Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-06-30
MARCH WINDS
BY MAE POOLE.

A round, dimpled mouth, two deep
brown, twinkly eyes, little rose
checked someone In a pink pInafOre,
playing with disreputable looking doll,
"Raggedy Ann" A mound of bedclothes
moved, and then settled down, and one
could hear a faint sigh Of contentment
THE white mound shifted again l. And
where the moon shOne family on the
face OF the sleeper, one saw, not the
dimpled mouth Of a 4-year-old, but
was it the. face Of the little maid Of
the Orient, with narrow. almond eyes
and dusky skin? Mayhaps And one
might almost imagine a faint elusive
perfume stealing forth from a trans
parent vial.
Peggy ODay had been to New York.
And what Of that, one might ask2
New York is-New York; and In these
days of "limlteds" and airplaning, all
one had to do was to drop few "nec-
essaries" In a weekend case and
phone for a chair at Up. M, and hear
"three bells' in dear old New York,
so to speak!
But this trip to New York hadn't
been exactly as If the Prince Of Wales
had said, casually, "Come, Peggy, old
dear, we'll just take a little trip to
Cairo and see if the Sphinx is still
wearing his perpetual grOuch-and his
Egyptian costume!" Oh, mol 1t had
meant marcelless, manicure-less and
matinee-less days to Peggy O'Day of
the firm of ]. Houser 4 Sons, decOra-
tors.
The only thing Peggy had been able
to talk about was 1.-THE Follies." Oh,
yes, she had been shopping" at Wanna
makers, and teaing; taken a trip to
Chinatown and Washington Square;
had seen gay throngs on Fifth avenue
and Broadway-but, without knowing
why, she had chosen the Village Fol
lies as her first pleasure. The night she
had returned she woke YvOnne, her
saw Margaret S. in the masked dan
cess and she was wonderful !" Yvonne.
however who had visions of lost beauty
sleep, didn't seem much interested in
masked" dances-One didn't have to
go to New York to see them
Peggy went back to her corner desk;
she ate the usual lunches Of j. Houser
4 Sons. but to the trained observer II
wasn't the same Peggy" March came,
and with 1t, strong, penetrating winds.
Along with March winds, and house
cleaning" came the "FOlies" to B..
Peggy didn't null over in her mind the
foolishness of spending perfectly good
dollars to see 1t again-there was that
irresistible call that must be answered.
Yvonne had to |answer the CALL" too,
not wishing to be in disfavor.
All that night through Peggy was
child in Pinafores, playing with her
d0'iS-a shy, slant-eyed little maiden.
dainty and fragile, in garb Of Nippon
On, wasn't it wonderful? Dear, dead
days beyond recallI" Why, there were
not any such things now. One could be
young and old, beautiful or ugly, and
on and on. MarvellousI And no one
had discovered 1t before
When she awoke in the morning, she
leaned over to rouse her roommate
but there was no Yvonne
Funny" and then she glanced at
her watch.
"Heavensl why. It's Q o'clock. and
I'm due at the Office"
Slowly she slid her feet into wooden
hose and OxfOrds. and when tiny hands |
pointed to 10 O'clock-she was sitting
In the deep window seat. with no idea
Of going to the offlcel
With the kaleidoscope Of faces In the
night had come the transformation OF
her soul.
She was like Gagged bird who sud
denly found the door open, and that Il |
had wings.
had heard Of. this House Of Many
Faces" recently from friend who was |
staunch admirer Of the place OF |
Peggy ODay. Like Yvonne Of the old |
Dn days, i had to answer the CALI
too. to keep in favor. Nothing can, de. /
scribe the feeling Of contentment as /
passed through heavy, rich ldraperiesl
70 meet her. My feet sank into Persian /
rugs. upon which were placed wicker
chairs Of every color; and draperies to
match hung at countless windows.
Peggy never met a patron en- mask,
and so 1t was / found her-sweet,
charming and full of vitality.
"WhOm do you wish to be, Mr.. Harm
len? Or have you Just come to see
ny happy fOlkT
shook my head-what had come
orr
Around me chairs Of blue, old rose,
'eilOw, held youths and maldens of
very land and cline conceivable, and
hey were chatting and laughing in
ones as soft and rich and quaint AS
heir exquisite surroundings.
Peggy O'Day and / wandered In and
ut, and finally ventured: May !
ave a 'mask'?" She raised her eyes,
oh, you pick 1t out, please" begged.
he did so, without a moments hesita-