Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-09
THE GIRL WHO
SMILED THROUGH
BY Marion Rubincam.
Copyright. George Matthew Adams.
A LONG DRIVE.

nc Thought OF little else 30. lew uifs
sitter his more or less dlseouraging talk
with his mother. Lawrence drove his
machine up to the Dexter street house
and. hlandly Indifferent to the starcs and
comments Of the neighbors-each but
hslf-screcned behind her parted lace
c,lrtains-he walked up and rang the
f<ll.
Alice answered it, and he came in,
pulling off his fur-lined gloves. Its too
gorgeous for YOU TO stay IN, want you TO
come for a drive he said. II know bully
little inn about % miles from here
wc'll have tea and buns and III have you
home before seven.
Alice glanced down at Berenice. That
youngster, entirely surrounded by blocks,
Teddy bers. rag dolls and the contents OF
n Noah's ark had seated herself on
sinai. hassock and was regarding Lawrence
now with her serious dark eyes.
"Of course, | ought To- Alice
began.
aLct your mother do It, was the way
Lawrence solved the difficulty Come on,
I've an old fur coat OF mother s II the car,
you'll need IT,
The old fur coat turned out 20 be q loose
overcoat Of exquisitelv shaded squirrel,
with soft fur cap that came we'll down
over the head Alice cheerfully discarded
her old felt-shc had worn IL four winters,
and IL never had been becoming and put
ON the luxurious wraps in the car, burying
her hands in their mendcd gloves, deep IN
the coat pockets.
They reached the inn after "a little more
than an hours drive through air so cold u
made Alice's checks a vivid scarlet and
brought the sparkle OF health and Joy into
her ewes.
She tucked the flying wisps of hair
under the fur hat at little mirror in the
hall and joined Lawrence at table near
huge fireplace.
II WAS an ideal spot They toasted
themselves before the blazing logs while
alice slipped tea and Lawrence smoked
cigarettes. There we're other couples At
tables in the room but as is usual IN
these romantic out-of-the-way places they
were enqrossed 10 each other.
1T was nice Of YOU TO send Bcrenice
tho new toys Alice said after a time.
NO it wasn't nice Lawrence object
al 20 her phrasng. Its the least | can
do for her since YOU practically took her
away from me-. ! was going TO adopt her
myself YOU know
II know Alice said and looked into
rho fire You wanted her-hut ! needed
her"
blszed up with "A sudden crackle as The
flames dipped into an oily hit Of the pine
LOG. Lawrence put his hand out gently
and laid IL over Alices
My desr ne said = | need you.
The hand under his trembled little,
but il was not drawn away. Alice con
tlnued TO keep her face away from him ana
TO stare into the iire.
Alice. dear?" Lawrence said again.
Alice turned to him, and drew her hand
away. The color had gone from her face.
She looked little frightened, and very
unhappy.
"I1i don't know what TO say she
said helplessly after time.
"lou don't have TO say anytime, yet,
Lawrence told her. II didn't mean TO tell
YOU this way, didn't mean to make IT so
sudden. 1t Just happened, as suppose
these things always do. | honestly didn'
mean TO tell you that loved you so
much-today. l wanted to wait and
well find out in some measure how You
felt towards me, and show you | cared
before | told you"
But" Alice began.
"No, let me finish now I've begun.
Lawrence begged Il don't want YOU to
answer ME one way or the other, yet.
said minute ago that | needed YOU, and
| do. | might have told you more To-
rnanticalIv or under better circumstance
es--" he glanced over his shoulder, the
people at the other tables were quite
wrapped UP ia their own concerns, but it
came out before I knew it myself. ] sup
pose if Id ever asked a girl before 20
marry me, might have known how to do
II better.
But" Alice began agaiu.
Lawrence put his hand over hers again.
and she did not finish the sentence.
Il do need you. You've been an in
spiration to me-. Ten years ago gradual
ID from college full of ambition 60 CON
quer the world. | travelled around bit
snd settled down in my fathers business,
where | worked when ] felt like It, and
trotted around to lot OF country clubs
the rest Of the time. ] forgot how to be
ambitious or TO work-lmtil / met YOU.
You were SO brave in the face OF such
dreadful difficulties, so cheerful IN the face
of so much discouragement, you worked
no hard and so well, and you did so much
good-they worship you over IN the
Shanty-tovn-that first il made me
ashamed of myself, and then it made me
ambitious to do something, too. / do need
you, my dear.
Alice did not try to answer this time,
hut sat, her hand IN his, looking at the
fire, her ewes troubled and her mouth
soft and wis,ful
l..