Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-25

world" =.
| But the adorable things she saw and
the growing hunger she felt as she began
the women In shops and on the streets
Just why they were. 80 dashing and how
they got this and that effect--all swept
aside her caution. the easier because OF
the fact that everything she bought was
One evening in a large cafe she sat
watching Amy who was dancing with
her husband. II was at the time when
the new style dresses were Just coming
into vogue. In Ohio they had been only
9 myth. But Amy was a beautiful
dancer and watching her now. Ethel re-
tlected, She expects me tc be like that.
IL I'm not, she'll be disappointed,
ashamed. And why shouldn't be?
you are always saving every cent? You
miss your chance and then it's too late.
I'll be meeting her friends in a few
weeks more. I've simply got to hurryw
arranged for iessons-at a price that
made her gasp. But the lessons were
decided success
"Ycu'vs a wonderful figure for dane
ing. the ,ts teacSer ss,,r said confidinsly and
women haven't any idea Of" He smiled
oh. how nice u sighed Ethel. Some
thing in the little look which flashed be-
u
ance. And this feeling came again and
again, in the shops and while she was
seated at luncheon In some crowded res
taurant, or on the streets or back at
show his admiring surprise.
You're making fine little job of IT,"
she heard him say to Amy one night
She caught other remarks and glances
Ethel now began to feel the whole Vast
busting ardent town centered on what
in her high school club, as they read
Bernard Shaw, they had quite frankly
the work and the business. the schemins
and planning and rush for money, were
focused on this. And for this she was
attracting those swift admirlng glances.
What she would be. what she wanted to
be. what she now ardently longed to be-
come, grew clearer to her day by day.
For the picture was there before her
eyes. Each day 1t grew more familiar,
as at home In Amy's room she watched
her beautiful sister. a stranger no longer
good-humoredly chatting, and mean
while revealing by numberless deft
little things she was doing the secrets
OF clothes and Of figure. and Of cheeks
hind It all of the ancient magic art Of
Pan. She felt Amy ceaseleesly bring
Ing her out. This gave her thrills OF
excitement And looking at her sister
Shall / ever be like that?"
~, And they kept talking, talking. And
through II all the same feeling was
there, the sense of this driving force
of the town.
with the sturdy independence which
was so deep part of her. Ethel strove
to hold up her end of these intent con-
versations and show that she had views
or her own. She was no old-fashioned
country. girl. but modern. something
AAI III.
In her club which would have shocked
their mothers discussed them long and
seriously. They had spoken OF mar
rage and divorce, Of love and having
children and then had gone eagerly on
to suffrage. Jobs and mental science"
art, music and the rest of life. She had
gathered there an image Of New York
as glitterlng mission Of strong, clever
men and fascinating women, who not
only loved to dance but held the most
brilliant discussions at dinner livened
by witty. remarks-a place of vistas
opening into world Of great Ideas
And now with her older sister. 'she ques-
toned her about 1t all. the art and all
the movements" the salons and the
clever talk. She asked:
DO you know any suffragists? Do
you know any men who write plays or
novels. or any musicians or painters
or actresses" And again and again by
an air of assurance Ethel tried to hide
her dlsmay. as her sister subtiy made
all this seem like a school girls fancies.
Yes" Amy would say good -humor-
edly. there are such people. l suppose
plenty or them, all over town And
and they go to high-brow plays-and
some women even work. But It doesn't
sound very thrilling, does It? / don't
real"
And then Amy would go on to hint
what did real n In Ifa An
again that picture of the town all
centered on what emerged from the
shops and poured into the cafes to
dance, was painted for her sister.
with an intimate knowledge Of life. Amy
would glance at the girl by her side In
curious, rather anxious way. For
vaguely she knew that years ago when
she herself had come to New York, she
too had had dreams and imaginings OF
what her young sister called "the real
thing" And she knew that these had
dropped away-at first in the struggle,
which for her had been so intense and
narrowing, to gain foothold In the
clever friends of Joe Lanier when she
married him; and later through a feel
ing or lazy acceptance of her lot. BUT
Ethel's talk and Ethel's eyes recalled
what had been left behind And Amy
thought OF her present friends. and again
with a little uneasy pang she put of
their meeting with Ethel For they did
not seem good to her then. and the pic
ture te she found herself painting of their
lives and her own appeared a bit flat
and trivial In the light OF Ethel's eager
ness. They dressed and went shopping,
they went to tea dances, they dined In
cares or In their homes, rushed off in
taxis TO musical plays. and had supper
and danced. They loved and were loved,
they played the game"
MY, dear" she said decisively, ITS
not What you say that interests men
II now you look and what you have on"
but despite her air OF assurance and
her own liking of her life, she felt the
quietly: ''N
"oh. my friends aren't all I'd like,
they never are. II you've anything in
you. YOU II you really, want to be some
pody- and here her whole expression |
changed to one of resolute faith In her.
self-'you need just one thing, money. |
ana you can't do anything about that, |
you have to walt for your husband. |
loe's dear. of course. and he's work. |
ing hard And he's getting 1t, too, he's |
getting it," A CLEAN of hunger almost
ferce came into her clear violet eyes
II want larger apartment-I've picked
out the very one. And ! want a car, a
Limousine. I know just how I'll paint II
want house on Long Island. I've
picked out the very spot-just next to
Fanny Carr's new place"
AS her sister spoke Of these ideals,
again Ethel had that feeling OF church,
but only for moment
Who's Fanny Carr?" she asked
alertly.
Amy was slowly combing her hair,
and she smiled with kindly tolerance,
for her little confession had brought |
"F Fanny en t"" was y a write writer ono once" 'u'''''
"Oh, really!'
Yes, She ran a department on one
of the papers"