Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-10

married, shall never be a mother, shall
never be OF any use or any beauty. why
Why?"
Bitter. bitter were her thoughts as !
she sat with her plate in her lap. She |
hardly noticed when Josie took the plate
away. She could not bear TO remain. She
tiptoed from the dining room unheedeu
and went out at the side door, drawing
her shawl over her head. She must sneak
home alone, as usual. Thank heaven, 1t
was only block and the streets were
black
AS she reached the front gate she met
a man who had just come down the walk.
II was Meldrum lie peered at her in
the dim light OF the street lamp and
called out:
That you, Debby? Couldn't you stand
II any longer? Neither could !. That
girl is a peach to look at. but she can't
sing for sour apples. and as for brains
she's nut. a pure pecan! guess m too
old or not old enough to be satisfied with
staring at pretty hide on pretty
frame. Which way you going? I'll walk
along with you, II you don't mind
II she didn't mind Would Lazarus OBJ
ject II Dives sat on the floor beside MIN
and brought along his trencher?
Dolby was so bewidered that the side
walk reeled beneath her intoxicated feet
She stumbled till Meldrum took her hand
into his arm. then she trotted alongside,
as meek as Tobias with the angel.
All, all too soon they reached her house
| But he paused at the gate. She dared
not invite him even to the porch. IL her
mother heard mans voice there she
would probobly open the window upstairs
aud shrek Murder! Thieves Help" So
| Debty waited at the gate while the al
most Invisible Meldrum chartered on. lie
was In mood for talk. The paralyzcd
| Debby was perfect listener, and In that
| intense dntk she was as beautiful as Cle-
| opatra would have been.
| To her he was solely voice, a voice OF
strange cynicisms yet of strange comfort
to her. He was laughing at the people
she held in awe. This towns joke TO
me-" he said. ITS a sidc-show full of
| frraks" And he mocked the great folk
| Of the village as II they were yokels'
| He laughed Mt their customs. He ridi-
| culed many, many things that Dcbby had
| believed and suffered from believing lie
ridiculed married people and marriage
from the superior heights OF one who
could have married many and had re
jected all. 1t was strangely pleasant
| hearing to her who had observed mar
riage from the humble depths of one
| whom all had rejected.
He talked till he heard the town clock
whine eleven times, then he said; Good
Lord! l didn't know 1t was so late
don't get these moods often 1t takes
mighty good listener to loosen me up
Good night. Don't let any OF thfse ieI-
lows bunco you into marrying en-
There's nothing in It. Debby rake 1t
from me Good night
She felt rather than saw that he liited
his hat. She felt again his big mana en-
welcoming hers and she answered It's
squeeze with a desperate little clehcn oi
her own. -
He left her wonderfully uplifted, Now
she felt less an exile from marriage than
a rebel. She almost convinced herselt
tnat she had kept out of matrimony be-
cause she was too good for il. The soli-
tary cell of her bed was a quecnly dais
when she crept into it, and she dreamed
that General Kitchener asked for her
hand and she refused 1t.
Mcldrum's cynicisms had been strangely
oppurtunc to the Respondent old mald'
He unwittingy helped her over a deep
ditch and got her past a bad night
But when she woke, the next morning
WIS but he resumption of the same old
dav, Poverty, loneliness and the inanity
of n manless household were again her
portion. The face she washed explained
to her why she was not sought after by
the meu.
She found her mother nlled with rheu-
matism and bad news. letter had come
the day before and shc had concealed 1t
from Deborah so that the child might
have a nice time at the party, and did
she have a nice time and who was there?
But that could wait, for never was there
such news az she had now, and there
was never any let-up in bad luck, and
them with no man TO lean on or turn to
When Deborah finally pried the letter
from the poor old talons she learned that
the A. c.. and st. p, Railway would pass
its dividend this year.
CONTINUED TOMORROW