The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-01-13
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Story Of Woman's Transformatio.
BY MARION. RuBINcAM


would be delighted 10 see Mr.. Meade.
Aunt Enid has gentleman friend
as they say in Henly Falls" she
teased. "Auntie dear, Bud can't come
around tonight, so Toby and I are
going to, movie, and I shan't be
home until nearly II, SO you and Mr..
Meade can have a lovely visit. And
be sure to wear that drapey black sat
in-you look awully young and pretty
in it,
did wear he youthful frock, and I
took the greatest care with my dress
ing. AS l busted little powder over
my face, I was almost satisfied with
myself. How many miles end how
many years I seemed away from Hen
ly Falls! My heart thumped excitedly
as l heard a ring downstairs.
"Be quiet!" I kept repeating to my
self. Remember, you are no school
girl! You are only little old maid
masquerading for few months as a
youngish sort of woman"
How is it possible to convy through
words the strange, strong. winning per-
sonality of Francis Meade! / do not
remember very well anything he said.
I suppose our talk was about what
any conversation might be on a first
visit.
And yet it was not l remember I
asked him about some of the coun-
tries he had travelled in.
"The old world was Romance to
me-" he said. 81 was determined not
only to see it, but to live in it, to
absorb it. So with another boy
we were both 19-I shipped on a cat
tie boat. and we landed in England
with only our wages from the trip
little enough.
1--WE had sent over our bicycles,
though, and on these we rode through
Europe. When we had money we
travelled; when we ran out of it, We
worked. We camped a lot during the
summer, and hunted cheap places in
the winter, or went south-Italy and
SPAIN
"How long,"
Eve spent three years altogether"
he said. We saw lot, we did get the
spirit of the different countries. We
learned-oh, everything, it seemed to
us. My poor mother spent a miser-
able time, though. She was sure we
were being starved, or killed"
And them" l asked, gently trying
to Lead him on.
"And then? Oh, the other lad was
so in love with the Italian pictures Of
the Renaissance period that he de-
cided to be an artist And was quite
determined to come home and make
enough money to bring my mother
over, and travel in style
And did you?" | wanted to know.
yes, eventually. But I don't think
it was so much fun, and | know that
could not get so close to our Euro
pean cousins living at the Ritz and
giving them tips for service, as / did
stopping off at their cottage doors, and
buying milk and playing with their
Children
HE tried it a year, but it got him
nothing but the habit of wearing his
hair long and the trick of discussing
color values and chiarosucuro. And
that got him an excellent position as
art director of movie firm"
He looked over to me, his eyes
alight with laughter. And ! laughed
too, for no one could remain sober
when he laughed like that. But sec
reilly l was worried,
How much l had to learn! What
was the long word-chiaroscuro 1t
was an art term, apparently-wel!. l
would ask Toby about 1t. And the
rest-Renaissance? What did that
mean? vi might know-really my
mind was all black ignorance. I
must do some reading. 1t was all
right to make or to keep the body
young-it might be quite as important
to make the mind so.
But only few months left to do it
in! Our world ended in February
when our money ran out. Something
must be done to prolong stay, if
only till spring. I would write Jim
about it.
Tell me about that nice Miss
Miller" l asked, wondering how I
dared ask it.
"Ah, a charming woman, an unus-
ually charming woman!" he began. l
felt a little pang of envy.
Tomorrow-More Suspicious.