Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-24

bOOh mere, ne SUdpDcu DTlShly' :
Bertha probably didn't mean any.
thing as raw as all that. So we u
better leave Bertha out of our conver-
sation. Didn't / have n cap or some-
thing?'
q "Please!'' she begged. you've got
me wrong absolutely. And we can't
leave Bertha out at all. I'm only tell
ing you all this to make you see
Bertha. You and have neither Of us
ever seen Bertha herself. I've seen a
person hated and you've seen person
you loved. We've loved and hated
Bertha's prettiness instead of the real
Bertha. The minute you began scold-
ing about her it flashed over me how
awful It must be, ] mean how awfuliy
hard it must be to have to be a Bertha.
She's always been ornamental, part Of
the scenery instead Of part of the play.
A whole lot like Gulliver tied down by
the Lilliputians-their wee ropes were
trivial, but all Of them together kept
him prisoner. Bertha's been pcgged
down all her life by invisible halrpins
and hairnets and wells and gloves and
high heels and boarding school manners
and absurd little ideas Of class distinc-
tions and lace doilies and thousand
and one inconsequential things that
seemed important. II somebody had
only loosed those strings-children
would have done it! !"
why, Bertha always thought that
children tied woman down.
Then why are we women who hav-
en't them so cramped? But at that
Bertha's better off than you are be-
cause she 8 never known freedom; so
she doesn't know what she's missed.
H.. lI-l 4
was you. Seeing you just cut"
You mean because / didn't know
you? Why, think how glad I was"
you blessed dear 1t was who
didn't know you! Not till saw Ber-
tha. Oh, It's not just that you re
twenty pounds too stout or that your
hair is getting gray or those owish
specs Of yours-behind them your eyes
look the way mine must have looked
the day you called me Cinderella--as
though your soul were bankrupt! And
oil these years I'd been thinking of you
as rich in joys and fancies When /
think back to that summer when you
poured out wealth of fun and COM
tort for the poverty stricken. scared
little girl that / used 10 be, | feel a.
though l could never pay you back"
She moved closer to him. she took his
hand in both of hers. 80 think how
glad am that I've happened back
when you need me. You cant know,
you cant possibly remember. how much
JOY you have stored away in my heart
You cant think how I shall love trying
to pay back even little of the great
debt that / owe you. Even if I can't
begin to give you anything like all the
lovely unexpected moments you gave
me, 1 know that / have much that is
yours to give back to you. Didn't
begin to pay little the other day when
l took you fishing?"
Look here he stammered dwk-
wardly, breaking in on tho food that
bewildered him--be hadn't grasped a
quarter of what she meant-''it's very
nice OF you, but l-wc--you can't 60
around doing that sort of thing now
we're older! Not in this kind of n
place Why, this kind Of Il place Is
just full of lot Of tabby cats who
wouldn't understand at all--if-I-well
If / should seem interested in
Seem interested! You aren't go.
ing to seem interested in me; you re
going to be interested in met In
delicious mimicry of his Aunt Debor.
abs old Scotch maid she wound her
hands in an imaginary apron. "When
you're through wi your pickering,
Master Charley, what will ye be takin'
to your supper?" her simulated scold :
Ing whine carried him back score of
years.
lie rumpled his hair excitedly.
' what rows Uncle ROdman and
used to have Sunday nights! And
what wouldn't I give for a dish O. Til
lies scallOps and bacon."
We're just out of scallops, but
we've oodles of bacon !" she caught
at his hand. She fairly raced him into
the kitchen. 81 can cook it scrunchy
the way you taught me on campfire.
You can do the toast. There's oceans
OF raspberry jam and We'll cat till we re
fairly widgy wi food !"
They ate in the kitchen. She sat on
the table and swung her feet while her
absurd dog begged for scraps. They
she was Tilie and scolded him as Tilie
used to scold. She banked her fire, Just
as Tillie had banked hers. She wound
the clock, exactly as Tillie had wound
hers. Then. with quick change, she
danced along the hal and in Aunt
Deborah's S dear old phrases called:
"Roddy, dear! Charley boy Come
out Of that kitchen! You've pcstered
Tillie long enough. She wants to set
her bread"
"You witch !" he cried. "Stop it!
You're just the same imp you used to
be! We never knew whether to laugh
at you or to shake you"
She edged away from him.
"Hou must not shake mo now" she
cried in mock terror. 1T wouldn't
be safe for you to shake me as you used
t" do, You might lose the key out of
my pocket -
petely mystiticd. "Thc key to ycster-
day? Don't you remember it? The
hanging beside her bed:
The key to yesterday I threw away,
And now, too late,
Before tomorrow's close locked gate,
Helpless ! stand, in vain to pray
In vain to SORROW
Only the key Of yesterday
Unlocks tomorrow.
She had opened the door and was
leaning against it. the sweet night wind
blowing her hair about her well shaped
head. Suddenly, without in the least
knowing why he did it, he tilted her
chin upward.
'Do you like me little, Miss
Imp? Do you like me little?''
His absurd old endearment for her
slipped out quite unconscously. 1t
threw her off guard. She stood tip
toe with delight to think that he WAS
really beginning to remember her. She
shook hands with herself cordially;
that was a droll trick that he had
taught her.
"Oh, heaps and hcaps!'' she an
swered ecstatically, just as she had In
the years gone by.