Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-31
A Needed Friend
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Alice felt glad when she saw Clara.
She was essentially a social creature,
n having shut herself away from the
everybody in the first shock of her
grief. h did not mind telling an
other girl about it now-that is. she
Gid not mind telling Clara, who was
always full of sympathy.
Mrs. Fairbanks was out on the
porch. in her own cushioned rocker,
and Alice went over to her and kissed
her.
II didn't see her either.' Mrs. Fair
Mother" h said. But 1 felt that
X l stayed here and met Lois, / would
have wanted to murder her"
The best thing you could have
DONE Clara remarked yiciously, and
Alice, in spite of herself, smiled at
the extravaganza CT the notion.
Il didn't see her either" Mrs. Fair
bands said" 1 went up in your room
aid shut the aoar. Lois display ii sar-
fris:ng enegcy. She went after the
hickman, and saw that her trunks
we're locked an1 expressed"
."Of course she had energy when
abe wanted it, commented Clara.
Did h cools to say goodbye -
Alice asked. II didn't know she had
one so soon. bot I'm glad h has"
She came" Mrs. Fairbanks 81 her
mouth in a tight little line.
"She dared to-" gasped Clara.
'Oh yes. she came with that sweet
sus airy name OF hers, and / told
her frankly what / thought OF hei
~dishonorable actions" Mrs. Fa' rbanks
displayed more vigor than she had for
years. Then h dropped her sweet
ways and became sullen. And then she
Wen away"
II saw her at the station" Clara
said a little while later, when Mrs.
Fairbanks. exhausted by the excite
ment of the last couple of days, had
one up to her O for a rest. Il
went to meet the local from the juno
ton, and saw her waiting for the ex-
press. L told her I hadn't heard of
her going, and / guess / didn't pretend
any great sorrow, either. Anyway, she
said she had changed her plans sud
denly, n that h was to be mar
ried in a few weeks, and had to so
back to New York to buy a trousseau
fancy, and she's supposed to be over
powered with grief for her mother"
And Clara leaned back and dropped
her eyes in imitation of Lois pet ex-
preston of sorrow.
Then when she told me 1t was
David, l nearly tainted" Clara said.
And / anne up here as fast as I
could. Dear girl. why did o break
you engagement to him? l didn't
'Aht AbRiiiS iihh " gOag u
Why, she'll make him perfectly miser-
able"
Alice sat llstlessIy, staring out the
window. When she began to tell the
whole story to Clara, her voice had
the same ~uriously monotonous quality
1t had had once before. At the end
she repeated. IT was so afraid he
might be falling In love with her, and
1 had to be fair. Clara. Suppose L
held him to his engagement, and all
the time he wanted her! hin what
a marriage like that would an
nothing but the greatest misery.
Whereas, if l gave him his free
dom, and he found he did 10y me
best-why my conscious would have
been clear. and everything would have
been all right. Perhaps 1t is anyway,
for he seems to have preferred her.
But Alice's voice did not contain the
optimism, her words showed.
Everything isn't all right" Clara
declared vigorously. First or all, I
don believe he ever did propose to
her"
But how else could they be en-
gaged?" asked Alice, the innocent