Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-26
START THIS STORY TODAY


A T DINNER Ruth was very quiet,
noticcably so to any one who knew
her at all WELL She sat between a
good looking boy in licutenant's uni
form who said nothing at all to her.
quiet. Ruth had an uncomfortable idea
that the silence was due in part to the
fact that these two young people wanted
to sit next to each other and that she
was dividing them. 1t did not add to
Ruth's general frame of mine. She
side of anything.
Scott sat opposite. next to Beatrice
and with Kenneth. who had come in late,
on his other side. The two seemed to
be getting on spIcndidly. Ruth noticed.
however. that whenever Scott addressed
a remark to Beatrice she waited almost
patiently for him to finish and then i'm
mcdiately agreed with him. 1t was al
most as though she were anxious to have
him finish talking so that she could talk
to some one who amused her. Beatrice
was eighteen; she did not want to be
bothered with Scott.
Ruth liked Mr.. Moore immensely He
was bluff and hearty, there seemed to be
n nice camaraderip between himself and
his wife. and he kept the conversation
rolling, that is. as much aS it was posi-
bic. .Afterward, Mrs. Moore disappeared
and Ruth. who turned to Scott for help,
discovered that he was not to be found.
She saw him with Kenneth strolling
down toward the water and realized that
she had been left out of it.
She felt an absurd little thrill of an
ger and then scoldcd herself for it.
After all she and Scott were here for
three weeks. she couldn't expect him to
dance attendance on her every minute,
in fact she had determined to be broad
about everything. She had heard some
thing said about dance that evening at
the club house. but she did not look for
ward to it with much enjoyment.
She wandered through the living room
and out to the wide porch. Some one
was in the swing, but it was duSky out
there and Ruth could not see much. She
seated herself as far away as possible,
checks burning, feeling herself an in
truder. a moment later Miss LOyett
iumped up out of the swing with a
piggle and remark about having to
dress. and Ruth realized that she had
evidently interrupted a teE -tete, for
the other occupant of the swing was
the good looking young lieutenant.
He got M now and came across to her,
and Ruth, the one time belle of her
own crowd, felt suddenly tonguetied
She hadn't the first idea what to say
to this young giant; she felt like the
yeriest gawk of school girl. Then
she heard footsteps inside and the next
minute Mrs. Moore had come out on the
porch.
! "Oh, there you are" she called
gayly. making a conquest of Leuten-
ant Marshall already"
| She came over to them and perched
! ON the arm of chair. Ruth instantly
felt more at ease aud the three OF them
! we're soon talking quite gayly. Finally
Mrs. Moore carried Ruth away to dress,
and, inasmuch as Scott had not como
hack. she went into Ruth's big corner
room with her and perched on the bed
for u moments chat. Ruth was con
scious of running conversation pune
tured with giggles coming from the room
across the hall. She supposed it was
Beatrice and her friend, and 1t somehow
made her feel left out of it. After all
she wasn't 80 very much older thar
these girls, and her ideas were naturally
\ move like theirs than they were like
Y Mrs. Moorc's, but because she was mar