Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-29
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Story ola Woman's Transformation
ny MARION RUBlNCAM.
ROMANCE
Protected by George Mat thew
hapter NV

Chapter NV.
so Mark and |, swccthearts OF Ia years
ago. stood and stared at each other. saw
ms too-rcd face, the rolls of fat around ms
law. his slack mouth, his small greenish
owes. saw the fat waistline, the fiat chest
the stuhhy feet. 49,,
And he saw-an old woman. The once
,,lden brown hair was colorless: the fresh
SKIN sallow with the sallowness that years
and neglect and general lack OF interest
enn prnduoc, he saw wrinkles around my
.,,.s and mouth saggcd checks, the look
that never expects anything new nor any
thing pore from life lie saw me dressed IN
n piain brown muslin dress, cut In the
o,e,r hasaue affected by old ladies, with
a hat that would have made carcaturc
of any woman. Fourteen years ago a g'flI
TODAY. how terribly old woman! Anu
only b.
Lets have some lemonade - he sug-
sf~tcd
/ agreed. did not particular ly want
the lemonade, which was sure to be sour
But il was something 10 do
We walked over To- the bowl and worked
o,ir way near enough 20 be handed glass
each Mark swallowed three IN succession
,hen ate four pieces Of layer catc hcn,
annarcntlv feeling much better, he turned
from the chatteFing crowd.
You don each much, be commented,
as rut nv plate with half finished piece
of cake ON IL. back upon the liable.
You ALWAYS did eat like bird. re-
member IL now. He Secmcd pleased at re-
calling this fact Look. here, Ind We
gone and forgotten most OF the tolks mere
Nou .tlck around near me and tell me VINO
they are. lWoutdn 90 70 sem ~ ~ =
people 80.
That kent me near HIM for an hour or
n,nrr an HcnN Falls was ~ the function
and many relatives from Fhc country near
l, sn thcrr WAS a large crowd. The room
yns intensely hot. and the Japanese paper
lanterns swinging from the lines OF electric
Iebfs only seemed to make the heat worse.
lie naisc II talk and laughter was much
100 big fur the comparatively small nall.
In crowds. have noticed since that TIC
larger the place, the more musical d"'s
the buzz ot human conversation hecohhc-
4 thousand pcoplc under one rooi pro-
ducc i sound like the dronng OF E-
eaptir hcc. But hundred or 50 are not
pretty "a listen To. Presently my head
began to ache
Finally Esther and vi came up, and VI
was introduced
"Wcu. | wouldn't have known Won,
Mark sand "a her as hC had said 70 rs ne
fnre ~ hen / left here you were baby
ana nov look \ regular young lady,
grown NJ. n bct You have lot 81 hcaus.
- lai al noIons. Esther grumblcd
N enod uaturcdly
II turned pnk and 10 ked anything
hu pleased at the awkward compliment.
knew how ANNOYED she really was any
grl would he, ( she j. IN love with one
man 80 much hat she cannot sec any
others Aud VI was IN love, as ! alone
knew.
-rlrnc flies Mark observed, IS though
hc had originated that remark ! guess
were getting on, Enid, arcn We.
10 there II was again, had u from my
sister-ln-law. in her outspokcn comments
on nv looks and age | had II from my
brother more or less indirectly. ] had 4
from Laura. spitcfully. And now my old
sweetheart was commscratmg me on my
age
FINALLY the party broke up and started
home. The family were ready 70 walk. the
school was not so far away from our house
Laura and Charlie had started of ahead 81
us. and Esther was saying last good-hyc
md assembling our guests when Mark
emc up. i,
Room for ono IN my filvvcr, he SAID,
and took my arm 10 help me IN.
lie drove along the village streets
slowly.
Used TO % buggy riding in the old
davs. Re SAID. Got car now-things
arr better these DAYS. Got nee house 90,
better n the one used TO have here. Got
good business 100.
wondered why be ; ould ell me this.
But | made some snswer 10 show l was
Interested.
Yen. used 10 drive in a buggy, got
car now. he repeated Nv ant TO come for
a ride with me day after tomorrow.
"Nhv, ves-unless Esther needs me to
help, ! answered.
"Al settled then. you'll GO. HIS tones
were crisp and curt, like those OF 2 new ana
overly-indus s,rious grocery clerk. Maik
had btcn grocery clerk, so | heard
We arrived az the house, Mark stopped
his car. and sat still at the wheel. ] got
out unasslstcd.
"Sse YOU day after tomorrow, he SAID
and drove of.
30. after { wears, man had asked me
M drive with HIM And u was the same
man. the one who had been so devoted, SO
awkward. and vet 80 aitecuonate IN those
distant DAYS. | should hav been tiatter-
eel thrilled. ! should have felt like young
girl again. But | wasn't bit interested.
Romance, Was Il necessary to youth
alone2 Did il stop with the thlrties-or IN
the twenties2 Is everything sweet and
sentimental over with the first wrinkle?
lie bad been a ndsome youth, so
thought had been pretty girl, so he
thought lie was far and bald and 40, and
complacent. / was shriveled and wrinkled
and IS, and hopeless. Was there an ele-
ment Of romance there
thought not--and somewhat de-
pressed / ,urned from the gate and walk
&c up 20 th porch.
romorrow-kIs Affair.