The Washington herald., 1922-10-17
The Beautiful
And Damned
CoxfisssS from Yesterday.
By p. Scott Fitzgerald

lamplight, composed. inscrutable.
OBJ cried Muriel In distress.
~Oh, what In the matterr'
Nothing particularly. He's just
drunk"
'Drunkf why. he's perfectly
sober. He talked"
Gloria shook her head.
"Oh, no. he doesn't show II any
more unless he can hardly stand
up, and he talks all right until he
gets excited. He talks much bet
ter than he does when he's sober.
But he's been sitting here all day
drinling-except for the time 1t
took him TO walk to the corner for
Newspaper"
oh, how terribler Muriel was
sincerely moved Her eyes filled
with tears Has this happened
muehr'
Drinking, you meanr
No, this-leaving your
"Oh. yes. Frequently. He'll come
In about midnight-and weep and
ask me to forgive him."
And do your
Il don't know. We just go on"
The two women sat there in the
lamplight and looked at each other.
each in a different way helpless be-
for this thing. Gloria was still
pretty, as pretty as she would ever
be again-her cheeks were flushed
and she was wearing a new dress
that she had bought-imprudentl
for fifty dollars. She had hoped
she could persuade Anthony to take
her out tonight, to a restaurant or
even to one of the great. gorgeous
moving picture palaces. where there
would be a few people to look at
her. at whom she could bear to
look In turn. She wanted this be-
cause she knew her cheeks were
flushed and because her dress was
new and becoming fragile. Only
very occasionally. now. did they re-
ceive any Invitations. But she did
not tell these things to Muriel.
Gloria, dear, i wish we could
have dinner together. but promised
q man-and it's seven-thirty al
ready. I've got to tear"
oh. I couldn't. anyway. In the
first place I've been Ill all day. i
couldn't eat a thing"
After she had walked with Muriel
to the door. Gloria came back into
the room, turned out the lamp. and
leaning her elbows on the window
sill looked out at Palisades Park.
where the brilliant revolving circle
of the Ferris wheel was like a
trembling mirror catching the yell
low reflection OF the moon. The
street was quiet now: the children
had gone in-over the way she
could seen family at dinner.
Pointlessly. ridiculously. they rose
and walked about the table; seen
thus. all that they did appeared in
congruous-it was as though they
were being Jiggled carelessly and to
no purpose by invisible overhead
wires.
eight o'clock. She had been pleased
for a part of the day-the early af-
ternoon-in walking along that
Broadway Of Harlem. One Hundred
and Twenty-ffth street, with her
nostrils alert to many odors. and
her mind excited by the extraordi-
nary beauty of some italian chill
dren. II affected her curiuusly-as
Fifth avenue had affected her once.
in the days when. with the placid
confidence OF beauty. she had known
that II was all hers, every shop and
all IL held. every adult toy glitter
ing In a window, all hers for the
asking Here on One Hundred and
Twenty-hfth street there were Sal
walton Army bands and spectrum
she swled old ladies on door-steps
and sugary. stick candy in the
grimy hands of shiny y-haired chill
dren-snd the late sun striking
down on the sides of the tall tene-
ments All very rich and racy and
savory. like a dish by a provident
French chef that one could not help
that the ingredients were probably
leftover.
Gloria shuddered suddenly as a
river siren came moaning over the
dusky roofs. and leaning back in
till the ghostly curtains fell from
her SHOULDER. she turned on the cleo
tric lamp. II was growing late. She
knew there was some change in her
purse. and she considered whether
sh would go down and have some
coffee and rolls where the liberated
subway made a roaring cave of
Manhattan street or eat the deviled
ham and bread in the kitchen Her
purse decided for her. 1t contained
a nickel and two pennies.
After an hour the silence of the
room had grown unbearable, and
she found that her eyes were wan
dering from her magazine to the
ceiling, toward which she stared
without thought. Suddenly she
stood up. hesitated for a moment
biting at her fnger-then she went
to the pantry. took down a bottle
OF whiskey from the shelf and
poured herself a drink. She filled
up the glass with ginger ale. and
returning to her chair finished an
article in the magazine. 1t con-
cerned the last revolutionary wild
ow. who. when a young girl, had
married an ancient veteran OF the
Continental Army and who had died
in 1906. II seemed strange and
oddly romantic to Gloria that she
and this woman had been contem-
poraries.
She turned a page and learned
that candidate for Congress was
being accused of atheism by an op-
ponent. Gloria's surprise vanished
when she found that the charges
were false. The candidate had
merely denied the miracle of the
loaves and fishes. He admitted,
under pressure, that he gave full
credence to the stroll upon the
water
Finishing her first drink. Gloria
got herself a second. After slip
ping on a negligee and making her
self comfortable on the Iouppa sba