Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-15

words.
Quite like old times, isn't it?"
she exclaimed brightly. "Raid night, 7
mean. and turning all the lights dead
on aud tho fuss about leaving the
tiniest chink of window. We're you in
the raids?'
"Er-here in London. you mean!
No.
oh. no. I forgot. You were abroad"
Yes. | was abrond----''
in much worse ones, Of course. We
were in scvcrnl-----''
'Oh. were you?'
Aunt pcsy was $50 funny over
them"
"Funny?'
Yes: she didn't mind them. She
sat perfectly happily in the big base.
ment Kitchen. playing patience, with
that awful din of anti aircraft guns
and shrapncl dropping going on out.
side. Then onc--one night she droppcd
! the cards and jumped up and screamed,
.,Bv Jove. did she rcally----''
Yes, but not because Of the guns
at al - babbled tho girl whose hand
was IN his, and whose mind wrestlcd
TO Keep down. down thoughts she
would not allow herself 90 think.
Not anything to Go with the raid,
but just because she'd seen a mouse
run across the kitchen hearth rug.''
, "Really?' A second later Car
michael gave the expected laugh. Then
you aren't catching cold, are you %
Cold! Oh, no."
II thought you were shvcring.'
'of, no; not ut all. thanks. 7 am
never cold, you know. Wasn't II
! typical? OF Aunt Posy. [ mean"
tlovcr hurried on. anything to keep
taking. 10" as long US he had TO hold
her hand, anything to stop herself from
| trembling in this absurd manner.
SO curious, the different things that
people are afraid Of. l.
| Quite. Yes. quite" agreed Car
michael, in tea party tone Of voice
and with an inward prayer that they
We're nearly at her door. lie put out
, his hand TO feel against the wall: his
fingers explored the glass of pic
ture, the nolding of panel. "Er---
| ] Knew mnn who was always in a
! blue funk of moths, oncc------'
+ 'Of moths:' Glover took m fever
| ishly. "lmngine moths, soft little fllt.
tcrins things like that. I should never
be afraid Of moths, or Cuckchafcrs, or
even bats, though they arc supposed
10 get into ones hair, aren't they
/ don't think I've cv"r---cvcr felt ne.
tually afraid of anything realty"
! Here's your door, Carmichael said
abruptly.
As abruptly. h" felt her hands drawn
out of his.
| Then he heard her voice, with q girl
ish shake in it. "You know, I should
nevcr have known where tho muin
: switch was
For Il space Of another heart -hca,
lie thought She might say Somcthn:
! cls".
II she had ---..-
, Would il hav" made ali th" differ.
cnce! .Ntcrward he wondered over
that.
| But almost Immediately upon her
last words came bcr good. might" In
Il voice suddenly composed again, and
usual.
Good night he returned
| Her door shut softly.
| She did not turn the key. lie knew
that she knew she did not have to
turn any key.
! :" he just wheeled about and. quietly,
he felt his way down Tia" corridor 10
his own room.
Morning After
y love affair Is Il thing in which
there Is no standing still. 1t must &c
either forward or backward.
The Carmichael affair was now dcs.
tined to go backward.
How was this! Having got to that
promising point (for to any onlooker
1t must have seemed promisingl, having
got to that point. why did il 20 back
Glover. IL she had been asked nbout
It. later on. would hay" told you that It
WAS becaus" the young man had missed
LIY opportunity.
For. during their dark'n"i progress
down the last f"w yards "I corridor. N"
girls Suhcons"ivus ,"li had Travelled
far enough During that trivial, fur
ricd conversation about raids, mice,
bats and what not. another voice had
cried excitc,lly within her, lie is 60
ing to break the bargain. Ilc is break
ing tho bargain. OF course | Could
perfectly well.iind my way upstnirs and
along these corridors without being lrd
lihn this. He is breaking the bargain y
She was conscious of thinking this
Eut she would not have been able tr
analyzc the perfectly Instructive little
jump Of JOY thnt she felt because IlHrry
Carmichael was on the very brink .!
breaking his word.
Then. as she uudrcsscd IN hcr soii.
tary room, by the faint gllmm"r of the
street lamps through the windows from
which she pulled aside the curtain. sht
felt distinctly chilled. She told her
self that she was very tired.
There Is an exquisite poem which t'
constantly quoted by women. 1t wa:
apparently written AS tribute tt
women.
Il could not love thc", dear, so much
Loved ! not Honor more
"What." thinks the woman thus ad.
dressed, "hns really put him oif:'
Now, as for Curmicha"l. lie went
10 sIeep telling himself "No ! couldn {
I couldn't; / simply couldn't, forcing
oneself upon beautiful helpless chilt
whose salt one is eating on the condi'
ton that one keeps off? Take adyan'
tage? One couldn't
And in tho morning there had come
upon him tho mood known to most mer
and 10 all women. Violent reaction
Tho backward swing Of the pendulum
that has been flung too far in for
ward direction
As he dressed and drank his coffee, III
ran ovcr in his mind the whole Of tn
evening before, and behold. it was
very bad show Through all the charm
Ing arrangements OF Clover's dime
, Carmichael counted every bono of tn
skeleton at that feast. 1t was oil
put-up job. She had ''played" Cox
She had admitted her downright fb t,
. him about that frock. She had chosel
, lcr guests with the coolest calculation
She had got thcm one against nnothe
~ If she had been playing II game o
; chess. Stripped of it's glamour, wha