The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-12
THE FIRST RIFT IN THE CLOUDS

hCo1iy DcSdue ulSenSaS6Q IHis
afternoon, How nearly, only Lindsey
herself knows. And to think that the
wedding dress arrived but a few
hours ago. Thank goodness, mother
had no inkling of how near her dear
est dreams came to being turned into
a nightmare.
1t was all on account of my stupid
and wilful obstinacy, anyhow. You
see l managed to get out of all fit
tings for the day and skipped down
to Dorrys studio right after lunch.
We had glorious reunion; smiles,
cigarets and many signs. Those girls
simply hate to have me enter the mat.
rtmnoial ring. That's a fact They
Wept over me as though / we're some
lamb being led to the slaughter. l
laughed and handed them the Same
old saws: Some day Mr. Right will
come into your lives, too and then
you'll just know what 1T means" etc,
until l suddenly thought how silly 1t
sounded, sitting amid rare etchings
and Flemish tapestries, to say moth
Ing Of Greenwich Village posters and
battiked curtainettes, much smoke
and serenity, the kind of serenity that
comes with bachelorhood only, to
utter these ancient platitudes!
grinned sheepishly. and then look
ed pensive. 1t all seemed so sort Of
stupid, my engagement now. After
all. 1t was merely matter of environ
ment. and this was not the proper
one for matrimony and its germs to
flourish IN. We soon dropped the sub
ject. but l can still hear the shocked
little scream Of disappointment that
friend Derry emitted when she heard
the news. She was just awfully blue
for five minutes after, and until
started to taZz-step round the room
in the old manner and as If no trag-
edy had happened in our midst. Then
we three sat and laughed and laughed.
Well. it's not at all anything to be
proud of. Then-shades Of the home
to be and housekeeping pulled out
my old easel and fell to on the still
unfinished head of Jean. just as If
nothing had ever happened to inter
rupt my work and my visits to the
studio and the pals l loved.
How we three girls did work those
blissful three hours. 1t seemed but
yesterday that l had left the Art
league and I did some good work on
that head. l made up my mind there
and then that l would never, never
sacrifice my career for any man and
that as soon as the honeymoon was
over l would tell Jack that must go
on with my work and fix up a studio
at the very top Of the house, come
what may.
We quit work at about four o'clock
and then, as if there had been no
change in our scheme Of existence, in
walked Brixy. He went perfectly
white when he saw me, and l felt
R~fully sorry for the poor boy. be-
cause he had heard of my engagement
and had taken it hard-from all &C.
counts. But l put my hands on his
shoulder, like sister would, and
asked him with a wee choke in my
voice, to congratulate me.
Not Brixy. He just pushed me off
and suggested that engaged girls did
not usually act in that manner, or
something to thatfeffect Brixy could
no more be harsh with me, or any
girl, than he could fly, and after |
little while he came round all right |
and laughed as hard as any of us, |
my work and told me that I
would make the very finest little wife |
ever. l felt choky again, of course. |
In fact. l firmly came to the concIu-
sion that l was marrying too young
and had not given myself proper time |
" iHdhe up my NINA ABOUT the man! |
What l wanted to really do was to !
play around and study my art for sew. |
eral years to come. Go to Paris, and,
above all, be free, free as air, and |
happy.
l dreamed Of a studio somewhere
in the Latin quarter, with fame lust |
around the corner, and eventually an |
artist husband, who would understand !
my innermost soul. Jack was fal. too !
simple and matter Of fact for such as
was-Jack was. Somehow
or other could not clearly formulate
just what Jack was. He was red
and healthy, and Rugged one
very hard, and smelled sort of mascu.
line and ordered one about a wee bit
in a curious way.
Well, after we had put away our
easels we sat around and chatted,
and drank strong coffee, and felt at
peace with the whole world. It was
almost dark when I realized. with a
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