Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-03
DISlLLUSIONNIENT.
Chapter LXXXVIII.

That night. lying in her Luxurious little
bedroom, at the hotel, Ruth thought
over the thirgs said during the evening;
Parts of the conversation came back
70 her-she could not sleep, and gave
n up once, turing on the reading light
on the tiny table and hunting through
her suitcase for n book to read But
even this she gave up, having no inter
est in the pages, so she turned out the
hight and lay looking into the dark and
Tim had fidgeted a bit with the eve
nj, y. per. o. ce he oper ed 1T, but catch
irr a look from Myra, he laid it down
hike well trai cd husband.
DO read it." Ruth begged him then
.Nivra ard | can talk. The war rews
has been little more cheerful the last
few days. | felt last week as though |
had to go over myself and take a hand,
thiy Is seemed so desperate
Il WASH readirg the war rews," Tim
answered. perhaps a little sulky because
Nlyra had fol biddcn him to read There's
boxing match on they're traiI ing. l
was Just wordcriag how Joe the Hitter
was comm on
He might read the war news and
improve his mind" Myra answered,
puckecirg up her lips with little air
Of virtue.
It's not our war;" Tim answered
easily. And we'll never get into 1t,
WHY worry"
ii think It is our war, though" Ruth
answered thoughtfully, ''and I'm not
20 sure we wont get into II. Most OF the
things we're makil in the factories al
ready built, are for the war, and we're
planning things on an extensive scale
because, though were only making for
foreign governments now, we may have
20 make for our own.
well, YOU won't catch me goirg If
we do get into it !" Tim answered, cheer
fully. opening the evening paper to the
sporting page. Anyway, they wont
ask me because have wife and a large
and husky son TO support Haven't II"
He leaned over from his chair towards
Myra and kissed her, and she smiled back
into his face-the bland, sweet smile
that made her so very pretty.
Ruth felt as though something had
cut her sharplv-it was not the kiss she
felt badly over, she thought later as
she law thinking about the evening, il
was Tins new attitude towards life.
She and Langley had followed the
news Of the dav with eagerncss Lang
ley brought up TO her letters addressed
% him from foreign governments, and
when q French officer in his smart hor-
izon blue uniform had come to look over
some work for his government, il was Lang
ley's greatest Iov TO 60 about with him
They had a map of the battlcfelds
struck little pms IN TO show where the
armies advanced and retreatcd-this oc-
cupicd all of small table in the living
room at homo.
How could Tim ignore it, she wondered
Just exactly what are YOU doing
with these new buildings Myra asked
Mother docsn I say much. She saws you
are a stenographcr for them You always
did want to be one. YOU know
I'm net exactly a stenographer"
Ruth answered wondering how she could
begin to explain her ideas, her accomplish
ments, her dreams and ambitious when
there was so much to tell about them.
"You see" she began again, thinking
she might stat at the beginning and
So make it understandable 10 Mvra-
You see. when / got homo from New
York, before, | was a little lonesome,
nothing sec med to happen IN Narketown."
Il should think YOU would be lone
some in that hole Mvra broke in con-
temptuouslv especially - YOU ran
around 50 much II the city"
Ruth remembered how practically all
the good times size had had before were
due to Gabv and not 70 Myra, but she
SAID nothing.
- l started a elub-iust our old
crowd, and few other nice people, and
we gave dance and formed some com
mittces"
YES. the Towne Club, Mother wrcte
about it Tim said
"The Club went along splendidly
Then ! had an idea about turning a va
cant lot BY a factory into a place for
the factory children To play, because
those streets are 50 dirty and there are
50 many loaded trucks going through
there are often accidents
You were working in the factory
Tim nut in again.
Yes Then / had an idea we might
turn the vacant lots in Marketown in
u Fairgrounds for all the children Ia
other words, give them a place away
from the streets, with play things. swings |
and gymnastic apparatus. and woman
70 teach them organized play. And ] |
thought we ought 70 have a park for /
grown-ups-one Of the children s play |
grounds, with band concerts something |
pretty ID the centre Of the town
1T needs something decent looking"
Myra interrupted.
80 10 get that the club formed a /
Civic Committee | was q member Of /
e. Well. we got those and did d lot Of /
good things for the town Then the
Club drew older members because il |
was doing serious work and we bought !
the old Halnes' Farm anG use il now as a /
summer place, as a country club-and .
then / got interested in making good I
looking houses for factory people-and
there was 8 man in the town who knew a
Let about tt
She did not mention Langley's name,
but went on
80 we took the old fat fields over
the river, the city got some ] bought
some, but not much as | hadn't any
money, and we foated bond issue, and
well, we began building model houses
Myra. you should see them We build the
houses IN artistic styles round a hollow
square; they are SO pretty to look at
and they dent cost much more. Inside
the square its ike garden and all the
people share it"
She stopped Myra looked plainly
bored. Tim was glancing stealthily at
the SrorffDU rlaoa sf bie