Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-05-20
win Stays Awhile"
MI.


1 had not meant to call. After all,
it was 10 o'clock. late enough by the
standards of time and conduct in the
little village. Butt could not ex-
plain the impulse. There he was,
his tall figure silhouette against the
light of Parker's window. There was
something so wistful in his attitude
i do not, or did not. quite know
what it was.
He turned instantly at the sound
of my voice and came to n chairs
under the trees.
"I supposed you were safely In
bed" he remarked. Doesn't the
dragon Parker carry you off as soon
as the last guest leaves-and some
times before? She's looked daggers
at me when I've stayed too late
Parker has a detective story, a
| regular melodrama, she'll read all
night or until she has finished" l
answered. laughing a little. "Parker's
one weakness is melodrama. She
revels in blood and gore"
Il know. Why do you suppose
that gentle amiable soul so dotes
upon descriptions of her fellow be-
ings chopped into bits. or beautiful
ladies falling off cliffs?"
That's why. She never has an
adventure herself. She's never known
anything more thrilling than to see
Tad Barker pulled of the river
last summer. And then they found
the water was so shallow he was
standing up, SO he could not have
drowned. We all want to be the
things we aren't or to have the thing
we never can possess. SO we take
out our desire by reading about it,
I'm sure Parker as a nurse, would
not revel in seeking bodies chopped
into small bits
NO, and she would not want to
be thrown over a cliff by an enraged
william or tied to the railroad tracks
with the express due in 10
because h would not reveal the
secret of her fathers papers! She
merely never has had a thrill in her
life and she wants one. Reading
thrills is less intense than living
them, so she has to make up for 1t
by reading
VERY thrifty thrills" Winthrop
finished for me, and we laughed.
Then the talk dropped. 1t was
cool and dark and wonderful under
the trees and the perfume from the
flowers and the clear freshness Of
the air from the hills made a mar
vellous combination.
Winthrop leaned back in an arm
chair and lit a cigarette. For an IN
slant. in the flash of the match flame
his face wiss illuminated against the
dark background of the night. He
was not handsome, his features were
too irregular for that. But his hail
was thick and his eyes were widt
and intelligent. his mouth was hrm
he carried himself well. Properl!
dressed, Win could pass anywhere
After a time he spoke.
How wise you are after all, Con
stance. You pretended to be so ig
rorant. You go about making every
one teach you something, and all tn
time you know a great deal NOR
life and about characters than W.
do. You've had a much broade
experience"
rive met a lot of odd people an
a lot of different kinds of people, ant
I've Travelled a ~little," l said. Blu
I'm badly educated and o
know anything useful at ALL
"You think sewing and cookln
and garden work are useful! l thin
they're the least essential things, t
know. You let my own darlln
mother patroniZe you by teachin
YOU biscuit making. You let you
own housekeeper lord 1t over you be
cause O can't sew. You preten'
70 the girls around here that 70
don't know anything. They reall
are beginning to think you are a dea
little ignoramus. Yet you can tai
French. and they can't even maste
English! Listen to the slang the
use! You can"
win, don't list all my virtues an