Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-08
BY BEREA RUCK

| hau' OF the travelling cos :,
tune, the white shoe tied behind the
eur, tne brand new luggage, the last
farewells and wishes Tor all happi.
ness.
The less honeymoon there actually
to be. ~, w
| This obvious truth struck both of
them simultaneously MS they strobe
through the dripping dusk. For at least
quarter Of mile they said no more.
lie was consciously thinking for the
first time what a wild and insane idea !:
honeymoon. deliberately planned and
minus-well, honey. Perhaps It was all
right. Lots Of women, he'd heard.
would actually prefer that side of mar.
riagc kept clean out Of their lives:
beautiful and otherwise normal women,
known as ''anesthetics. The scent.
less rose type. This girl was evidently
one Of them. b."
Subconscious thought here stirred
again, whispering. impossible Could
she dance like that. If she couldn't
love! A scentless rose? She, with her
pagan delight in scent and color and
the other sensuous things! Not she. 4
don't like men, she said. She meant
that. Only - 1t Is all to awaken.
you love to find out If you could? Other.
wise, oughtn't you to leave her until
the right. man turns up to awaken
her? Perhaps even that Elizabethan
mountebank would be better. All,
you hate that idea Doesn't It mean
that already you have begun to look
upon her as your own?"
This whispered in him., still. still
unheard by his consciousness as is the
tune played on the notes of a muted
piano. All that he was aware of was
the insane, the Internal nuisance Of
this honeymoon idea. Thus his
! thoughts.
Hers, meanwhile, We're taking a turn
new to herself.
Somewhere in the very depths Of
Clover who was Elphinstone Brothers
with four managers, and the power to
saek or to advance men. there stirred
another Clover. This Clover (strange-
ly forlorn md bewildered) wondered
girlishly why she was unlike other
girls? No other girl she d known would
calmly elect to enter the state of matri-
mony on these lines. She. Clover,
found 1t the way to live. But imagine,
for instance, Rosemary! If Rose
mary hadn't got the eternal Jim she
would have had the eternal somebody
else, but nobody on these terms. Rose.
mary would 60 of presently on real
honeymoon Or none. Then. imagine
Lavender. already married. Lavender
was hard up and harried by those
babies. But. If Lavender had the
chance Of waving wand and becom-
ing married. free. comfortably off
for the rest of spinster existence,
would she accept the chance? Would
she. even retaining her title of MRS"
and her outward matron prestige
Never. Clover knew that Lavender
would say loudly ''rnther-" and
add. softly. mot" and that Laven.
der's eyes would suddenly light up with
mischievous, a secret gleam that they
had when she was teasing ner cousin
about marrying "again."
Then, little Sandal, the youngest Of
them all, and Clover's favorite-San-
dal. who for all her precocious risqup
prattle about the facts Of life. could
visualize none Of them--yes, even San
dal knew enough to know whether
she'd choose the type Of wedding trip
that Glover lunbeknownst to ally meant
to have. Glover could hear Sandals
unabashed treble scream Of "What? A
platonic honeymoon? You mean no
kissing? A vinegar moon? Oh, not for
me, thanks passionately -
Very we'll, then. She. Glover. must
be abnormal freak woman. This re
pellent young man beside her knew that.
He'd never have entered into this con-
tract with her II he'd thought she was
like ordinary girls. Her fair told her
this. Savagely angry she felt about the
whole thing. An impulse to say "look
here! Supposing we break it off before
it's too iate?" rose up in her as it had
risen in him fortni sht ago. She sup
pressed it, even as he had done. and it
left her full of renewed obstinacy and
bravado.
Honeymoon Plans
Driving her hands down into her coat
pockets. she began in the Elphinstone-
Brothers voice
"Then. when we come back"
"Back?' he took up, with a quick
turn toward her he was not absolutely
sure If she meant what he was think
ing. "Back--where from?"
She thought. ooh. you irritating and
obtuse clod, why will you make every
thing 30 difficult? Is it on purpose
See il I don't take it out of you for
this when can" She said. back
from wherever We 60 to-" She shook
the raindrops from her hat brim, lifted
her softly cleft chin out of her but
toned up collar, and looked straight
ahead. .I'd thought Of the obvious
place for just now; Paris"
wedding?"
She. sharply irritated. nearly broke
out with Sandal like retort Of "well,
,,o onulIp'f vorv uo11 On thapa haforo
the wedding!"
Thinking one thing. she uttered an
other thing. "You know very well
that's cot to be part Of it. We have
to 90 away. And stay away. For
for at least ten days"
Also thinking In other words from
those he uttered, Carmichael took up
"ten days? Most inconvenient for me
just now"
80 1t 10 to me. DO you suppose 1t
amuses me to leave the Office just now
when I've one or two interesting deals !
on? DO you suppose like tfashing
across the Channel at this moment just |
for the look of 1t? Personally I hate |
it and the whole notion of the we'd
ding bells and the crush, and everything
else, but it's got to be.
"You don't like Paris? I'm sorry, and |
if it would do for me to 60 over there |
alone, l wouldn't drag you, but"
paris? I believe I'm due for Pull
ham just about then" Out came the
tiny leather bound diary again. "Yes,
BY Jove. On the sixteenth"
Il" Clover went relentlessly on.
shall stay at the Meurice. l will
write about the rooms. There is a |
little shopping can get in in the morn. |
inRs. You needn't come with me there.