The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-01-03
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Darby and Joan.
ey 5MARY MORRISON.

Newspaper Syndicate.)
+ IMM1E picked out the top Of bus
ON which TO propose to Ellen on
j day when the sky was a deep.
ueep blue and the sun made the whole
city look brilliant and gay.
Il didn't choose moonlight or a con-
servatory between dances on pur;
poseS he explained, his voice little
hugky with carefully suppressed emo
ton Sunlight seemed SO much more
like you"
Ellen gave little laugh that made
his eyes look unutterable things at
her There was something about Ell
lens laugh that reminded one OF all
the pleasant things in life. THANK
you, Jimmie she said, that was very
pretty Of you" Then more seriously,
''But I'm afraid am not the marrying
sort Why, man alive. just look at the
world we live in! We're both Of us
busy, modern young souls, without a
shred of romance in US. What on
earth would we do with love az
fair? We're entirely too practical for
such out of date stuff, Jimmie, my
DEAR
am afraid / can't agree with you"
muttered Jimmie. "You see, am
rather badly hit And as for being
young and busy and modern-well, the
day will come when we'll be seventy
and Idle and hopelessly old-fashioned.
II you can't marry me for the romance
Of ", Ellen. marry me against old
lge.H
what horrible idea," cried
Don't be seofrer, my child.
Haven't you ever heard of Darby and
Joan?c
soh, them!' exclaimed Ellen un!
dramatically and scornfully, they're
fiction. There's no such animal as
Darby and Joan nowadays"
AT this moment the bus stopped
violently to take on some passengers.
Jimmie and Ellen engrossed in their
thoughts didn't notice who go out I'M
It'll right In the seat ahead OF them
climbed an elderly, white haired
couple. They were very much out Of
breath from their ascent up the
narrow, rocking stairs. their old
ckeeks pink with the exertion of it.
rwhew. PofDy!y painted the old
gentleman, that's quite a pull. ;"
The old lady laughed softly. 81
tell you, Peter, there's many young
person half our age who could not do
that. I've lost my breath for a week
to come and my poor old legs feel like
aspen leaves. But good lark Is
worth o few aches and pains. This
sunlight makes me forget that we're
seventy years old, my dear"
Seventy years young, Polly, guess
you mean"
Polly laughed delightedly as the bus
rolled on, swaying them this way and
that They were such bright-eyed
old couple-everything interested
them-the hurrying crowd in the
street, the shop windows, the endless
stream of traffic that swept up and
down the avenue.
The bus stopped at the command OF
. traffic policeman, and something on
the sidewalk caught the old lady's
special attention. She pulled at her
nusbandis sleeve. ooh look, Peter
look" she cried. There's a man SELL
ing vioiets. How wish / had sonnet"
Peter. apparently, couldn't stand
the idea of his Polly wanting those
Fiolets and not having them. He lean
I'd oyer the side Of the bus, waving his
cane In the direction OF the flower
vender and yelling, his voice crack
Ing with the effort.
Hey, there, violets! Hey! bunch
ef those yiolets-the best you have"
be called, holding out a nice crisp
dollar bill.
The flower man was neither blind
y nor deaf, and up came beautiful fra
grant bunch, falling right into Polly's
smiling with all the Joy Of youth
NJ T., H., t1,a,. 0Id foAa Ia0tara
Pol. those flowers Just match your
eyes. True blue, my dear, true blue. :"
-Silly!" smiled the oil d lady,"
silly nothing!' answered he with
,lspirit After being married to you
nfgh onto fifty years guess 4 ought
to know. I" And somehow or other his
hand found hers under the bunch of
violets.
eWouldna the children scold Us for
this?n giggied Polly. They'd call us
romantic old idiots!"
What do they know about life,
those children2" exclaimed Peter.
'They talk of romance as II It were a
dead language. They put up a false
god named Independence and think
they're having good time. Ridicu-
lous modern nonsense, that won't last
twenty years or help them weather a
storm, that's what i call it. A little
idiotic romance would do them q
world OF good -eh, my dear?"
Were we romantic when we were
their age, ISwonder7" said the old
lady. 81 remember refusing you three
times because didn't like the ruffles
you wore on your shirts"
Peter chuckled at that. YES sir! 1t
took me five times to turn the trick"
he exclaimed.
"But wouldn't change you now for
all the independence In the world my
DEAR said Polly softly.
Their hands were still together IN
der the violets, and they were utter
~ obliyious OF the rest of the uni
verse. Polly was the only person in
+ New York so far as Peter was con-
cerned and Peter the only one that
Polly was aware OF.
'Seventy-second street," called the
conductor. With start Ellen and
Jimmy, silent in their back seat, real
iEed that this was their corner. With
out q word they climbed down the
narrow stairway and turned up the
street.
Jimmie stole a look at Ellen. Her
eyes were suspiciously bright and her
cheeks unusually pink. There was a
coftnagg ah0fft her that mada b;rn