the links for a moonlight chat with you," said Annette, who is rather given to those little pastimes, the most harmless in the world.

We were all awfully bored that Sunday after noon. Most of the men were golfing; and when you meet the same people all the time day after day, dinner after dinner, dance after dance any thing new is, welcome. Really the only variety we had was a new drink now and then. Some one would conic home from h

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