Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-04-05

is intellectual"
During the weeks that followed Ar
mold Morton came very often to the lit
tie apartment, and he and Peggy spent
many evenings at lectures and n
certs, many Sunday afternoons at art
galleries and museums. Sometimes
they had little suppers together at very
quiet places, and sometimes he came
home with Peggy for Welsh rarebit and
Harriet's hot biscuits. Altogether, they
spent a delightful autumn together.
But sometimes Peggy wondered a lit
tie. There was a lot of new plays she
couldn't help longing to see; also the
graceful beauties pictured in the Sun
day papers and the magazines. She
couldn't help wishing to hear the latest
music and see the newest dances.
Arnold, however, seemed to have no
thought for anything that was not Gull
tural in the way of amusement. Music,
pictures, exhibitions of old furniture
and rugs, all of these appealed to him
as worthy forms of entertainment. And
so Peggy tried to put more frivolous
desires out of her mind she sought
earnestly to cultivate her interest in
things worth while" She wanted to-
be Arnold's intellectual equal If she
could. She even got books from the IL
brary on such subjects as the history
of art, the theory of color, and modern
music. She puckered her pretty brow
ove them and found them interesting,
in their way. :
after ALL" she used to tell herself,
you're learning an awful lot, Peggy
Andrews. You ought to be glad Arnold
isn't like everybody else. Most any
man can take a girl to musical comedy
and talk about the chorus, but not very
many know all about pictures and etch-
ings and things, like Arnold" )
And so, after a while Peggy thought
that she had quite stifled her desire
for frivolous pleasures. She even felt
superior when she heard the other girls
in the office talking about the favorites
of the moving picture world or the lat
est hits in musical comedy.
One evening just before she left the
office Arnold telephoned her, his voice
sounding strangely excited. +
"Could you have dinner with me,
without going homer" he asked. "Tve
got something to tell you-something
great! 1t won't keep. I'll come "
for you right away, if you can. All
right-6ve minutes !"
Peggy thanked her stars that she
had worn her newest and prettiest
crepe de chine blouse to work that
morning. She powdered her nos and
gave her golden hair an extra pat.
Whatever was the matter with Arnold?
1t was not at all like him to be so
impulsive.
1t was very evident when she met
him that something had happened to
Arnold-something pleasant. His Eyes
were bright with enthusiasm-the joy
of success.
Dinner at a real place tonight p he
announced. 1--WE got an order-a real
big order-for some book illustrations.
There's money in it, Peggy-real
money! Aren't you glad? Don't you
know what it means to us?"
He took Peggy's hands and held them
close, there In the dark little hall where
they waited for the elevator.
"To us p she repeated softly.
ITO us-you and me! You'll marry
me now, won't you, Peggy? Now that
I'm going to amount to something;
carr a decent living? 1 couldn't ask
you before"
The elevator came just then, and
Peggy's answer was q squeeze of his
hand-a squeeze that meant "yes," and
a lot of other things
They had dinner in a delightful res
taurant, where IN orchestra played be-
hind a bower of plants, as orchestras
should, and where Peggy had to let
him order everything for her, because
| she did not in the least know what
! the French names of things meant.
They fingered over their candle-lit
| table, holding hands, perhaps, looking
deep into one another's eyes.
"And now," Arnold said at length,
"we've got the evening before us. What
shall we do to celebrate, Peggy? Any
thing you wish"
Peggy puckered her pretty brow in
thought. "Well," she began, there's
a lecture on textiles at the museum to-
night, and hat orchestra concert"
A flicker of disappointment darted
over his face.
EITHER one" he agreed. ST just
thought maybe you'd like to see that
new show at the Summer garden.
There's a lot of good dancing in it, they
say"
Peggy's face was radiant.
ooh, Arnold, could we? I'd just love
to see it, if it wouldn't bore you"
"Bore)me!" he exclaimed. 1--we been
just dying to see a good show all win
ter. You don't suppose I've been TAX.
ing you to free concerts and things be-
cause 1 liked 'em, do you? 1t was just
because I hadn't any money, and I