Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-01

person in our entire apartment
colony. When all forgathered
in the cooperative drawing ROOM quite
happy until Billy came in 1t was partly because he
was young and good lookng,-a huge wide Shout
dered athletic chap with really black hair truly blue
eyes. and large features, rather stern except the
mouth. That mouth, suppose, accounted partly for
my share in the arrangement of his fate. A gener-
ous susceptible mouth it was, with sensitive
which contradicted the severity of the other features
My friends thought young Holbrooks chief charm
for me lay in his youthful idealism; and it cannot
be denied that to nearing thirty, the
furnished ideality and chivaric devotion of knight
of twenty-five make strong appeal.
Well, to get to my story year ago last New
Years Billy Holbrook and were happily seeing the
Old Year out by my log fire, tete a-tete instead of
lingering in the drawing room with the rest of the
fatters' as called fellow cooperators in the
colony. After little feast, / slipping coffee,
while Billy poked the logs and pulled at his pipe.
u thank whatever gods there be, he said con-
tentedly between puffs that l not reunioning
at Aunt Mary s,-moth eaten family jokes, platitu-
dinous converse with Cousin Ellen
There's place like home that's why came
away | hummed sympathetically. DO you
know, Billy you my natural selection brother,
nearer to me than any of my real brothers.
IN not SO awful near! Why can't bring this
pillow over there?"
For one thing you Il be more comfortable where
you are"
oh, if that's ALL" He put up his pipe and
changed his place with alacrity.
And for another thing, l went on, rising with
the pretext of putting my cup the table, I'm
not the sentimental kind of sister,
I'm sentimental enough for two, tonight.
came the caressing response,-"a regular Senti-
mental Tommy I'm thinking about that Christmas
Eve when you told us kids stories at grandmothers.
was only fifteen then; but was jealous Othello
of Uncle Billy. I've always been glad you turned
him down. fnally-though s'pose it's wicked to
say SO. When you are in that cloudy, purply gown,
and the freight strikes the gold from hair and
touches the velvet OF your cheeks, like to fancy
you my fairy queen My fairy queen you under
stand ,-mine!'
| struggled free from the spell of his appealing
o,1 chr o{f& IT,
words had ushered in from the past. Lets leave
fancies, dear boy, said gently. Lets talk about
realities and the present; the New Year for in
stance Will you 60 in as hard this year as last for
Yes. BY George! Bernard Shaw hits US off about
night when he says we're nation of villagers, and
calls US mean We are meant l feel mean I'm
ashamed to live in such rotten country, and every
grown person that pretends to scrap of patriotism
has got to sweat blood to clean things up The
labor men talking Of"
RILLY was off riding his hobby; but now woman
like, began to miss the personal tone had
banished from his voice and manner. As, rapt in
his subject, he paced the floor and outlined his
program tor the municipal campaign, my thoughts
wandered back to the past in search of companion
ship. My seven longest years seemed to fade away
Another Billy appeared in vision and life reopened
to me at its dearest page. But, alas! how quickly
recollection turned the later leaves and brought me
back again to the hopeless chapter of the passing
year! sort of special holiday loneliness crept into
the very bottom of my heart
Something in my face must have arrested Billy;
Tor suddenly he paused and came abruptly to tip
my rocking chair back till he could catch and hold
my eyes.
I'm jealous again" he said You are miles and
Years away from me. l see it in your face Why
do l talk of government reform tonight ANYWAY?
The real thing is that you have given me this
hour; that I'm back you after all the years of
separat1on that we are never going to lose each
other again-though I'm deadly scared Brandon
or Scuy will carry you off. l wish l could marry
You myself; but of course you'd never never spend