The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-01-27
BY FANNIE HURST

What, LoT-
Nothing, Al. TIL be In there right
in minute. The dishes Is done. Shall
l wheel you back here, honT'
mo, no. like to watch the kids
coming from school"
She wrung out her dishcloth after
the immemorial fashion of those to
whom falls this ancient and greasy
rite, slapped 1t open and hung it
across the sill. Blonde tendrils Of hair
chung to her moist face.
COMM AL"
In the front room, quite In the atti-
tude Of the morning except that his
head lay back against the pillows
more completely relaxed, Mr.. AL De-
lano gaZed at the white ceiling. The
clean litter Of wood carvings lay scat
tered On the carpet, and on the table
beside the implements Of his handi-
craft. A canary hoped in its cage,
silent.
Mrs. nele-> dragged q chair across
the floor and beside the Uttered table.
"You-why amt you working. Al?"
81 dunno, hon"
She placed q quick hand upon his
brow.
It's because you amt feeling right,
and you won't tell me. I'm going for
Doc. Tell me, darling, are you having
that numblike feeling up around your
hearth"
Sure amt, 10. It's spring fever's
got me. Even in my act / used to 60
dead like tire when spring came"
Take a little nap, darling. You
amt slept in daytime ever since you
the shade and Ak you for n nap, AL"
He was mildly reluctant.
II gotta finish the grapevine design
for them lids, Lo."
Didn't Ben say the minute you ges
working too hard not another job does
he send up from the factoryT
Like it makes any difference. Poor
If he wasn't In back Of US, my little
wood carving wouldn't keep US in
shoe laces."
"Shh-h-h; here, femme fix your pill
low"
"What'n you do all alone this after
noon IL dOze of, Lo? Put on your
little hat, baby, the pink one that Ben
likes. and stroll uptown past the office
so he can see you. Don't stick around
here so much, baby"
"No. gotta clear out that trunk,
Al. All winter It's been standing
around and / wanna get at 1t and get
1t down In the cellar and out of the
way"
"Kisssme, baby, and I'll take a little
snooze. Spring fever's got me for
sure"
She leaned over and kissed his
cheeks where the hollows darkened
them, lowered the shade and tfp-toed
out, closing the door after her.
The box-like bedroom, hedged in be-
tween the kitchen and front room,
might have been the builders after
thought. A white pine bed and white
pine table, improvised to a dressing
stand, left an area between them the
size Of a door mat. damned between
the bed and the wall, a black galva-
nized trunk crowded out the rooms
sole aisle.
The drone Of mid-afternoon de-
scended A million notes swan in a
bar Of sunshine which slanted
through the windows and lay across
the black trunk. The two-ten accom-
mediation pulled out of the nearby sta
'tion with a great changing and after ii
xxy,fS Lad hoa ly Sxxyin ant
the greenlike prairie. A child throb
bling with freedom ratified his lunch
bucket along the picket fence.
Mrs. Delano tidied the dressing
stand top and with a handkerchief
rubbed a speck from the mirror until
it sQueaked. Then she fumbled in a
drawer among q litter Of keys. I'M
hooked q small one from its ring and
spreading herself beside the trunk in
the cross-limbed attitude Of q shah
flung open the lid.
The musty odors of the theater
which are as ingratiating as the fumes
of Circe's cup, rose Immediately like
steam. Her lips parted and she delved
A red gold wig Of spring-ttgh curls
lay first and beside 1t a Pierrette's
pointed cap, crushed and soiled and
with two black pom-poms dangling by
a thread. Farther down a crumpled
rag Of Pierrette's dress, pom-poms also
dangling, lay crushed beneath a
jeweled crown. Next u makeup box
daubed over with many colors e3-
uded the grease paint scent of a
thousand memories.
Some cotton daisies gazed up at her
with innocent eyes from the bottom
of a battered pasteboard box She lift
ed one and held IL against her hair