Middletown transcript., 1917-03-31

ACluocu " luONc lIOu lis Olu uIliIuuS'
"It was glamour, that was all, K"
said Sidney bravely.
"But, perhaps" said K, "it's just be-
cause of that miserable incident with
Carlotta. That wasn't the right thing,
of course, but Max has told me the
story. 1t was really quite innocent. She
tainted in the yard, and"
Sidney was exasperated.
"Do you want me to marry him, K."
X. looked straight ahead.
II want you to be happy, dear"
They were on the terrace of the
White Springs hotel again. K. had or
dered dinner, making a great to-do
about getting the dishes they both
liked. But now that it was there, they
were not eating. X. had placed his
chair so that his profile was turned to-
ward her. Past KS profile Sidney
could see the magnolia tree shaped like
heart.
1T seems to me-" said Sidney sud-
denly, that you are kind to everyone
but me, K"
He fairly stammered his astonish-
ment:
"Why, what on earth have I done?'
"You are trying to make me marry
Max, aren't you?"
She was very properly ashamed of
that, and, when he failed to reply out
of sheer inability to think of one that
would. not say too much, she went
hastily to something else: ut is hard
for me to realize that you-that you
lived life Of your own, busy life,
doing useful things, before you came
to us. l wish you would tell me some
thing about yourself. If we're to be
friends when you go away,"-she had
to stop there, for the lump in her
throat-"Tll want to know how to
think of yOu-who your friends are
all that"
He made an effort. He was think
ing, of course, that he would be Wis
ualizing her, in the hospital, in the lit
tie house on it's side street, as she
looked just then, her eyes like stars,
her lips just parted, her hands folded
before her on the table.
Il shall be working" he said at last.
$50 will you"
Does that mean you won't have
time to think of me?'
Il believe I'm stupider than usual to-
night. You can think of me as never
forgetting you or the Street, working
or playing"
Playing! Of course he would not
work all the time: And he was going
back to his old friends, to people who
had always known him, to girls
He did his best then. He told her of
the old family house, built by one of
his forebears who had been kings
man until Washington had put the case
for the colonies, and who had given
himself and his oldest son then to the
cause that he made his own. He told
of old servants who had wept when he
decided to close the house and go
away. When she fell silent, he thought
he was interesting her.
But terrible thing was happening
to Sidney. Side by side with the Won
ders he described so casually, she was
placing the little house. What an exile
it must have been for him! When K,
trying his best to interest her and to
conceal his own heaviness of spirit,
told her of his grandfather's old car
riage, she sat back in the shadow.
Fearful old thing" said K.-"regu-
lar cabriOlet. can remember yet the
family rows over it"
"When l was a child" said Sidney
quietly, ''and a carriage drove up and
stopped on the Street, 1 always knew
someone had died!"
There was a strained note in her
voice. K, whose ear was attuned to
every note in her voice, looked ut her
quickly.
"NIy great-grandfather," said Sidney
in the same tone, "sold chickens at
market. He didn't do it himself; but
the facts there, isn't it?"
X. was puzzled.
"What about it ?" he said.
go on" said Sidney DULY. "Tell
me about the women you have known,
your friends, the ones you liked and
the ones who liked you"
X. was rather apologetic.
"Tve always been SO busy" he con-
fessed. Il know lot, but don't think
they would interest you. They don't
do anything, you knOw-they travel
around and have good time. They're
rather nice to look at, some of them.
But when you've said that you've said
it all"
Nice to look at! Of course they
would be, with nothing else to think Of
in all the world but Of how they looked.
Suddenly Sidney felt very tired. She
wanted to go back to the hospital, and
turn the key in the door of her little
room. and lie with her face down on
the bed
"Would you mind very much if l
asked you to take me back?"
He did mind. He had a depressed
feeling that the evening had failed.
And his depression grew as he brought
the car around. He understood, he
thought. She was grieving about Max.
After all, a girl couldn't care as she
had for year and half, and then
give man up because of another
woman. without wrench.
"Do you really want to go home, Sid
ney, or were you tired Of sitting there?
In that case, we could drive around for
an hour or two. I'll not talk If you'd
like to be quiet"
Being with X. had become an agony,
now that she realized how wrong Chris