Evening star., 1921-11-19
MERRIAM LOCKS UP.

standing, he would have UNDER
q stood (though perhaps without
understanding why) that no house,
wife, young or old, can start out on
any journey, long or short, without
many preliminary swaggles.
A man can turn the key-or forget
to turn it!-and stroll joyfully away
without thought Of the thing he's
leaving behind him.
But women aren't SO. Any woman
realizes that her mangled remains
may be carried through the front
door she has 50 frequently quilted,
and that, while she mayn't be alive
to hear them say 1t, she doesn't want
the neishbors to have the chance to
murmur:
Poor thing! She was awfully
good hearted, but, my dears' the most
careless housekeeper!
So John Lindsay stood swishing his
cane at the hedge. shrieking at reg
ular intervals:
What are you doing now?
While Merriam kept crying cheer
lily:
"All rightly, be with you in tiffy,"
for at least half an hour.
He knew it wasn't humanity possl-
BILE for her to jam anything more
either into his shabby kit bag or her
own swagger suit cases.
He knew that she had locked the
attic windows, the upstairs windows.
the downstairs windows and the cell
lar windows, because she had made
him go the rounds to make sure that
she had locked them.
She had carried the dog and the
dogs biscuits to the next-door neigh
boris, and she had carried the gold
fish and their fish waters to the
cross -the-street neighbor. She had
and turned the ice card to the wall:
She had hidden the silver in the coal
bin In spite Of the burglar insurance.
1t made her feel safer.
What she could have gone back for
the seventh time John couldn't
fathom.
Probably the angel with the fash
ing sword had no difficulty about
ousting Adam. but undoubtedly Eve
didn't leave until she had thoroughly
busted the tree Of knowledge. And
certainly Adam waited outside i'm
patiently yelling:
Aren't you ever coming?'
And Eve cooed yes, darling" sew
eraI times before she actually came.
And probably had the audacity to
add, Ready, darling?" when she slip
ped her arm through Adams.
Young Mrs. Lindsay was pulling q
new brown hat over her bronze curls
the hall mirror. She looked highly
ornamental and deliGously frivolous,
but deep purpose burned in her big
brown eyes.
She had had to wheedle her pret-
tiest to get John to accept the Blais-
shamelessly for the invitation. For
she had heard that Thorne Blaisdell
was making many changes in his big
organization, and, while she didn't
dare tell John what she hoped, she
was praying that her John would
make a wonderful impression on her
host. It CALLED her far more than 1t
still in the employ of her old beau.
Richard slocum. She liked Rich in
spite Of trying not to, but she was
uneasy about him.
They've such scads Of money that
GLASS;" John had objected.
They're such dears in spite Of it
that you won't remember they have
it," she beguiled him.
But she waited restlessly for the
deep honk of Richards new sedan.
and ardently hoped he would have
other guests with him.
She heard instead the sharp yap Of
a taxi horn. A battered thing was
numbering to the curb. To her sur
prise she saw that John was slowing
luggage in 1t,
What ever happened to Rich'f"
Nothing that I know Of" Johns
tones were grim. "Tde was too darned
condescending about when he'd come,
Z told him I'd made other arrange
ments.
Merriam was 80 dazed that before
she realized 1t. John had helped her
into the taxi.
I'VE aren't going in this tub7" she
insolently.
1--WE arc going by train. We can
change at jamaica and catch train
on the branch line"
Merriam put h0r hand to her throat
She was too angry to speak, because
he had done this without consulting