Evening star., 1919-09-28
TOUCHES THERETO.

last. -,
am alone in the apartment this
minute. having just finished packing.
Bonnie is doing an ,errahd for me.
across the street. told you. think,
that Jack passed his last anal at
George Washington University two
days ago and went home. Priscilla is
thereby hangs q tale Of typical
Washington experience. I am 20 glad
that it happened before fleft. Bon
ME. you know. has a humorous little
habit Of hiding our NATL and making
US name over exhaustively our cor
respondents until we hit the one that
she thinks the letter is from. before
we get the aforesaid letter. Tonight
Priscilla was too tired to guess and
we alt forgot 1t until after dinner.
when Bonnie pulled 1t out as we were
all draped over my trunk adding the
finishing touches thereto. 1t was
from her mother and she wrote that
Priscilla's fance was due to arrive
in New York that week, so she had
heard. We set up howl of Joy i'm
mediately and in the midst Of 1t were
interrupted by the little girl from
tho next apartment coming in to tell
us that "a man was standing out In
the hall and there wouldn't nobody
let him in." Priscilla, stili reading her
letter, went to see about 1t and
walked straight into the arms Of her
lover. ,,. -s...
His coming has made me more will
ing to go because Priscilla now will
soon be leaving. Isn't it strange that
we have formed all of our friendships
among others who are newcomers
like ourselves instead Of among the,
people OF the city? Except for Mrs.
Motherheart. Washingtonians have
meant to me only the people to whom
have paid out my salary. And even
Mrs. Motherheart. dear as she was.
and her friends, could never forget
that we were merely war workers. a
term that always arouses sort Of
shake your skirts and raise your
lorgnette attitude in their good old
matrenly souls.
think that l can understand it,
however. knowing what they have
seen, for none Of us have been strictly
UP to normal here. 1t sounds some-
what amiss to compare Washington
to q South Sea island, and yet that Is
just what 1t has resembled so far as
conventionality is concerned for the
average government clerk. Nobody
knew US, nobody cared. whether we
wore aprons to church or stayed out
until IL pm. or PIX. We were bound
to no standards of conduct. what
soeyer. except those Inmate ones, and
II circumstances proved stronger than
the innateness we were then bound to
nothing at all. Shows that ones.
friends make ones standards, does
it? Well, 1 do not mean that entirely,
Just that when girl who has had the
guiding influence Of her parents all
her life is suddenly thrown out on
her own resources into q world totally
dlMGront from HoT OWu Sh0 ~ AA"O'o
to make mistakes and keep on making
them until experience teaches her to
At her old standards to her new life.
Yes. understand why the older woin-
en- shrug their shoulders and throw up
expressive eyebrows. but I must cer-
tatnly say that my sympathies arc
with those expressed at.
1 supposed you expected this to be
a very interesting letter. full OF tho
last few drops of excitement that
tried to cram in my. overfiowing cup
of experience. and 1t Is not: Dad.
think, never again will see the gray
head of the Monument lift itself
against smy rose-streaked horizon!
And that is not oil. Never again will
I have to go rushing at s:29 past
hawk. eyed watchman with my Treas
ury pass stuck out and my ear tuned
for the sound of the bell. nor will
ever again find myself one Of a mass
Of bodies pushing forward toward the
Same lunch counter.
For the first meal that shall cat