Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-02
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
Palms or Apple Trees
ny MYRTA ALICE LITTLE

ago YOU think. you're tired of the
East and us fasteners, and you're
leaving us for the foggy Pacific?'
Molly fecked her blue-black curls
away from her saucy little face. patted
Lens rough gray sleeve and smiled up
1 into his eyes,
You think Pm funny, don't you,
Len. to want to 60? Why It's the
chance Of lifetime. I've always read
about the palms and miles OF roses
and -
"And earthquakes and desert sum-
mers," muttered Leonard Ray. an-
easily. ...
Now uncle's got me that candy store
place with the nice manager there isn
any reason why 1 shouldn't go. Ana
he's even sent my fare both Ways
Molly went on as II Len hadn't thrown
the cold water over her dream. :.
I'm reason why" Len protested
| solemnly mice managers aren't In III
The nifty brown bungalow in the apple
| orchard Is waiting, Molly. Your start
ing Off Is going to mean we can't be
married before fall and"
II never promised. Len. ! always
wanted to see something OF the world
was good investment"
You know. what kind Of an invest
ment 1 meant. Moll." Leonard told her.
Walt and maybe we can 60 West TO- TO-
ferent out there. You'll get homesick
II viii mot I" Molly laughed. "I want
to find things different" Then she add
ed without the least malice nth. in the
| too"
| "They are. I've heard" Len remarked
briefly. IF you want the fun they'll
give you. and that's all I'm sorry, Moll
man out there that likes you better
than do. l. can't be DONE girl. Nice
You funny boyv Molly laughed, bu,
she was thinking right hard. :,
The next week Molly Saunders started
| on the Journey of her life, waving cheery
good-bys to the family, but seeing long
est uneer the Gndery, station sai ro9f stII ahs
| pleaded for her not to CO.,
Hes a selfish old thing" Molly told
herself as she watched the dingy city
roofs and then the soft green helds ana
| white birches and apple trees slip by.
tear stole down her pink cheeks aa ana
landed on her white cotton gloves. "a
like to know what I'm crying for. BE-
cause he gave me the preserved ginger
|
dered. Then. ITS just like a moving
picture out the window. Only I'm mov-
Ing instead Of 1t. Isn't it grand" ,,
BY the third day the ogpsonm graSdnesss 81 mac the
wide prairie country. the hot stuffinesss
I of tine cars. and the loneliness pelted at
I Molly's staunch little heart TIL she A.
most wished she hadn't come. The folks
cities and lobster salads. and ,t the folks n,ns,
shed like to talk to looked million-airy'
The dining car was the 1oltiest, reenns
est place ever, and the little SILVER
shabby bills that she finally stayed away
and munched nuts squirrel FASHION anu
sobfull. The nights were pretty bad,
too. A moving picture for Il ped was
not SO thrilling. after all ,,o,,,
began to grow actually frightened. but
she didn't know why. She could see So
far and It seemed as II the GOOD oiu
e Atlantic must be over yonder: ana !,
: ! FEVER was-only more wide sweeps o. o.
!, hnd. sun parched, brown. nat, so dlt'
i, ierent from, the nard. soary mountains
that had been threatening TO ium4,'
I iown on the train, and so horrip,y i ald;
'phHie phd wanted il to be different" Molly
told herself. bravely. But didn't kno"
: IL was going to be lonely dinerent. .,.u
, Uncle and aunt met her at the station
, the awful sticky black washed off ant
!. a fresh blouse on before tney took he, ,
. TO the candy store. They're sh9ru @ q. o.
help, and the manage mage ops0 MOr'1a for You
You've got to pitch right in" said uncle
And Molly pitched In brayeiy, learn
ing candy candy prices, candy sinie'
and sweltering In the new klnu oi nea
zie What a stufry place the city was,
And foggy; and then It never rained
Umbrellas were only needed for Molly''
, tears nights after she went 70 peu-
were homesick. And wasn't the cit.
hacked No extra room, like Len
Z, fields and meadows. But Norton, frost
manager, was NICE and jolly ana wes,
ern, There was that 70 pe tna'tMtum nm,, 70
20 TO the show with him. She went
and cried softly all through the bii
picture because II had soft, pretty mn
and farmers in It that reminded herU pnr
whose letter had just about broken he
heart that morning. 1t had been so lone
: some sounding
After that first evening n,,s IN spite tsoN %
the tears, norton a,nt a9on restSUrnnts % sgV an,
theatres and parks with the palms ant
miles of roses, and to museums that hat
! all the wondrous things Molly had eve
dreamed about $50 SO molly Molly snsr,aiI, saSnaeT
snce'the handsonA Norton told her oc
: casionaiiy that he liked her more an'
! more and It had always been the secre
l, wish OF Molly's romantic little heart 7!
: nmSrrE M mo,iy seah i'ye MISSED something VIII
! She had the desert heat Len ha'
: warned her about; she had all the cand!
/ she could eat the honey life at he
5 aunt's, beside the attention of Norto
4 Frost But with all this Molly's throa
4 fot lumpier and lumpier. and sh
q couldn tell for the life OF her why
: Then one evening out In City Park. lik
a story book exactly, the great Nortol
Frost asked little Molly to marry him