The Topeka state journal., 1922-02-09
E0ening Story
The Younger Set.
BY JANE OSBORN.

dancing slippers. Excuse me, Tom,
for saying gosh but honestly I'd
rather scrub floors than to go to that
Dance
Tom Gleason looked syrnpatheticany
from his post before the chiffonier,
where he was struggling with the
studs of his evening shirt. 81 suppose
we've got to CO."
"OhAI suppose So" said the young
wife, now carefully brushing the col
lar of Toms evening coat as it lay on
the bed. "Housework and the twins
are nothing to compare with what |
have to undergo for that younger set
I promised to chaperon them. Grace
Hayes will meet us at the club house
and will be back for the night. Your
brother, Z suppose. will be there and
he'll want the other spare room. l
thought once we'd pull off match
with him"
s'Them," echoed Tom sneeringly.
They're just like the rest of the
younger set. Crazy for excitement
they'll never settle down and have
real happiness the way we did. Young
people are different nowadays" Tom
was all of five years older than his
two years older than Grace Hayes, yet
these two felt the advantage of many,
many years.
So the Gleasons. clad in their best,
went to the dance at the country club,
leaving, the Slumbering twins in the
custodianship of the maid of all work,
who also slumbered in her room on
the third floor.
An hour later Jim Gleason tried the
front door of the Gleason suburban
home, found it locked and made an
unceremonious entrance thru a partly
open front window. He took off his
hat and coat and then his shoes, rum
mayed for and found a pair of slip
pers and a smoking jacket of his
brothers in a downstairs hall closet.
A forag ging expedition in the kitchen
resulted in some crullers of his sister
in-laW's baking and some apples.
These he laid on the table beside the
easy chair in front of the fireplace.
He filled his pipe with his brothers
tobacco, poked the embers, threw on
the comforts of a home that was not
his own.
This comfort he enjoyed alone for
an hour. At 1880 he heard d knock
at the front door and opened it to see
Grace Hayes, in day clothes with an
overnight bag in her hand.
4 thought you'd be at the dance"
she said with some hauteur and some
apology.
NO" drawled James, assisting
her in a second easy chair beside the
fire. Il can't stand the pace. I said
might come, but it was only for an
excuse to spend the night here. How
these married people want to CAD
about as. they do can't see. With a
home like this-have a cruller and an
apple" he interrupted, pointing to the
outlay on the table. Gee, if I had
little house like this and wife, be-
leve me I'd stay at home! But then
were different. Since the war fell
lows have known how to appreciate a
hon "a Tl1Tt hot al =
all they think of is excitement, tod
ding and jazz and all that sort of
thing
Grace looked wistfully into the fire.
II know she said. Girls are diff
ferent now. They are more serious'
There was a long and rather pain
full pause. Then James Gleason bent
toward Grace, who was sitting up
straight in her chair "Grace, won't
you marry me?"
No" Grace said, still very wistfu1.
and she nodded her head slowly and
looked into the fire. Il think I would
marry you If I married any one,
Jimmy but I'm afraid of marriage. 1t
seems to change people so. I'm afraid
that once l was married I'd be like
your sister-in-law. And you might
change about and be as mad about
dancing and excitement as Tom. I'd
rather go on dreaming about a home
than to have a home of my own and
not appreciate it.p
1t was James's turn to look wistfuIIy
IN the fire and shake his head sadly.
He had been pleasantly surprised to
hear Grace say that she would marry
him If she married any one. That was
something of a comfort
get your point of view, Grace
he said. .-It would be frightful to find
yourself in a home like this, for in
stance, and not appreciate it, or to be
married to the girl you loved and find
her unwilling to stay at home for a
quiet evening. I'd be sorry for Tom.
only L think he is as far gone as
Mabel. Another pause ensued.
Couldn't we get engaged and see how
that affected ds?"
THAT would be a trial engagement"
Grace looked a little shocked. NO,
Jimmy; l never intend to be engaged
except to the man l. marry. When I
do get engaged 1 want to be married
very, very soon. You know, l take
those things so seriously; L think all
the girls in our set do. They are so
different from the older. girls like
The matter seemed settled. For
few minutes they sat and exchanged
q few remarks about the weather and
plays they had or hadn't seen, Then
one or two of the twins walled out
from the floor above, and Grace, with
Jim in her wake, fled to the nursery.
drinks of water when Tom and Mabel
let themselves in the front door below.
the twins again tucked quietly in
their adjoining cribs, Jim and Grace
groped their way in the dark upstairs
hall toward the stairs. Jim held
Grace's arm very close to his side, so
that she would not stumble. They
heard the voices of Tom and Mabel |
below, and they hesitated to listen.
Well, we're back again to home |
sweet home" said Tom. He was sit
ting in the chair just vacated by
James and Mabel was in Grace's chair. |
James and Grace went noiselessly
down~to the landing where they could |
see them. Then Tom leaned coward |
Mabel and took her hand in his. |
There's nothing like it, is there, little |
wife? ?" he said. More than ever I |
can't understand the point of view of |
the younger set. There's my brother, |
Jim, could marry any day he wanted
to. Earns more than 1 do"