Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09

He shifted uneasily.

He shifted uneasily.
That's the idea. girl. But looka.
five to 8! l gotta beat it. Lo."
'Leven-seven. ! gotta get a few
what time the meeting will"
'Leven-seven is right! 'Leven-
seven train and q ten-forty curtain.
Can you beat it? Thirty minutes to
pack UP a show as big as a circus. Be
down at the train. kiddo. and I'll be
you. 1 got to beat 1t now; you know
better'n me how that gang needs
watching. 'Leyen-seven. kiddo."
Lee, L
|. "Eleven-seven! You can make the
station from here in three minutes.
So long. peaches. You're one great
little kid. and the girls will throw
fit to see you on the job again."
He was off and down the steps.
clicking the gate behind him and clat-
tering smartly down the walk.
until they died. then turned to the
room again, the back of her hand laid
across her lips.
The kitchen clock licked with ex-
pressionless and wooden regularity.
The recently occupied carpet rocker
and her own low chair were drawn
toward the room in the casual atti-
tude of en- tete-a-tete. She dragged
them back into place. The swinging.
lamp she detached from its bracket
and, holding it high above her head
SO that she walked in a flood of light,
hurried into the little bedroom.
On the floor beside the trunk and
with a great squirt of energy she fell
to packing her little handbag.
At 10 o'clock she made a careful
wild flowers sprang out from every
corner A steamer chair. barred OF
its pillows and folded against the
kitchen wall, set her d trembling.
Tears would come. She dried them on
She barred the front latch and.
hated and gloved, tip-toed through
the kitchen and out of doors folding
over the green shutters. springlng
the bolt in the woodshed. rafting the
cellar windows. On the front ia Avn :
bush lifted it's blooming heads brave
" against the nip in the air, and its
fragrance. druggist and full OF
sweetness, was delicate as the per-
fume of a love story. She held Its
blossoms to her cheek and tears feil
on the cool leaves.
X 4 4 +
FTER a time she made a quick
"A foray into the house and out
again with a folded sheet. which she
slapped open and with great strain
ing of all her strength flung 1t up
ward over the towering bush. In the
center of the lawn It stood like a
bulgy phantom.
picket fence. straining her eyes to-
ward the lights Of the town. She
fell to crying silently. The moon
faced, moon-colored tower clock
doomed eleven, each stroke yaitingal
for it's echo to die. Great hot
were racing over her body ana
walked a space into the shadow
the board sidewalk and back, ALVIN
her head cooked in the attitude
listening.
upward and like q rocket piercing thA
night. Refexly she stopped to hers
bag, which stood beside the gate. her
eyes still probing the Swallowed walk
that led to town. Another halloo and
through the nfaGken 1899 sna sp shs could
see the checkered fash Of the lighted
train windows and a great plume OF
smoke that rose and died on the noe
turnal landscape.
tanning breath of the coaches as they
slowed. shrieking on their rails into
the station. The heavy engine throbs
were like heart-beats and its bell
changed against her temples. A
coughing of steam gouged out the
silence. She stood listening. The.
minutes passed as she would push the
beads downs the thread of a rosary.
Perdita in her garden of mint and
marigols shed no more scalding tears.
came the faint march of footsteps.
reverberating through the blue hol-
low Of the night. The engine bell
changed again and furfously. and
presently. without turning her head.
through the bracken and timberland.
behind the cottage she could see the
fluent motion Of lighted train win.
dows flashing past.
Came the footsteps now almost !
upon her. light-heeled and ringing.
as il soldier with new spurs on HIS
boots were marching toward her.
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