The Washington herald., 1922-10-16
By F. Scott Fitzgerald

I've heard nothing about myself but
wild stories and virtuous admoni-
tions. I'm tired OF 1t. II you don't
want ia see us. let us alone. ] don't
bother my former friends But
need no charity calls. and no criti.
riSm disguised as good advice"
Then he added apologetically: Il m
sorry - but really, Muriel. you
mustn't talk like lady slum-
worker even il you are visiting the
lower middle classes" He turned
his blOOdshot eyes on her reproach-
fulIy-eyes that had once been "a
deep. clear blue. that were weak
now. strained and half-ruined from
reading when he was drunk.
why do you say such awful
tl-nEST' she protested. You talk
as " you and Gloria were in the
.1idIl, elias scs.
Why pretend we're not? l hate
people who claim to he great aristo-
,--,t- yvncn they can't even keep UP
the appearances of II.
DO you tnink person has to have
money To- he aristocratic?
yuricI the horrihed demo-
why. Of course. Aristocracy'
oily an admission that certain
traits which we call fine-c9urage
and honor and beauty and all that
sort o. thin--can best be developed
n a favorable environment. where
You don't have the warpings of
is--oraa nee and necessity
AIurssI bit her lower lip and waved
he head from side To side.
wei. all / say is that if a person
comes from good family they re
alwavS nice people. That's the
tr"UbIr with YOU and Gleria. You
trinI, that just bccausc things aren't
-C-nS your way r.cht now all your
I'D friends are trying to avoid you.
ToI'rg too sensitive
"As a matter Of fact" said An
thuuy. "you know nothing at all
about it. With ME its simply a
matter of pride. and for once
,ilUria's reasonable enough to agree
that We ouashtI'r go where we're not
wanted. AMI rCupI" don't want us.
We're too much the ideal bad cX-
amples"
Nonsense. You can't park your
pcssimism in 10y little sun-parlOr.
] think you ought to forget all those
morbid spccuIItiOns and go to
work"
mere . ttlAs I'M - W. s7Hi''''sN-
I did start in at some idiotic bust
ness. Perhaps in two years | might
rise to So a weck-with lUcS.
That's If l could S.t Il job at all;
there's an awful lot of unemploy-
mOut Well suppose | made fifty
- week. DO YOU tAinlS I'd he any
happier2 DO YOU think that if |
don't get this money Of my grand
fathers life will be aniUrableH''
NurIcl smiled complacently.
We'll" she said. that may he
clever. hut it isn't common sense"
\ few minutes Later Gloria cams
tr seeming {" bring with her into
TO room some dark color. indcter-
innate and rare In taciturn way
s'c was happy to see Muriel. She
g. .Cntad ANTHONY with casual
I've been talking philosophy
g. tn your husband" cried the ire
r.~,-sibic Miss Kane.
We took uu some fundamental
,,Ic-pts." SAID anthony. a faint
g. r,Ic disturbing his pale checks.
T.-'cr still under two days growth
uf beard.
DbIiviOus to his irony Muriel re-
Hashed her contention. When she
had done. Gloria said quietly:
'Anthony's right. It's no fun to
go around when YOU have the sense
:rat people are looking at you in q
"artain way"
II. hrok~ plaintively.
Don't YOU think that when even
Naury Noble. who was my best friend.
won't come to see us It's high time
To stop calling people up?" Tears were
standing In his eyes.
THAT was your fault about Maury
Noble" said Gloria cody.
II wasn't"
1T most certainly was"
Muricl intervened quickly:
Il met a girl who knew Naury. the
other day. and she says he doesn't
d'ink any more. He's getting pretty
cacey."
Doesn't"
Practically not at all He's max
i1= piles of money. He's sort Of
changed since the war. He's going
20 marry a girl I'm Philadelphia who
has millions. Ceci Larrabee-any-
how. that's what Town Tattle said -
Hes thirty-three.' said Anthony.
thinking aloud. But it's odd to i'm
aEaire his getting married. 1 used
to think he was so brilliant"
He was" murmured Gloria. "in a
way"
But brilliant people don't settle
down in business-or do they? Or
what do they do? Or what becomes of
everybody you used to know and
have so much in common with"
You drift apart" suggested
HIurieI with the appropriate dreamy
look.
They change" said Gloria. "AII
the qualities that they don't use in
their daily lives get cobwebbed up"
The last thing he said to me-"
rocOllected Anthony. was that he
vas going to work so as to forget
that there was nothing worth work
ing for"
Muriel caught at this quickly.
That's what you ought to do
she exclaimed triumphantly. "Of
course / shouldn't think anybody
But it'd give you something to do.
What do you do with yourselves,
anyway Nobody ever sees you at
M"ntm=Ttre Or-or anywhere. Are
"G,5 eConomizinE?"
Gloria laughed scornfully. glanc-
in at anthony from the corners of
her eyes.
w III" he demanded. what are
you laughing at?"
N"U know what I'm laughing at"