Middletown transcript., 1916-12-30

then LIE Moyne, resuming his old habit
Of wearying himself into sleep. would
walk out into the country. On one
such night he had Overtaken Joe,
tramping along with his head down.
Joe had not wanted his company,
had plainly sulked. But LIE MOyne
| had persisted.
'Pll not talk" he said; "but since
we're going the same way, we might
as well walk together"
But after q time Joe talked, after
all. 1t was not much at first-a fever
ish complaint about the heat, and that
If there was trouble in Mexico he
thought he'd go.
"Wait until fall, if you're thinking
of It," X. advised. "ThIs Is tepid com
pared with what you'll get down
there"
''I'ye got to get away from here
X. nodded understandingly. Since
the scene at the White Springs hotel,
both knew that no explanation was
necessary.
For almost twenty minutes they
tramped on without speech. They
had made a circle, and the lights of
the city were close again. K. stopped
nnd put kindly hand on Joe's shOul-
der.
"a mans got to stand up under a
thing like this, you know. 1 mean, it
mustn't be a knockout. Keeping
busy is q darned good method"
Joe shook himself free, but without
resentment.
''Ill tell you what's eating me up, D."
he exploded. Its Max Wilson. Don't
talk to me about her going to the
hospital to be useful. She's crazy
about him, and he's crooked as a dogs
hind leg"
Perhaps. But it's always up to the
girl. You know that"
He felt immeasurably old beside
Joe's bOylsh clustering - old and
rather helpless.
I'm watching him. Some of these
days I'll get something on him. Then
she'll know what to think of her
hero"
"That's not quite square, is it?"
Hes not square"
Joe left him then, wheeling abrupt
ly off into the shadows. X. had gone
home alone, rather uneasy. There
seemed to be mischief in the very air.
4
Harriet's business instinct had been
good. She had taken expensive
rooms in a good location, and fur
niShed them with the assistance of a
decorator. Her climbing was not so
rapid as to make her dizzy; but bust
ness was coming. The first time she
made a price of seventy-fve dollars
for an evening gown, she went out
Immediately after and took a drink
of water. Her throat was parched.
She began to learn little quips Of the
feminine mind No woman over thirty
but was grateful for her pink-and-gray
room with its soft lights. And Har-
riet herself cOnformed to the picture.
She took lesson from the New York
mOdistes, and wore trailing black
gowns. She strapped her thin figure
into the best corset she could get, and
had her black hair marcelled and
dressed high. And, because she was
lady by birth and instinct, the re-
suit was not incOngruous, but refined
and rather impressive.
There were other changes in the
Street. The LOrenz house was being
painted for Christine's wedding. John
ny ROsenfeld, not perhaps of the
Street itself, but certainly pertaining
to it, was learning to drive Palmer
Howe's new car, in. mingled agony and
bliss. He walked along the Street, not
fright foot, left foot" but "brake foot,
clutch foot" and took to calling off
the vintage of passing cars. "SO-and-
So 1910" he would say, with contempt
in his voice.
X. had yielded to Annals insiStence,
and was boarding as well as rOoming
at the Page house. The Street. rather
snObhish to it's occasional floating pop
ulatiOn, was accepting and liking him.
1t found him tender, infinitely human.