Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-12

1t. Don't you know that three is num-
eral of lover
Il thought two was the number" chimed
Dorothy. with heartless mirth-
Three" said katherine, taking one last
look at the empty horizon. then seating her
self in front of her friend, three is a re-
curing decimal 1t goes on and on and on
forever, and II you write 1t for thousand
years you are still as far from the end as
when you began. 1t will carry you round
the world and back again, and never dimin-
ish. 1t is the mathematical emblem OF the
nature of true love-
Us it SO serious all that, Kate, are
you just fooling again." asked Dorothy,
more soberly than heretofore. Has he
spoken to your
Spoken He has done nothing but speak.
and 1 have listened-oh. SO intently, and
with such deep understanding. He has
never before met such a woman as l. and
has frankly told me So
II am very glad he appreciates you. dear"
Yes, you see. Dorothy. 1 am really much
deeper than the ordinary woman. Who for
instance. could find such beautiful love
smile from a book OF arithmetic costing
20 cents. as | have unearthed from decimal
fractions? With that example In mind how
can you doubt that other volumes of col
lege learning reveal to me their inner mean
ing? John presented to me. as he said
good-by. a beautifully bound copy of that
celebrated text book. Saunders Analytical
Chemistry, with particularly tender pas
hand"
Rather bewildered. for Hates expression
was one of pathos. unrelieved by any CLEAN
of humor Dorothy nevertheless laughed. al
though the laugh brought no echo from
katherine.
And did you give him volume OF
Browning in return?"
NO, I didn't. How can you be so un-
sympathetic Is 1t impossible for you to
comprehend the unseen link that binds
John and me? / rummaged the book store
until l found a charming little edition OF
Marshall's Biologists Pocket Companion,
covered with beautiful brown limp Russia
leather-I thought the Russian binding was
so inspirational-with a sweet little clasp
that keeps 1t closed-typical OF our hands
at parting. On the fiyleaf I wrote: TO
J L.. in remembrance of many interesting
conversations with his friend, K X 1t
only needed another K to be enblema tic
and political, "Reminiscences of the olden
times, when you people OF the south, Doro-
thy. were making It hot for US deserving
folks in the north. i hadn't time to go
through the book very thoroughly, but I
found many references to limestone, which
1 marked. and one particularly choice bit
OF English relating to the dissolution and
reconciliation of various minerals drew
a parellelogram around in red Ink. A friend
of mine in a motor launch was good enough
TO take the little parcel direct to the Con
sternation. and I have no doubt that at
this moment Jack is perusing 1t. and per-
up-to-date. and that he had not previously
bought a copy"
You don't mean to say, Kate, that your
conversation was entirely about geology?"
Certainly not. How could you have be-
come imbued with an idea SO absurd7 We
had many delightful balances down the
romantic groves OF chemistry, heart-to-
heart talks on metaliurgy, and once-ah.
shall l ever forget it-whle the dusk gen.
thy embodied us, and / gazed into those
bright. speaking, intelligent eyes of his
as he bent nearer and nearer; while his
low, sonorous voice In well-chosen words
pictured to me the promise which fortified
cement holds out to the world: that is,
ignorant person, Portland cement strength
ened by ribs of steel; and / sat listening
breathless as hts glowing phrases prophe-
sled the future of this combination"
Katherine closed her eyes, rocked gently
back and FORTH and crooned, almost In
audibly:
When you gang ava. Jimmie,
Faur across the sea, iaddie
When ye gang to Russian lands
What VIII ye send TO me, ladder
/ know what l shalt get. 1t will probably
be a newly discolored recipe for the com
pounding of cement which will do away
with the necessity of steel strengthening -
Kate. dear, you are OVERRIDING #. 1t Is
quite right that woman should be a mys-
terry to man but she should not aspire to
become a mystery TO her sister woman.
Are you Just making fun, OF 10 there some
thing in all this more serious than your
words imaiy?"
Like the steel strengthening in the &C.
ment, II may be there, but you can't see
1t, and you can't touch 1t, but 1t makes
oh. such difference to the slab. Heigho.
Dorothy. let US forsake these hard-headed
subjects. and turn to something human.