Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-23

OF MID AFTER
noon descended. A million notes swan
in bar Of sunshine which slanted
tbronsh the windows and lay across the
black trunk. The two ten accommoda-
tion pulled out of the nearby station
with a great changing and after time
whistled back twice from out over the
green like prairie. A child throbbing
with freedom ratified his lunch bucket
along the picket fence.
Mrs. Delano tidied the dressing
stand top and with a handkerchief
rubbed a speck from the mirror until
it squeaked. Then she fumbled IN
a small one from its ring and. spreading
herself beside the trunk in the cross
iimbed attitude of a shah, flung open
the lid.
which are as ingratiating as the fumes
of Circe's cup, rose Immediately like
steam. Her lips parted and she delved.
i A red gold wig of spring tight curis
lay first and beside it a Pierrette,s
4 two black pom -poms dangling BY
thread. Farther down crumpled rag
u Of Pierrette's dress, pom -poms also
a dangling. lay crushed beneath a jeweled
crown. Next a make up box, daubed
over with many colors. exuded the
grease paint scent Of thousand mem
cries.
Some cotton daisies gazed up at her
with innocent eyes from the bottom of
4 battered pasteboard box. She lifted
one and held it against her hair, her
throat throbbing. She even strained
4 over, still on her knees, to gaze into
the little mirror, the daisy held at
cocky angle above her left ear. Sud-
4 dwenly she danced to her feet, hopping
about the tiny floor space in the fine
frenzy of unlocking her dress up the
back. Reflected in the mirror, her face
could scarcely contain one expression
fushes. She then pinned the cotton
daisy pat above her left ear, and like
flash slipped into the ballet dress of
captivating Pierrette. her arms out
stretched in a well remembered attitude
of the dance and the sap of spring ris-
ing in her veins.
1t was as if something cheeped within
r her and her heart took fight, soaring
backward through resilient time and
space into yesterdays. Fatigue van
ished as rage before Abracadabra and
Oh h-la-la was her song.
"Oh h h -h--Lo- %
She paused, poised on her toes, her
arms flung in a circle over her head
4 and the quick color draining out of her
ID face-paused in this tableau vivant as
If caught in paralysis.
'Lo-o!'
n For frozen instant she glanced about
her, dragged at the bed covering as a
Il cloak for her fnery, but it clung to its
mornings and, abandoning it in her
frenzy, she burst through the door into
4 the darkened front room.
4 ''Al" ~ She caught at his hand
which lay atop the rug. 1t was limp
and strangely cold.
At 6 o'clock Adalia finished its day
with bleating of factory whistles
and a sonorous booming of the First
closed its shop doors and white arc
nights sprang out before two cinemato.
graph theatres, Joe's Place. Frayley's
Ice Cream Parlor and the Red Trunk
Five and Ten Cent Store-open eve
nings.
At $40 the Prairie Flyer thundered
INTO the station, with a row of por-
ters, swaying on its coach steps, stools
IN hand. Beside the station, Frank
Gills AllNight Lunch Room placed
dish of fried halibut and platter OIL
red chopped meat, surmounted with a
circle of onion, on its open air coun-
ter.
The Forty Thieves theatrical
troupe rallied round to man.
At 80 grilling arc lights sprang
out before the Opero House. and at that
same moment Mr.. Charlie Lee bounded
81 up the front steps of cottage on the
nll. a light burned through a crack
In the blind and through that same
crack he could see the hand painted
lSWIngng- lamp burning softly.
n lie knocked, then stood for moment
a IN the cooked attitude of listening, his
mead inclined and four knuckles poised
Knocked again and the door swung
Oack on silent hinges and in the wav
eenng brown shadows a small black
HsnTc .!r npsyered outward.
'Wh--who--"
Her hand flew to her breast and lay
'nGrG .!Ir, Whit, against the black.
Don't you know me, kiddo? It's
mel howdy, Lo. Gee, you look so little
SHhd black / couldn't see you first.
pCn t you know me, kiddo? It's me-"
VI That's me-"
'lf it amt Lee, Come in, Lee ="
HTF voice was faint as a tinkling bell.
lie entered, exhaling loudly, and with
great ado of rubbing his hands to-
setaHr in dry wash.
~ ,Well-well-well! -
L,. come right in, Lee. Gee, gee,
, TuL you re sight for sore eyes. How's
ulhss! The girls? Sit down in that
ttiyGer' stia'' Lee. Here, lemme take your
n N gee, amt you a sight for
sore eyes. Gee -
% nhe was tluttering and full of small
L%alS' Dragged the rocker a bit farther
sanSanh STtath the swinging lamp; leaned his
SSSnger gSger can in a corner; lowered a
bIaup' Pink, as delicate as peach
Vsi rose in her wan little face.
tbo nt down, Lee. I-sure, knew
bwt snow nov was playing Adalia tonight
Ioo ootI,gce, You look right slick,
Sang?" '"' Sno"-ho" 'ne
tbd ne seated himself rather gingerly on
iUr iiUr edge of the seat, the rocker tilt
bH5,. 'orWard with the weight of his
gpJ' ms gray-top shoes firmly planted
80 ohS nat cooked backward.
,or 10 this is the home sweet home
oa noa+ wrote wrote the girls about, is it? Some
cure % "'N some neat httie rest
rae glanced about with quick ap-
iaca then back to her rose pink
Tome little rest cure.
alter ~ such a sight now after
1I III 81 Il. I.fI iIi. W IT. I