The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-09-17
LONELY PLANS
Chapter 50


had no heart next day for any
thing. There were enough Things
was supposed to do-a bazaar where
] was to serve, dressed in fancy cos
tune. to coax contributions for char
ity: and after that a dinner and after
that late dance at the home of one
of nv friends. could, if l wanted,
kill time until two or three in the
morning. and spend the hours sur
rounded by constantly changing crowds
of people.
| thought of the people-no one OF
them interested me. Mrs. Marsden
ran the bazaar: she was getting ex-
tremely fat Gwen would drop in for
tea there in the afternoon, probably
with half a dozen devoted followers.
She would wander about looking very
magnificent. Win might be one of
the followers"
had Ellen telephone that l was i'll
and could not serve that day, and af-
ter a late breakfast, l went off for a
walk. | turned east, thinking vaguely
to go to Mrs. Anderson's and see the
baby. Little Connie was not as well
as she might be, poor child, and no
wonder, since she breathed the odor
of hot suds all day.
| walked there and sat and played
with her awhile. She was growing
into a very bright child, with blue eyes
and soft brown hair and fine skin,
pathetically pale for a baby. | wished
| could get her out in the country
again.
The visit only depressed me more.
| started home, desperately lonely and
cd Tho crowded
flats of the streets near the river,
with their network of iron fire es-
capes and the eternally airing pillows
and blankets, gave way to old fash
toned boarding houses, once fine
brownstone front dwellings, and later
the earlier type of apartment house.
looked up at the windows idly.
1t was a beautiful warm day, the sort
of very early spring day that is so
tantalizing in the country. The sun
was warm and the sky blue. In The
country melting snow would make the
roads impassible: in the city, the
streets seemed brown and dirty and
full of small odds and ends of rub
bish Fat women in dreadful house
dresses leaned from open windows
and watched the street below, or
ldlhtu WIN CdSI calling linn
window to window, their red elbows
resting on cushions placed on the win
dow sill.
There were, at least, no slovenly
figures in the boarding house windows
only blank expanses of coarse lace
curtains, gray from the winters SCOT
and smoke.
| wondered whether | would have to
~ IL 1rfi
Win? | had given up my allowance
when l married. and | would not take
money from Win if | went away.
wondered how much the rooms in the
boarding houses cost, and once
stopped and rang bell and asked
was offered parlor with dreadful
piano. a great many lace curtains a
each window, and a great iron BEE
that thrust itself far into the room
and red carpet and shiny oak furni
ture, for $40 week. The lady sug
gested l might give music lessons ant
looked curiously at my fur coat.
AS walked back I suddenly under
stood the reason why so many womel
stay married to men they hate-sim
ply for the physical comforts of life
! knew ! was too spoiled by luxury, b,
comfort. sunlight and CHEEKY HON
. to stand the dreariness of this alter
native. l hated myself for my veal
ness.
A little nearer my own part of tn
city was. the next stage in the city
growth. Here the huge old-time house
had been made into modern apar
ments, studio apartments they wer
called. Colin had one of these a fe'
blocks away. | had been there ofte
when he. had given teas to friends
| remember he paid very little fo