Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29

mat decided Martina fOOte.
She crossed over to the other side
OF the bed, first Ticking off the glar-
ing top lights. sat down beside the
shaking woman on the pillows and
laid "A cool, light hand on her shoulder.
1T isn't as bad as that. Or it won't
be, anyway, after you've told me
about it,"
She waited. Geisha Mccoy remained
as she was. face down. But she did
not openly resent the hand on her
shoulder SO Martha Foote waited.
And as suddenly as six-eighteen had
flung herself prone she twisted about
and sat up. breathing quickly. She
passed a hand over her eyes and
pushed back her streaming hair with
an oddly desperate little gesture. Her
lips were parted. her eyes wide.
They've got away from me- she
cried, and Martha Foote knew what
she meant. Il can't held 'em any
more. ] work as hard as ever
harder. That's it. 1t seems the
harder 1 work the colder they get.
Last week in Indianapolis they
couldn't have been more Indifferent if
i
closes the show. And, oh my God.
They sit and knit"
Knit" echoed Martha Foote. But
everybody's knitting nowadays
Not when I'm on. They can't. But
they do. There were three Of them in
the third row yesterday afternoon.
One of 'em was doing a gray sock
hi /
couldn't keep my eyes off them. And
the second was doing sweater and
the third a helmet. l could tell by
the shape. And you can't be funny,
can you, when you're hypnotized by
three stony faced females all doubled
up over a bunch Of olive-drab? olive
drab. I'm scared Of 1T. 1t sticks out
all over the house. Last night there
were two young kids in uniform right
down in the first row. center. right.
I'll bet the oldest wasn't twenty-three.
There they sat. looking up at me with
their baby faces. That's all they are
kids. The house seems to be peppered
with 'em. You wouldn't think olive
drab could stick out the way it does.
l can see it farther than red. l can
see it day and night. I can't seem to
see anything else. l can't
Her head came down on her arms.
that rested on her tight-hugged
knees.
Somebody Of yours in it?" Martha
Foote asked quietly. She waited.
Then she made a wild guess-an in
tuitive guess SOM"
How did you know" Geisha NC
Coy's head came UP.
II didn't"
We'll, you're right. There aren't
fifty people in the world. outside my
own friends, who know I've got a
grown-up son. It's bad business to
have them think you're middle aged.
And besides, there's nothing Of the
stage about Fred. He's one Of those
square jawed kids that are just cut
out to be engineers. Third year at
Boston Tech"
as he still there. them"
There. He's in France, that's where
he is Somewhere-in France. And
I've worked for twenty-five years
with everything in me just set. like
an alarm clock. for the time when
that kid would step of on his own.
He always hated to take money from
me- and I loved him for it. l never
went on that ] didn't think Of him.
I never came off with a half dozen
encores that I didn't wish he could
hear it. Why, when I played q col
lege town it used to be riot. because
l loved every fresh faced boy in the
house, and they knew it, And now
and now-what's there in it: What's
there in it? / can't even hold 'em
any more. I'm through, I tell you.
I'm through"
And waited to be disputed. Martha
Foote did not disappoint her
There's just this in it. It's up to
you to make those three women in
the third row forget what they're
knitting for, even if they don't forget
their knitting. Let 'em go on knit
ting with their hands. but keep their
heads off it. That's your job. You're
lucky to have it,
Lucky"
Yes, ma'am. You can do all the
dumka stuff in private. the way Anna
Czarnik does, but it's up to you to
make them laugh twice day for
twenty minutes"
IT'S all very well for you to talk
that cheer-o stuff. 1t hasn't come
home to you / can see that"