Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-06
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Story of a Woman's Transformation.
BY MARION RUBINCAM.
HIS SUSPICION.
Protected py George Matthew Adams
SYNOPSIS or PRECEDING CHAPTERS.


When End is 35, she wakes to the fact
that st4t Is a honely, hopeless old maid.
U,r mast i barren. her future blank She
i've. With her brother Jim. his wife Esther,
,pd three grown children, Laura, James
and Violet Only Violet believes IN her.
Nlol.,'s desire. 10 90 TO college rouses
End frorn her lethargy. she draws out her
small amount of money, and they go to
the citv. Here both suddenly reallze the
nossibiiities of life When theygo back To
the country for the summer, they are
chanred-Enid growing Young and pretty,
Violet maturing into a charming glrl.
Enid refuses Mark Upjohn, gSshoQd
lover. now a widower, who suddenly
wants 10 marry her, Violet Is unhapplly IN
love with Bud Pearsoll. When they come
bacL - town Buds in with Wild crowd
ri men Enid meets Buds employer,
Francis Meade. at a dance he gives Tor ms
employees 1Sxu1
We run along smoothly in life. in little
narrow nut that may be pleasant or IN
r,leasant-and then suddenly we come 10
turning point Each turning point IS
crisis sometimes we do not even know
We have nassed 1t until we find ourselves
running along in al entirely dinereht sort
OF rut.
There had been several of these turning
,,oints N my life IN the last year and
half The very first, Think, was that early
sDring dav in the-eountTy when Esther
made some remark about my belng nope
les old maid of 35. That awakened me,
and started me on the road tha-~vas 10
lead ultimately to my salvation.
ENsSpexf. perhaps was when l was
ulHirieptlv awake to the possibilities OF lie
IN the CITY offered us TO pack up and take
this little fat It was for me, daring
stem but II lifted US from the ranks oi
those who exist somehow IN back rooms of
boarding houses, and placed US among
those who enjoy life IN charming sur
rounding.
The third, and perhaps the greatest,
awakening. was the one that came thls
evening when ! danced TO that slow, APP
pealing musie with this much admired
man.
The FIRST time, my lost youth woke up
and demanded chance Tor ITSELF i he
second time, my viii power woke up--It
was the beginning or break away from
Esther. This evening my soul aWoke
wanted to talk, desperately so. But
| could not think Of a word TO say. Look
their ease. the women smiling up into the
faces ol-the men, with laughter and words
that came so easily TO their lips, How did
they do it? What good, after all, was all
my striving for self-ImpTovement u It
left me tongue-tied at the moment /
needed self-possesslon most
We were nearly through the waltz ]
looked up at Francis Meade, determined
10 say something anything, TO break this
uncomfortable silence. lie was looking
down at rne-and he smiled, and / smiled
up al Him in return.
'I'm glad YOU like dancing enough not
10 want to talk all through it, he said
Personally, the rhythm and the sheer
pleasure Of being In tune with II Is so great
a delight that ] dislike carrying on
political discussion, or even converse
ton about the weather, at the same time.
SO / had-been- saved 1ikednot 20 talk
wben dancing, but the Others were. chat
tesssg i1erfily, and had felt that ! should
"IT leave YOU with my mother" he
said when the music stopped. But | want
To talk TO YOU, 50 LII come back soon
sAfrs. Meade made room on the couch
and / sat beside her. Violet and Bud came
10 look for me, and ! introduced them
presently they went off again to dance
j could see Mr.. Meade in the doorway,
greeting newcomers.
1T slchNmiug Of your son to give this
dance for his Office, ] said
Hes had so much pleasure getting it
up. Mrs Meade rold me. Francis be-
lieves that he should know well everyone
who works for him, and that they should
know each -other It's his pet theory.
He's going To do this every year.