Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-12
4 SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
Ike Story Oh Woman's Transfer nation.
EY MARION RUBINCAM.
FRANCIS COMES.
l1,nntnr CIV.

coafcss felt discouraged after reau'nk
Niol"t' letter. Was all my lonely inoain 11a
i'm the country To be wasted, aiter ~. ~
| so wanted to lift up Esther from t tiio
t,rr,hlr r,lt she was in, and was so sure
tho h.,st way 10 do it was to leave her W
take tip nv life. while | Went PACK ~,
little and took up hers. Ana II l fa,I tflI
in IL well. did not like TO thith VI la.,-
ing had been so SticccsStul IN o'iic' 49, 80:
They saw that IA woman surio"''.S
background, environment Wv.
thing in life to her. dld not pt',o'o s,,r ~
Lrov now that il isn't SO. My sur
ro,,,d,,os wore Fsthcr's and rose rom
,bo,,, L,vcn now was LIVING esther y
Efc gcttipr the meals, doing the "oIh'
s,,o,rg ,hc same facts and hearing lhe
same gossip Esther did but WIN H''a'
d,Tcrcrcrt | was improving my me- anu
mn, familv's dav by day. Esther hau
occcptcd things as they were
,,,rkcd hut | kept myself dainty.
-, ono nf the working dresses such
a. uscd at the apartment IN me cry
and kcpt myself always pTcSch'a'"'
NJ, thst the ncighbcrs were apt I" ur"P
~, th,N had aS mulch work rs l. SOM,
~ ,hetn more tut because JIM ana
.I,mc. were IN and out OF the house u'-
eXprctcdly. an | wanted always I" -o'N
uIcc for thcm ,..a oro,
b,,n,,,nc M some wood for my ilre
.,,d .,.,rc me IN a rcgllgcc was dong
.I. ~ a short interval OF rest be
,v,.,.7 thc MIDDAY dinner and the evening
supper III
nodded. and he SAT and talked white,
coming ntlt a little with his hopes ana
,nhtiorS poor cnough now thouei
-. hc Xvas ambitious enough.
ou don't like the farm work why
d,n.t YOU get away from here asked
-Oh. moan to. | will some day
he al swercd -.
Igut / knew then that he wouIdnt II
bc world always mean 10, but nc never
v,,Id take th, thing IN his own hauGs.
IIc would never have the courage
rcvohitiouizcd the sort oi -n'a's We
had. So as 10 give myself Thor' ''""
for other things and 50 NJ I" give y
a lr.s taxing diet This pl~tsci '1ai'lyS'
but | think Jim secretly longed i"r .ht
hnt bread. hot rolls. hot cakes ahd "'''ei
f,r,ns ~ heated dough that had toTmcd
40, mar, ~ ms meals. And sundays,
.fter church was over and In" dlIl'ct
si.a,.d away James and Went for long
tramuss over the hills, ploughng our
aA /
,5rn,rc the Falls, framed IN lciClcS ana
roaring down over Icc-coated stones
II never thought suow-cOvCred country
uas prettv thought II WAS Just white
Ill you hcg.n pointing out the c"TrS
~ +, tho hoy said once. md together
~, named over the colors We could
6nd blues and mauvcs, purple shadows
Yellow lights on the snow, patches 81
,,rccn where the FIR trees grew, red herrles'
and brown and gray IN the leaiicss trees
- four weeks had passed iouI
y,,oLs II Esthcrs life but not ilVCd
II Isth,rs way. | managed her Work
tnak care of the family better than
sbc and Vet kept up my care oi mys'l y,
vas As fresh and attractive 70 iooh z,
non lett as when | came Ana
managed to get INTO each day ",
r.,d,nq and a little beauty usually
,hI, Was short walk through the winter
count rNsldc
R,,, \ ,oIats letter made me- decide %
90 back Al once - that evening James
md drove across frozen roads to 2
nearby village and sent two telegranls
~ II saving | was coming, to franciS
saving ! was ready anytime
Nnd next morning ] had = wiro iron,
ErancIs himself. SAYING that nc Would
cornr M Tor me the following day
wanted 10 leave everything attrac-
1--WE for Esther. ~ the morning 81 the
dav was 70 leave James and dld the
homework together, giving everything =
What the boy called a touching m
untll al the surfaces shone. The tarm-
hoti>c. indeed was as neat, and pretty
as hands could make tin spite q
thc various hideous unnecessary objects
thai | wanted so to throw out
Laura was TO come over and tak'
charge my first visit from her, by th'
way. From the minute she heard q
my own good fortune she ceased e
nretcnd 10 like me. nd though ! hac
pone once to see her. whca ! first camf
mn. she had never come over 70 return
The visit. She did so now because my
return TO town meant that her mother
vas coming back.
When she arrived the house wa'
empty. Tor James and |, making a
meme out Of our work, had ended 10y
golnr up 10 the little woods and b-lng
Inr IN armfuls Of evergreen boughs
and some bittersweet and bayherry that
we found III sheltered corner Of field
Tho house was 10 look festive. iol
Esther.
Purposely. have not mentioned Laurt
more than necessary II my story. II
s,tc of her occasional meanness, there
v.~ always something hkeabie abou
Esther. aud great deal that appealed
to nv sVmpathleS. There was nothln9