The Press., 1920-12-16
Seventy years young, Polly, I guess

 you mean"
 Polly laughed delightedly as the bus rolled on, swaying them this way and that. They were such a bright-eyed old couple-everything interested them the hurrying crowd in the street, the shop windows, the endless stream of traffic that swept up and down the avenue
 The bus stopped at the command of a traffic policeman. and something on the sidewalk caught the old lady's spe- cial attention. She pulled at her hus- bands sleeve, oh, look, Peter; look" she cried. "There's a man selling vio- lets. How I wish I had some!'
 Peter, apparently, couldn't stand the idea of his Polly wanting those violets and not having them. He leaned over the side of the bus. waving his cane in the direction of the flower vender and yelling. his voice cracking with the ef fort.
 Hey, there, violets! Hey! A bunch of those violets-the best you have" he called, holding out a nice crisp dol lar bill..
 The flower man was neither blind nor deaf. and up came beautiful fragrant bunch, falling right into Pol ly's lap. "There. my dear" said Pc ter smiling with all the joy of youth into her radiant old face. 'I declare, Pol, those flowers just match your eyes. True blue, my dear; true blue"
 silly" smiled the old lady.
 Silly nOthing!" answered he with spirit. After being married to you nigh unto fifty years I guess l ought to know" And somehow or other his hand found hers under the bunch of viOletS
 "Wouldn't the children scold us for this?"' giggled Polly. They'd call us romantic old idiots."
 "What do they know about life. those children?" exclaimed Peter. They talk of romance as if it were a dead language. They put up false god named independence and think they're having good time. Ridicu- louS modern nonsense, that won't last 20 years or help them weather a storm.
  romance would do them a world of good-eh. my dear?"
 Were we romantic when we were their age, I wonder?" said the old lady. "I remember refusing you three times because I didn't like the ruffles you wore on your shirts"
 Peter chuckled at that. "Yes, sir. fn frr trick" he exclaimed.
 'But I wouldn't change you now for all the independence in the world. my dear" said Polly softly.
 Their hands were still together un- der the violets. and they were utterly oblivious of the rest of the universe. Polly was the only person in New York so far as Peter was concerned and Peter the only one that Polly was aware of.
 "Sevcnty-second street " called the conductor. With a start Ellen and Jimmy. silent in their back seat. real iZed that this was their corner. With out word they climbed down the narrow stairway and turned up the street.
 Jimmie stole a look at Ellen. Her eyes were suspiciously bright and her cheeks unusually pink. There was about her that made him catch his breath.
 No such thing as Darby and Joan. Ellen?" he asked. My dear don't you see how it is? They found the -;tI, I,a
 She didn't answer and they mount ,d the steps of the big brown stone house in silence. Jimmie laid his hand Dn her arm and turned her around so that she had to look straight into his eyes as he continued:
 How about 1t, EllenT'
 Ellen's own particular little laugh that Jimmie loved was rather trem- bly, as she answered:
 "All riyht-Darby !'