The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-10
An Old Fashioned Novel
ny wINIFRED BLACK

Oh. Joy, I've been reading a novel.
a real novel like mother used to read,
not a problem in It: not single
woman with past" from cover
to cover. not a nasty hint from rsc-
face To fms, not a morbid word IN
the whole book---a novel. real, living,
and hopes and fears
An old-fashioned novel IL In, just
written. too. l could so miles TO
clasp the writer to my heart Of hearts
what's the use OF living In pretty
decent world IL we've got to keep
reading about how aorrid it al is
underneath
like my house that live IN Il
Is q nice. CHEEKY. sunny. .ieasant.> ar
assuming, honey sort OF house.
There are sunny windows in IL, ard
plants and growing things. and the
rugs are soft and of duh colors like
those nature loves best for back
grounds. And there are a few pleas
ant pictures on the, walls, and photo
graphs OF old friends smile down ut
IRE when 1 am tired. And there are
books scattered about. and there In
laughter in the house, and there are
children. and faithful dog lies ON
the hearthstone. Yes i more than
like the house where I live. | love
ii.
And yet. what lot of sordid. ugly
things there are. too. II | do not
begin to think of them. There's the
basement always full of heaped
masses of dirty coal. There's the
laundry, always steaning with un-
pleasant smoke: there are the drains
horror when you come to think of
those things. How can I ever be
happy In Ii aEaing
That's how some books make the
world. many OF the books we read
nowadays Nobody's decent, nobody's
honest. nobody's unselfish. everything
goes On to q kind OF hideous chant
OF the Dance OF Death.
Most OF the new novels begin at
the wedding ceremony, where the old
ones always ended I wonder why.
Are the novel readers older than
their tnotheEs, were s 3ss5a.. .ss. 81 $50.
Grandma didn't do much novel
reading, IL you'll remember. She had
too many stockings to darn to spend
her time that way. Daughter was
the only one who read In those days
now It's mother who does the read
ing for the family. Poor mother,
wonder her hair can stay down at
all with the horrors that are her
daily companions in the books she
reads
Sometimes vow I'll never read an
olheT ining any more recent than
vanity Fair Oh. yes, there was
2 woman with a past in there, too.
We used to think her really quite
er--a---don't you know.
Poor Becky What 4 saint she N
beside most Of the up-t0-date nero
ines. Why. they'd laugh at her
for poor innocent, I'm afraid. But
there was a decent man or 10 in the
book, everybody wasn't decadent.
every one wasn't = subject for n
neurotic ward.
There I've found the novel
again; some one had misled 1t. TIA
going to read II again from cover
to cover.
Where are those appies7 I'm go.
ing to curl up in q corner OF the
couch and go back to Already in the
old-fashioned novel. Don't any one
speak to me. I'm busy in the gardoa
with the sweetheArts.
I do hope he'll give her a rose.
what's that he's going to sing now9
Drink To Me Only with Thine Eyes
what q change from *Bon Bon
Buddy'" That was the fayorite air
of the hero in the last modern novel
! was unfortunate nough TO read
Drink to me only with thine eyesn
Goodby, cold world, we're together
in The garden. the two sweethearts.
the summer noon and r