Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-25

kind After that-the deluge. Once
week Mt least their letters had crossed.
The result. at first due to accident. had
proved piquant and provocative enough
to have made the crossings later mat,
ter Of design. Oddly enough Emma had
refused to ask questions regarding the
unknOwn's personality. She liked his
name-palmer Brice---it looked well,
printed or written. and was printed fire.
qucntly. This she knew through clip
pings from other local dailies which had
come in his letters. some of them hu-
morously severe. others touched with
the sinccrcst fattery of imitation. Emma
was not in love with him--how could
she be, she asked herself with Billy on
the doorstep half the time? But in
such matters choice was precious. Since
Billy's advent there had been total
eclipse Of schooboy swcothcarts aud
such Billy was born -emptOr, he
no sooner knew of anything ahead than
he pre- emptcd Emma for the occasion:
"Thc last--praise be, :" Emma said
rising az the shapeIy quarters FLASHED
down in the big bread trap.
Amen" Billy echoed dcvOutIy:
"Now wash your hands and play me
, tune--two--thrc" tunes, in fact. My
sense Of rhythm needs lmb"ring up
=
of me tonight"
"Oh. reckon you'll get through
somehow. Cotillons and the Virginia
REEFS aren't much but rumping set to
music" Emma said, pursing her lips
delicately.
Billy put MP his hands. "Am to
be-rationedy' he asked in a stag"
whisper. False one, who. who is my
Supplantert Must be onc--yOu wouldn t
miss one single dance, even If you
could"
"It's easier to show you than to tell
/ you. Emma said over her shoulder,
running away and leaving a badly puz-
! zlcd wooer behind
! Enlightenment came ten minutes af-
! ter the picnic had got it's second wind,
! turning from a daylight function to a
mOonlightcd one. There was n moon.
without cloud, yet rather, an elegant
superfuity, SO well did the winking
electric bulbs strung along tree trunks
and big overhead branches illuminate
the almost riotous rcvrl.
"Somc clnss, this moonlight" Billy
commented. his eyes fast upOn Emma
one stepping like a fairy with new
conner. utterly Strangc-that is to say,
at first glance. Recognition dawn"d
family with the third. by about the
tenth Billy had hard work to keep from
hugging himself. Palmer Brice in the
corrertest of summer evening garb. with
Il red rose in his buttonhole. was surely
n sight. Didn't look his forty five years
by niuch moe than half-muSt be the
scratch which lay lovingly upon his bald
dome Of thought. Also and further, he
dnnrod--rather jerkily, to be sure-hut
doing it any way was sufficiently amaz
ing. That he had burst college pro-
fcssor chrysalis and becom" a perfect
butterfly nobody could deny. But
just YOU wait 80 said Billy to himself
Seems TO me somebody said once: Al
things come to him who waits. y
Billy waited gayly. picking out part
u"rs with vii" disregard of their dance
rurds. uodding snucily to Emma ovet
their shoulders aS there were scant con
tarts on the floor. sang making violen,
love to the few wall flowers as he
whirlcd past them or now and again
seiZing some Squealing small girl ant
literally carrying her in triumph
through n number. He was the HE OF
the crowd everybody said 50. Tnti
midnight. with the second spread salts
flying hunger and thirst, he did no more
than smile at Emma. Palmer Brice