Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-17
THE GIRL WHO
SMILED THROUGH
BY Marion Rubincam.
Copyright. George Matthew Adams.
WHAT DAVID SAID.
(shapfnr VIII

SiAVlEI
Alice foupd various why's Of making =
little money, AS the women of small
communities frequently do. She Clara
phrased il "she could make anything
grow. On the small plot Of ground thst
lay behind the little rose powered house,
she managed to raise enough vegetables
for herself and her mother, and to can
winters supply rs well. And over and
above this. she raised enough to sell
occasionally to less thrifty ncighbors, and
to can the surplus to put on s.lc IN the
Womens Shop IN the centre OF the town.
you've most OF your plscc In vege-
tables" Mrs. Myer remarked one warm
afternoon--two DAYS after Sands visit,
watching Alice train sweet peas over
chicken wire fence that screened the
garden from the street view.
'tYes. ] want some extra money tins
year" Alice answered, wiping of her
moist face. lit makes less lawn to cut
anyway she added whimsically.
You ought to make quite q bit, MIS-.
Myer said it with the rising infection at
the end, leaving the sentence IN the ar, as
1T were. IN manner that invited Alice to
provide further details.
Alice, who took very little interest III
the minute personal details of her neieh-
bors' lives, at the same time did not mind
giving out any similar details OF her. This
is characteristic of the woman who does
not gossip She ans,scred cheerfully
enough, regarding the yellow stsins on her
fingers and the brown soil that had worked
it's way thoroughly under her nails.
ooh, | don't make very much, last year
about $50. and $40 Of that was from eggs
sold 1t was enough to get mother some
things she liked though-that pretty
bathrobe, and a rug for her room-Id
like to make more this year; things are
higher YOU know"
'Oh, don't | knowf' sighed Mrs. Myer,
assuming the hopelessly discouraged man
rising cost of living,
I've a fine idea for raising mushrooms
in the cellar. Lots do, YOU know, and they
say YOU can make ever so much money.
Aice's eyes shone at the prospect. m
going to find out more about IT.. | would
love to take mother away this coming
winter" In her mind she WAS already
spending her fortune, and che vas almost
exuberantly gay.
Looks like rain, observed Mrs.
Mver checrlessly
''IIas 10 rain sometime, replied the
incorrigibly cheerful girl,
1T does make the weeds grow 80.
Yes. but it makes the vegetables and
flowers grow too remarked Alice un-
daunted, as she turned back TO l'er task.
II never saw girl like her, Mrs.
Myer was almost complaining about 1t, as
she passed Nrs Fairbanks on the porch,
Here my Fanny il fussing Al home for
fear ii viii storm, and her best beau won't
come this evening to call on her.
~ tf,en ~ gtss doesn't
care enough about that sort of thing,
Mis-. Fairbanks answered.
But Alice did Probably her mind had
held less of the thought of boys and beaux
than most OF her set for II had been occu- !
pied with graver problems for some years
But this afternoon she stopped her work
often TO look up at the sky, and 10 specu- |
late rs to whether the gathering clouds |
would scatter or would pour down that
evening.
"Not that anyone viii come, she told |
her mother, when IN the process OF wedding |
she had worked around To the flower beds
by the porch But she knew in her heart |
that she was wondering whether by some
chance David Thorne might not drop inl
OF course. he wouldn't IL IL rained, and
probably he wouldnt anyway had
only been two days since he had come
around before.
For in Pennington, q young man never
called more than once q week on a young
lady unless he WAS willing TO have II
known that he was particularly interested.
This was the unwritten but general under
stood cult of the village.
But David did come that night though
summer storm made outdoors un-
pleasant for the time. And they talked of
mushroom raising and similar things,
while Mrs Fairbanks sat quietly listen |
ing. and later wrote letter 10 her sick /,
sister.
But after she went upstairs. she sudden |
" felt embarrassed She could not talk |
readily. as she had earlier, David came |
over to the sofa and SAT down beside her, |
taking enc Of her hands
Why did you run away from me the |
other evening" he asked suddenly.
'T-why, ! don't know, Alice con- |
fessed. 1T WAS foolish Of me
ut wasn't because YOU didn't like me, |
WAS it7'
NO, Alice answered, and raised her |
blue eyes TO his.
was it," he began gently, was it be-
cause YOU loved me?''
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