Evening star., 1921-12-19
Black Nights.
T midnight. after hours of ex-

mi dn1Ght, after hours OF e6-
~ citement, Merriam Lindsay sat
~ down to her schoolgirl desk in
her own boudolr IN ner Ia
TIERS house to write a letter to her
husband. She found herself smiling
sadly as she pulled out a sheet of pa
per embossed with her maiden mono
gram How long ago it semed since
she had stood chattering an order for
the ornate stuff without even asking
the price!
She found it a hard letter to write
She had always hated letter writing.
John had been very averse to her
visiting her aunt; she had assured
him that at the most she would be
gone but four days. 40,
Dearest john" she wrote. Il
couldn't get away yesterday because
we didn't have the house anywhere
| near ready for rental Richard
came this afternoon to try to tell US
what he and Mr.. Trowbridge had de-
cided was best for us to do about
dad. He toppled over completely while
he was here. and when we sent for
DR.. Gordon he sent for a nurse and
put him to bed in dads room. He is
afraid it's pneumonia, but can't ten
for day or two. L don't know what
to do but wait. / thought first I'd
>
with Richard away from the office he
might not want you to leave. l feel
very lonely and distressed
Try her best, she could not make
the letter sound natural.
Midnight letters are SO hystericky
or SO Hat" she thought. But she
stole to the corner to post it and went
back to tuck herself into bed. once
she crept downstairs, determined to
telephone John long distance. but sec
l Il ha~ Lns. rld
to wait until morning. She hoped and
prayed that Richard would not have
pneumonia, that the horrid tangle OF
her fathers affairs would straighten
out. and that she could fly home to
weep out her woes on Johns broad
chest.
But before morning the nurse had
called her TO summon the doctor.
, Richard was decidedly worse; he
unquestionably had developed pneu-
monia.
In the tense days that followed Mer-
riam sometimes found herself won
dering DULY if the whole episode must
not be a nightmare.
An avalanche of cares fell upon her
unaccustomed shoulders. Her aunt
seemed to be quite helpless. The rou-
tine of running so big a house seemed
appalling after the simplicity of keep
ing house in her own tiny cottage.
Miss Leland's querulous reiteration OF
their financial worries, the ever-ln-
crea sing anxiety as to why they did
mot hear from her father would have
been burden enough even though
there had not been added the strain
of Richards illness. There were days
in which she never had time to think
of John. And nights in which she
crouched in her quilted dressing gown
on sofa outside Richards door list
eninE while his delirious voice kept
crying out his love for her.
Sometimes he was gay. Gleefully
betting her kiss hole that even
with handicap he could beat her at
golf. Sometimes he seemed to think
that she was still schoolgirl. You're
a very long time growing up" he
would say. over and over. I've worked
so hard. But I've made money enough
that YOU shall have everything you
want. / go by shop windows and
think some day shall buy everything
that you wear. your shoes, your hats
and your frocks-I shall buy the
prettiest things in the world for you.
And l shall build house for you-oh.
what house l shall build for you-1
shall have everything in the world