Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-20
THE OLD BURDEN


Ruth O'Niel and Myra Weed have
h,.,, chvms from childhood and plan when
tbev arr lS to go to the city together'
Wyra frankly wishing 10 enjoy herself,
and Ruth to take a business cou!se'
Ruth knows she must support her family,
and the small town IN which sffe hVes
offers her no opportunity.
Tho little money necessary TO seno
bor 20 the city must be used for her
father. who is i'll. Ruth must sacrlhce
her trip and her chance to study nue
M,.ro e able to 90. Tim Turner, nice
nov IN the village, asks Ruth TO marry
-, but though she loves him very much
r. rcf,,ses because neither has any money.
IT,, Toes 10 the CITY to make his fortune,
ard while there falls in love with Myra:;
pr,b IS heartbroken when she hears OF
,ho;r encacement. and feels that not only
hor chance to learn and to work, but
Nor one chance to be happy has gone;
Then her Aunt Sarah visits them al anu
takes Ruth to the city with her. Inc
Girl must now watch the happihess oi
her two friends, while she stanos as"ne
neglected. She thinks OF getting q PI-
sitIon but news that her sick tather neeos
her makes her decide TO 60 back.
CHATTER Xix.
So Ruth turned her back upon ths
CITY that meant SO much 10 her, am
storted home. The night tram ran through
- t,,,nol that went under the river, and
,,nder the great hill beside it, and came
o,t upon the marshv fiat between New
York and Newark. -,
R,,+b turned to the window ana look-
81 hack Lights twinkled from the hiI
side Beyond its horizon the big CITY oi
her dreams lay, the plac' of fortune ana
onporulnitv, the place waere nara "oiA
,,ias "a well rewarded In n few moments,
=. tbc,, sned over the flats, she could see
,bc tons of the biggest buildings emerge
frnm the ripht-the great lantern IN the
Woolvorth Tower. the light atop the
root tower on Madison Square. She trled
- identify the various big buildings that
lad ~ captured her imagination anu
was pleased when she succeeded- men
- the train roared through the streeOS %
me great city Of factories that WAS spread
mo 30 rapidly over the Jersey helus' she
turned away and tried to read.
Next morning early she changed ST
junction CITY, and hnally' huheis "'i0
tired. she arrived at Marketowh'
Her mother and father were there
~ meet her II was at least pleasure
80 them agair And there was a Ger
I'm Measure IN beng at home again
'rb. snrinp was we'll advanced, Marke-
,,,n's front wards were a mass ot loVetN
.i,vers and the air was dehclousiy warm
ana fragrant And the first day passed
,,i.asantIv for the Weeds wanted 70
know ali about Alyra, and had invited
Ruth and her father and mother TO dihieeI.
..Nivra wrote YOU were staying win
,b.rl after your aunt left. the gentle
lttl. \IrS Weed said as they sat at dln-
,,or ..Rut YOU should have gone there ~
,rce after your aunt left. I'm glad TINS
,,y friend Of hers-thIs Gaby-dldn
mind Nvra having a guest
RItb answered nothing but looked
Down AZ her plate. Gaby mlndng ner
there, Ii was Gaby. not Myra, VINO rlsis'-
cd on her coming But Ruth OF course
said nothing OF this. She gave ? long &C
count Of her good times and the theatres
she went TO, and the huge size oi the Guy
Il never quite trusted tneatIlc4' .I =
folks Z" Mrs Weed said again But this
yirI saams 10 he a good friend oi Emily ;.
andf all her wildwaYs, Emily Is thorough
~ Trustworthy. And now you say you
like her. whv. feel easy in my mlnd
"Gabv is a wonder" Ruth answered
she could only be good influence.
.sWeU Nvra's 50 interested IN neT
singing lessons and working 50 hard
7 hated 10 take her away But | was
qefting worried about It. Is she overWorN-
ing do YOU think?
And Ruth had to answer she dlo b1t -
think so-remernhering how successfully
NTyra avoided all exertion. and how niue
time her lessons really took
ANYWAY. l vas glad when she wrote
he was engaged to Young Turner, Mt
Weed nut in q great man whose voice Ai-el
whose presence filled whichever room ne {
was in Hes a sensible lad, and q hard
worker and | like his family. VI course
tLey won't be merried for wears heN re
III too Young. and he has nothing yet.
Sit he'll be a steadying influence lof
Nyra
Ruth was glad her mother answered
this. Il saved her, and she did not want "
use her voice just then.
we thought piped up henne.n me- u
the small brother that you were crazy
Kenneth Mr.. Weeds voice sub
died the small son az once,
Ruth nerved herself for q supreme
effort sbe
..;J II like them both so much N giad
,lev-re gong 70 be-together
A,d ,6is seemed TO satisfy everyone.
Waking home through the quiet streets
Tor Ruth felt seUse of InmeasuraDle
ebef coming over her. She had gotten
through now, al the necessaTy social
forualites that connected her with Inn 6
e, ~ cement 10 Myra Except Tor the two
NJ three moments whea she brokeooWn
~ the hallway Of the boarding house
nd sobbed with her head against iiil
shoulder. she had u shown any OF hei
teal ieehi q
And that one evening Tim had been
upset. too-and no ore reed know II
eyeept the two Of them. MyTa would
over guess quite how deeply Ruth was
burt. and these people in Marketown should
ever know how truly she cared for the
man who had left her
She had kept her poise, she had de-
ceiyed them all-all but Tim and Caby
and the secret was safe with them. Even
the II-vear-Old Kenneth was convinced
for the gossip of small children was Z
thing 20 be dreaded
And now she was free Of it all free
and most terribly alone
She was almost glad 10 be back IL
her old room again. She certainly enjoyed
the physical comfort of the large bed
for the couch she had been sleeping on
WAS too narrow for real rest
The next morning Mrs. Beidng tap
ned on her door TO wake her. Ruth stood
a moment looking out at the garden
careless confusion of flowers, weeds, and
untended grass but beautiful in its fra
GRANGE and freshness She put on her oldest