Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-23
MIdiat that I am"

,ashfullv IN love with Rosemary.
"Idiot that I am"
WTIARRY, only the other day l cut
II something out of magazine with
al, really knowing why 1t appealed to
wo Doeeerel verses out Of cheap
novazine-" went OH Clovcr's first love
letter. She quoted: -, s..
'";Jjust as child, too shy, will first
Thank YOU to offered fruits of candied
Anon Sp,'I, he finds his Yes was said too
For those good things had vanished in
10 later Noes have still the sting to
tease. w.
why hadn't we the sense to say Yes
piease? ..a
Does fate, then. never bring the sweets
round twice."
"But I wasn't too shy Too igno...
rant. or something. Oh. my dear. all
those wasted days! To think Of those
You we're so near me /: opening doors,
nutting wraps round me. carrying my!
level case. You were there, oh, Harry
blind and stupid that / was. not to see
that you we're the one man in the world
different from other men. ] never have
been able to like men, you know. Not
in bulk, as most girls do. Most girls
find a man-any ordinary man-intcr-
esting. I don't. / never shall. I've
seen them in business and they are
horrible. One looks upon them as
something to outdo. And. out ct
business-I've never seen the attrac-
.tion. Heavy, coarse. smelling Of spirits
and cigars, Even those who were kind
like John Elphinstone. were not anus
inc. Even those that were little
amusing, like Bobby Llewelyn, were
not beautiful. Then you came. Ant
now that you've walked straight out
Of my life again shall be haunted
BY the look of you, who were SO quick
and light and shaped like one of those
Grecian athletes that ! had copied OF
my tiles. I shall be haunted by the till
Of your head and the gleam of your hail
under the lights and the feel of you
springy and firm when you danced will
me and the tone of your voice and YOU
hand up those dark stairs and every
thing, everything that was you. lov'
you. Idiot that ! am
Thus wrote Glover. viciously under.
lining the word.
''Idiot! But you. will never know
At least you did think l was beautiful
to look at /: cold, but beautiful.
'"Supposing I'd not been cold? Sup
posing | had fallen in love with yo'
as any girl might at the Holts' Dime
party? All, but I'd never have daret
10 ring you up the next morning as
did, And oh, I would rather have die,
than-all that in the Office here.
perhaps if I'd asked Jim Holt T.
bring you to call. But you wouldn'
| have c' 'nC
"M It thought I'd missed you al
these weeks because ! was worried
] thought any man would do who coul'
help to take these worries from me
Today ! discover that amy man
won't do. Only you. If that other hn,
been all, l could have got it, so easily
! don't want it. I'd hate anything bu
what can't have. Oh, Harry, Harry
"And I know why my fairs gone
] always knew anything to do witt
love would be fatal to it. My instinc
was right. On the very night Of on
party cour' only party. when ! fe!
so sure of myself, 1t went, and didn'
know that my feeling of happy securit
was simply because I was with YOU.
"You were jealous. You did min
Bobby Llewelyn. Was that just mas
culine dog in the -mangerishness? O
could you really have cared little
No: You went the very next day. Blu
could you have cared. il everythin
had been different9 You could, 70
could. You did think I was beautiful
didn't you? Why did you never sa
20! What We're you going to say tina
minute in the book room before all tn
lights went out? If you had said s
then. perhaps-oh, Harry, oh. m
At the last words Clover's pen. tina
had been flying thus incoherently owe
the paper, sackened and stopped. Sf
paused, drew breath. That impul.
was leaving her now. 1t left her feel
iing burnt out. but little assuage,
She would write no more Of this self
good for the soul. Only she would rea
the pages over and would then comic
Them to that element where all love
letters should go (if possible befol
posting).
She read hers through.
1t did bring certain comfort. No
az least she knew where (emOtiOnally
She was She knew what she had
battle with.
Half of the comfort was that Harl
Carmichael himself would never know
4, Consequently she could play with Il
idea. She could round the thing OF
one could sign her name. She signed
"Your loving wife,
She could, and did. add that almo
inevitable feminine panache, the pos
up. s. Love does SO hurt! But
don't care. If died without knowi
you, 1t would mean that have nev
come alive. c."
She pursued the bitter sweet gal
70 Tar that, just to see how 1t locke
she actually addressed the enyelo
Major H. A. Carmichael, NJ. O.,
ID. 8. O., ala, Tilney News,
Euston Road.
She could even hold it In her har
Picturing to her starved mind the par
iiyzed surprise that would present
be In store for one Of Britain's for
most young inventors II she rang for
MESSENGER now and II this her lc
address.
After all, she was only a girl! IT
was no more Of a waste of time, no mi
SHY a game than that Of the scho
sirl who writes down her own Chr
ian name on a piece of paper, folio
ing 1t up with the surname of some
wwnom she finds attractive. just to
now It would look
nut even as Clover, with that let
ner hand, turned toward the.