Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-29
The One Un,vdnted

feast my soul"
But 1 mean regular things" he !
gestured awkwardly. "You let slip one
time, when you weren't thinking that
you'd worked pretty hard for your liv-
ing. I'd like to know that everything
was going to be all right with you
perhaps l.
BLESS you, don't worry" she an.
swered steadily. She put her hand in
his for the last time. with folks like
me It doesn't really matter whether tho
purse Is empty or filled. Either way,
everything will always be quite all
right with me-"
1t might have been an hour later that
he tramped up his own path. He moved
toward the threshold mechanically. He
was dog tired ; he felt desolate, deserted,
as though all the JOY had gone from life.
Through the porch window he caught
q glimpse of n supper table beside n
| lighted wood fire. It looked as though
/ Aunt Deborah's loving hands had
spread thread and butter cut as she
had so often cut It. thin slices Of pink
ham, q ruddy CLEAN that meant currant
jelly, a great pitcher of milk and
plate Of thick molasses cookies. Mar
gerry had done It very we'll indeed. She
had even dared to put pipe and to-
bacco pouch beside his plate! And be-
yond the table in the big armchair,
with her head bent over her embroidery,
sat Bertha.
"Hello!" he stammered. "Feeling
betterJ old lady? When did you get
| homer"
| About ten o'clock" Her voice
sounded small and thin after Margerys
deep contralto; 1t startled him. he
a.I hAY Vanf
she leaned forward in the light to thread
her needle. 1t was then that he rubbed
I his eyes tncredulously. 1t was then that
he discovered how appealingly pretty
she looked. There was a dear familiar
ity about her.
"Why," he calculated, staring down
at the comb like Aunt Deborah's silver
comb, "You vain thing! You've been
powdering your hair!"
ITS not powder Her voice was
tremulous. ''It's just that I'm getting
old. Charles"
odd" he scolfed. "You aren't
old" He was beginning to exult again
in her beauty. His fingers lifted her
chin.
She wanted, oh, how she wanted, 10
be naughty with him. She wanted to
make him suffer. And yet she had to
look The sweet humility Of her eyes
broke down the last barrier between
them.
He knelt awkwordly at her side.
Bertha" he said slowly, with her
hands against his lips, II guess it's
right what they say about there being
no fool like an old fool. I've acted like
an old fool all summer, and the worst
part Of 1t is cant say I'm sorry. But
If you could forgive me-
For being tired of me?'
''Tired of you?' He was on his feet
his entirely prosaic self once. more,
What rubbish / wasn't tired of YOU
was just sort Of disgusted with lif"
generally. didn't mean to take it out
on you--" he actually thought he meant
it Tin pretty much of n crouch, and
you've been patient little wife to put
up with me all these years"
you're not an old Crouch" she
murmured.
"a hungry old Crouch" he insisted
as he reached to pull plate toward him
and seated himself casually on the arm
of her chair. "Where'd you dig up all
this food? There wasn't thing in the
Ice box. Jinks, I'm hungry" He
munched contentedly. Open your
mouth, old lady. Have bite?"
And it was that glimpse of them
that Margery caught as the taxi ratified
her toward the train.
"The dearsl" she murmured, and
shook hands with herself cordially. just
as he had taught her. They're letter
perfect"
1t might have been n week later that
the bromide neighbor sat down beside
Charles on the eight ten.
"Why didn't you tip us of that
your cousin was n celebrity? | made
!, one fool Of myself all right yesterday
, afternoon in the Vandcmore. The wife
and I were waiting for some one when
, along blew Mrs. Dearborn. wouldn t
{ have known her at first, but of course
| the wife spotted her. The wife said
, she had on about "A thousand dollars
, worth OF clothes. but I didn't see any
thing but q stiflish hat and some blue
, serge and white beads. She bowed as
, pleasant as YOU please. Chap next to
, me says, 'Y'sccm to know her WELL
| /" Name Dearborn says 7.
Dearborn, nothing, says he
) That's Madge Sherman. Gee, she just
coins money hand over fist
! " Doing whatT says |.
! " Producing plays. Why. man alive
, in another five years she'll be the fore
most theatrical producer in America
. She's got a string of successes now that
: would make you blink. Money makers
q lust simple little plays that don't take
e much scenery or such big actors, hui
u she's got the trick of putting then
= across and getting the crowds TO so se'
'em. Kind of a wiz at It. They sa!
7 n doesn't make " difference hov
u crude the actors are or how smal
l. the part they're going to play-sh
=, iollies 'em into thinking they're i'm
u ,ortant, Everybody who works for he
q Gets hipped on her. They eat out o
~ her hand.
= Charles was no longer listening t
n the neighbor's tale. Again he thrilled
4 With emotions. Again she had rouse
# Iim, angered him. baffled him and 4
: the end soothed him, just as she AWAY
y had. He fancied he could hear he
- voice. , =.
~ roIIing us that all the worlds stage
n II makes life lots easier to know thn
n III YOU have to do is play your littl
W How deftly she had shown him hi
.r How beautifully she had Cancelled he
Ir fancled debt! ~ ,lo-
NJ ,tanding encompasscd his soul. At a'
=. ba knew the meaning of that sWee
~ I1rter called friendship, with It's neFc
20 mite balanced accounts, with its etPr
IN mi give and take. He knew that u
rrogrance of the hyacinths with Wnlc
40 ho had feasted her soul would las
q through all his tomorroWS.