The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-10-25

lOT WHICH people always lauBn 80 at a
woman-she was falling headlong in
love with a man her junior-twelve
years, to be exact. And when she was
fifty--which would not be for a long,
long time, she told herself-her hus-
band would be just thirty-eight.
James spoke near the end of sum-
mer of outdoor recreation which had
made him neglect his business and re-
duced her wardrobe to one evening
frock and house dress or two. And
when he did speak, she put her two
little hands into his and let him gath
er her right to that throbbing young
heart of his.
Genevieve felt guilty about not hav-
ing Jennie to the wedding, which took
place in October. But Jennie had WIS.,
tied friends in the west all vacation,
and had lost week of the opening so
she was working very hard, her teach
er said. So Genevieve just wrote and
told her; and Jennie was little hurt
and felt that mamma had acted rather
rashly without consulting her, and
wrote and told her so. Jennie was
capable young woman.
James was very happy at the time.
Even when she took her hair down,
Genevieve was still charming, and that
is test which no woman past thirty
likes to meet, unless her husband is a
perfectly well-trained husband, and
used to her anyway.
About Christmas Jennie came home
for the holidays. Jennie was now
seventeen; and when she was intro
duced to her stepfather, her new step
father nearly had a fit. She was as
tall as he, and looked old enough to be
married herself.
When this happens in stories, it is
only up to the point of the young man
being engaged to the mother of the
grownup daughter. Then his father,
who has known the mother in his
youth, always comes along and rescues
his boy at the cost of an illusion or
two. But James was not in the rescu-
able stage. He was married.
That Christmas college friend of
Genevieve came to call on her; and he
was stout and bald and had tall son
with him who was in business with his
| father. OF course, father had married
very young.
Then Genevieve had a letter from
girl friend of her youth.
"Dear Genevieve," wrote Kate, "I am
to be in your city soon and would so
love to see you in your home"
OF course, Kate was invited to see
Genevieve in her home. Kate was
bit older than Genevieve, to begin
with, and she weighed two hundred.
! James, in his anguish of SOUL groaned
| that she was a hundred and weighed
three. But one must make allow
| ances.
Kate was introduced to James, and
she looked down at him-he was SO
ridiculously young anyway-and then
she said, "Why, Genevieve, what a
nice boy he is! Just about my Will
yum's age"-though, goodness knows,
Wilyum was five years younger. And
then she said, II am just going to give
him a kiss for Wilyum's sake" And
| she did.
But James and Genevieve were mar
ried. And after while Jennie had a
dear little sister; and she was very
vexed about it.
Now, in this household there are
| two young people, an old person and
a baby. But somehow they are not
mated properly. James does not fall
| in love with Jennie. He is nice man,
and he is sick of falling in love any
way. And Jennie does not become the
victim Of a secret passion for her
step-papa; because Jennie is a nice
girl, and, besides, as things stand,
falling in love looks a mighty poor
business to Jennie. But to say that
they do not feel the incongruity of
their positions would be a dreadful
story.
However, any incongruity that those
two young things feel is a joke, the
merest piffle and persifiage to what
| Genevieve feels.
And the other day, when she was
out walking with her oldest daughter
and her youngest daughter, both of
whom are beautiful, they met a gay
party of ladies, one of whom excIalm-
ed in an audible voice, "The little girl
looks far more like her grandmother
than her mother, doesn't she?"
| Copyright, by Associated Literary Press.)