Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-20
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Stosy ofs weman's Trsnsaormadso.
BY MARION RUBINCAM.
A LOVE TORY.

NNNofStS Ut fhECED1NG CHAPTERS
When Enid is rs, she wakes to the
fact that she is homely old maid, con-
sidercd hopeless by her family. She
lives with her brother Jim, his wife
Esther, the grown children, Laura James
and Violet. Only Violet believes in her.
Wis desire TO 20 to the city to college
starts the reformation. Enid draws all
her money and they 60 TO New York.
Here both awake To the possibilities Of
living; Enid begins to grow younger and
pretty; Vi, though unhappily in love
with Bud lcarsoll, develops into charm
ing girl. Ends one sweetheart, who had
Jlted her in her youth, suddenly wants to
marry her, but she refuses, partly be-
cause she has met and fallen in love with
Francis Meade. Bud employer. Under the
stimulation Of this, she grows younger
in looks and more charming in manner.
Meade has some suspicious about
Buds honesty, for the boy has been
gong around with wild crowd Of men,
spending lots of money. Enid comes
robbed of wallet containing money and
valuable papers, and suspicion points to
him as part of an organized gang.
CHAPTER Lxxxv.
One afternoon, day or so after all
these things happened. Francis Meade
came for me IN his car.
n thought we might run out into
the country somewhere, and get back
for a late dinner" he suggested.
I'D like to-only-"
Only whatY"
You see, Id leave Violet alone then,
and she's feeling so much upset"
'Of course But nothing can be done
fnr a laxs an ,,,rn The ,,nft,a a -, ,a rr,,,,,r
ON an investigation. and George is under
bond to appear when they want him.
Meantime, I'm keeping him on my pay
roll, but told HIM not to come down to
The office, until this thing blows over"
'You're so good" | burst out sud-
denly You have done So much for Bud,
and now. when I'm sure you think he's
guilty. you 90 on protecting him."
I'm not goodr There was almost
trace of impatlcnce IN his voice. al
wish YOU wouldn't say IT, When a woman
like YOU calls me good II well. it makes
me conscious of all my shortcomings"
But why not2" | stood in the mid
die of the room looking at him, puz-
xled. Bud SAYS
Never mind what Bud Saws" he
broke IN suddenly, Tell me why you
think I'm SO good, as YOU call it."
"Geogre docs his office work very
well. so keeping him In his present Job
A. not goodness but efficiency" he said
Hes bright, energetic anbitious-and
IT'S easy 20 sec that YOUR little niece is
IN love with him, so her future is bound
up with MS But this has nothing to do
with me-l believe Id do anything
To have you-well like me-
But | doi' My voice was not quite
under control as ! said this And l could
not Trust myself 10 say any more Prob
ably every woman knows by intuition
when the man is going to tell her he loves
her | knew now in flash, what Francis
Meade was going to say. And when he
said it, IL was all SO much like the working
out OF dream. that | scarcely believed
Il, even while heard his voice.
do you-like me-" he asked quietly.
Gould you-love me?'
Love you?' | heard my own voice
repeating. How could ! help but love
you2 You've been 50 fine to us-and,
oh, Francis, YOU re so wonderful
IL simply came out Of me like that
And when | stopped speaking. | looked
up az him half frightened Wonder
full | had called him--and he was
hut ] wondered how had dared to tell
him So.
Enid dear-dear Enid" he said. |
And then his arms were around me sud
denly. the whole world beyond the circle
of his arms was lost, and there was only
the two Of US and great radiant light
that seemed to be over everything.
do YOU know" he said, II almost
did this the other day? But ] lost my
courage. Enid, do you love me? | want
10 hear YOU say so"
| tried TO tell him how much-but I
could not. All ] could say-in a weak
little voice that must have been muffied
by his overcoat was
YES | do love YOU.
But that seemed enough. And after
all, words are sometimes unnecessaryi
| wonder whether | can really tell all
that followed. | remember every word 1
every look, and even now | find myself
going back over that scene and calling
up every detail of it. let there are things
that are hard TO tell.
For he kissed me then, and how can |
I tell about that? Ii was the first kiss
of love slnce-ah well, really the first /
in all nv life For fifteen wears ago
when Mark kissed me and said he loved !
me, II was different. 1t was nothing |
only thought | was in love then. And |
| had been IN love-with love, not with |
Mark.
And certainly Mark had rot been |
really m love with me But now
This was a rebirth. Or, rather, it was /
the supreme moment OF the gradual pro- 4
cess OF being born over which / had been Il
going through during the last year and a |
half. For II was not the first careless
caress Of youth-it WAS something in
fnitelv sweet and wonderful. this first
kiss, something dreamed of. hoped for
and all the more marvellous because il
was so long despalred OF. From that moment
j was different.
] remember that ] clung to him
little, and then stood away a little to
look up at him-his CRAVING hair, his
gray eyes with spots and hecks of brown
the handsome nose and the mouth that
now was so tender. He was even handsorner
than usual, in his great fur-lined overcoat
with the sable collar that rolled high
around his neck.
''But j don't see why you should love
me. :" | said finally. "You are so-good
looking and nice-and- | should
think lots of women would fall in love
with YOU"
He laughed al that, and / smiled in
answer TO his laugh. Then / went on.
There are so many women that are
Young and pretty and charming and all
the things ] am not. No-wait please
because he made a motion as if to stop me
know what ] am. At home
they called me hopeless old maid. They
.ald | WAS getting aged and WINS honaIxr