Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-20
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Story off Woman's Transsor nation.
BY MARION RUBlNCAM.
p~,,sce.-d nv (,eorse Matthew Adams.
DECISION.
Cbapter T,IX

Chapter Liz.
-Four o'clock Sunday found me alone
in the house. Violet and James went
off together with some OF the girls ana
bows of fhe village, promising to meet
MS at Laura's at six. Right after din
ner, jim came around with the young
est horse in the buggy, and took Esther
away with him. :, -.
| volunteered to clear up the dishes
| alone, and watched them drive OIL TO,
gether. / smiled with satisfaction as l
filled the big dishpan with not water
and began on the vast number OF plates
and cups. If Esther and Jim had only
done this sort of thing oftcn--lf they
had only tried little to keep up the
romance of their youth--we would not
| all be in the curious position we were now;
''Do | look all right?" Esther said
as she left, turning around and round
| for my inspection. II went in your room
and took some of your powder, ana !
guess laced these new corsets too tignt;
| | should a worn them before u bought
| 'em two years ago, but hateu 10 peeln
putting em on. and nov mmuch latter.
told her she looked splendid, and
she drove off happy. II was all anus
| ing, but it was so pathetic too. Perhaps she
| might, as she said, 90 to the city with VI
| and trv the process of rejuvenatlon That l
| tried-but | knew if she did she would
never succeed. Meantime, II seemed
that was being deprived of my chance TO
| 90 on with my own upbuildlng-
was being chained here to the country
farmhouse, too busy even to read the
papers, with never a bit of leisure 10 cul-
| tivate either my body or my brain.
Violet would go on with at least part
of another year at college-and perhap
] ,tI bothered
me-for what Bud would become, was
very problematical vi was the type that
is made to love one man and TO care Tor
him-not materially as Laura did-but 10
be the really perfect mate, and playmate
And | well, | had no future but
what | might share with the giri-and
that was being taken from me. After
/ il all. when our money was spent there
was nothi to do but come home 70
the farm and the hard routine OF WORK
Of course, there was Mark-there was
always Mark, It seemed, now that
didn't want him. But what a tate-
10 be his wife and hous akeeper! Every
time thought of him, thought OF BUD
emplover-a man far above me IN every
wavsso far be would never even remem-
her me-hut, SO charming and graclousi
Mark came. and we sat out on the
porch For an hour we talked, whlle
the hot dav cooled of and the shadows
began to cngthen.
s'Do Won kaow, T said when ! saw you
over 10 the High School dance that i
never would have known you, Epid'
he sand once. "And wouldn't now either:
Then YOU looked so old-and sort OF
sot, and like you didn't care much about
ANYTHING. Gosh, | was surprised. Thought
it must have been so years, not ~, since
YOU were the pretty glri i Was In love
with
knew it had to come, so sat quietly
and let him talk.
"But | always liked you, and
1 last vear-when YOU did look pretty -,
: and homelv, if YOU don't mind my say
a ing So, he went on>apologetlcally, ant
: last wear | asked you TO marry me. Don
!. YOU remember? ! wasn't 50 much mysei
L j guess m 40 and look 1t, and ieei
, too. But | thought we always got along :
K well in the old days and | guessed We
get along pretty well now.
h He pulled out huge handkerchie
II and wiped over his hot face.
n Anyway, you wouldn't do IT,
;, said. You had a lot OF romantic nc
Is tions | thought were crazy in woma
y vour age You said YOU would not, b'
l. cause / didn t-er-love you, ana %
II cause YOU didn't-er-love me TOO
of guess that was it, wasn't IT? You sai
d it was because / wanted a hoasekeep
and because | thought you needed
rs home And | guess maybe 1t was.
Is | looked him full IN the face, In su
l. prise al this confession.
:. "But it amt so now, he SAID SUI
a. denly. Il guess maybe you was-w
or right. There ought TO be some lo'
III when two people hitch up, even Il o.
,e is 40-odd and the other-well, you DOL
ST look more'n 30 now, Enid
a but what do you mean? ask'
-. in genuine surprise
IS Just that, he said, and his voi
1d was really very earnest. Il don't kno
I'd what you've done to yourself, wheth
it's clothes, or not working too har
es or living away from Esther-she' mai
II me old in no time-Or what But an
nix way. YOU got me as crazy about YOU
.Iv | used to be when | was a boy. I'm
od do YOU want me to say / love your
Ise So he had said it-that he loved N
on So. after all one man had told me III
IT'S for his proposal last year had be
n. nothing but an untiatterng offer
4 marry me in order TO make me hls houi
keeper And now he was IN love -rea
1y in love-with me! Somehow ! could 4
II get over the surprise OF 1t.
| looked at him curiously. After 8
would he be possible, if he really cal
-. for me? Was this the end of my br
nr l.a career-to marry this man? If he 10y
nn 1n me, he would be fairly generous. lie
mo .n good natured, and he had many hkea
" qualities would bea bic to persuade b
~ to send Violet all the way through coll.
IL and perhaps to give James helpl
~ 4 hand But while | thought it over, KIN
" my decision was already made for L
Ike