Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-05
\ SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
he Story OF a Woman's transformation.
ny MARION RuBlNCAM.
rrctSctcu ny Gcorp, Matthew Adams
MARX AGAIN.
~ ocors, Matthew Adams
Chapter NIVI.


That night | sat i'm nv room little
While before going to bed. and thought
,ard about Violet and myself
My thoughts were not cheerful. There
VAS nothing in the room To make them
cheerful. twas that sort of room IA hope
css affair IN every way The ceiling was
TOO low. Low ceilings are usually very
cheerful. but this was 50 low IL was de-
pressing it fairly rested upon ones
head. The walls had once been plain white
plaster. hut some years before Esther
took " into her head TO do over the house,
and she had chosen for my room brown
tsh papcr with an enormous gilt and green
icsign
Some of this had faded. which was
merciful. but still the design wns too
large and Il was curious Dattern.
an upsetting design | was never at peace
with a. u hurried and worried me- There
WAS ono window which never had shade,
hut only some fancy curtains And there
vas mantcl. having no reason tor ITS
existence since u was not over fireplace;
wooden bed that was tall and narrow
chested IN appearance, two uncomiort-
able chars and bureau whose mirror
was anything but tatterIng.
After our delightful! little flat, thus
room oppressed me as Esthers person
slty oppressed me after the freedom
Il nv winter | knew could do n little
o. imurovc u bv bringing ont few of the
pretty thingswc carried home with US but
really. very little could hc done about the
hectic wall paper except 70 try and ignore
n
" hat. | wondered was TO bc the end
~ u al uf Violet and me2
felt ~ my soul that she would never
care for anyone bv George Pcarsoll and
| lrli She would never be happy with
ham and never happy without hun.
Tnr Violet was the sort that loves once and
does not carccvrr again about any other
man Aud George was not ready yet Tor
that sort of intense affection he was too
young. too immature lie did not under
stand and u made hm uncomfortable.
Ns Tor myself Of course there was
NJ hove m life for me only tho second
hand emotion that comes from watching
somconc else ! could feel life through
Violet
Vet IA spite m my prcoccupation.
| did not neglect the evening routine
that | was now following with religious
fprvuI ! went over my hair. stimulating
my scalp as ! had been taught to do. !
cleanzcd my skin with cream. and with
another cream pattcd all the wrinkles.
Not even Esther could drag me away from
this henchcml routine
NeNt day ! got into one of my old
house dresses brown cotton with
hasatlr waist and loose. dragging. full
-klrt. and went down 10 the kitchen TO
help pickcd M tho household duties |
and went about the work as though / |
had had L down only for a day
But that evening when the last task /
was finished. I went to nv room and 1
slpped INTO one ot the pretty froCks ! /
had made that spring
simply have to feel civilized, I
told Violet. as | combcd my halr into /
the high knot Helen taught me.
And together, We went down 70 the
porch
And presently M the road came three
figures, Mrs Diggs her son Billy,
who was n chum Of James and Mark
uplohn, came IN.
II heard you was back. and thought
as ! was over I'D run IN and see YOU,
was his greeting
We sat out on the porch James, reused
from tho lcthargy that came over HIM at
supper time when the work was through,
went inside with Violet and Billy. Laura
and Charlie had gone driving After the
usual round oi greetings, Esther took
Mrs DiEEs inside
~ want t. show Won al Laura 5 linens.
was her excuse Come, Jim
And thus tactcssly she left Mark
and myself on the dimlv lighted porch
n sposc vou heard | hadn't gotten
married, Mark sand abruptly
YES, Esther wrote me. ! said. max
ing my voice very casual indeed Il
was ~ sorry. Nou must have felt very
badly"
No he said and repeated II "No.
We wasn't cut out for each other. Sarah
and me. When a man loves once. he
cleared has throat he really seemed
very embarrassed. when a man loves
once he docsnt care much about other
women
"Oh vour wife. YOU mean. ] said
"Oi course YES. when a man has a wife
he cares for suppose other women do
seem little
Well uh. no That IS ] didn't mean
that
| never saw man 50 embarrassed
a MARX ! was almost sorry for him
could soc the red run run up into his face,
for be was sitting where the lamp light
from the room inside fell over him
I was almost sorry for him, almost
inclined "a let him down easily But not
quite ! remembered how he had treated
mc wears ago. when he came to see me 50
often that he frightened away every other
possible man. and then how he suddenly
left nae, 10 run after a grl in another
town and how he had married still an
other one | wns not rcsentful- perhaps
I had felt a little romantic about him
wears ago. But ] did not know and |
his stumbling almost in
sulting proposal to me last summer
Then ! remembered the other man
Francis Meade. seen so casually one |
evening last spring What a figure he
vas-hesidc this uncouth creature!
Tomorrow Esthers Ideas