Evening star., 1922-04-09

it's because so many Of them haven't
homes or families. They're just drift
ers, chips on the tide
But Barry shook his head. 'I find
them just as human and interesting"
he insists. "as people 1 meet in ele-
vator apartments or suburban cot
tages, and 1 believe they are
"Yes. you would" says I. But
you're amazingly young for your
years. Barry. you know. Still wear
ing your high school class pin. aren't
you?"
It's somewhere in my trunk" ad
mits carry. "Will you wear it, Tril-
by May, if 1 dig it out?"
There you go again.! says /.
"YouIl be wanting to hold my hand
next"
why not, on a night like this?"
asks Barry.
NO. now says I. Lets get back
to your stupid hotel people"
X x x
D EALLY, that was why 1 had
started the debate-to keep him
from getting mushy. AS matter of
fact, I wasn't any too sure I wouldn't
get a little that way myself. For it
was some night. I'll tell the COM
munity it was. One of the kind of
nights that happen toward the end
of March or early April on the west
coast of Florida, if you know what
that means. If you don't you've got
something coming to you.
Wed been for an after-dinner drive
out around the bayou. and for half
an hour or so we'd parked along the
shore boulevard to watch the big.
yellow moon roll up from the far side
of Tampa bay. Then we'd gone back
to the hotel and camped down in
veranda to watch the shadows deepen
under the palms and live oaks and
breathe in the warm. soft air per-
fumed with orange blossoms and star
jasmine blooms. Somewhere nearby
in a tree top a mother mocking bird
was trilling low lullaby to a nest
full of young ones, off in the distance
a pair of quail were bob-whiting at
each other. and across the street In
the park the clear spaces were
splashed with moonlight. You know?
One of those nights that are apt to
go to your head if you don't watch
out.
So turned my back on it'and gazed
into the big hotel sitting room. where
a few guests were scattered around:
mostly old people. Uncle Nels and
his side kick, Hank Snively. were
deep in game of dominoes; a white
whiskered old boy was yawning over
a book. and several old ladies were
rocking and crocheting or just rock
ing.
Not what I'd call a thrilling lot.
Barry" says /.
Perhaps not" he admits. But I'll
bet if you knew all about any one of
them and could get their whole life
story you'd hear something worth
listening to-"
"A dollar to a doughnut,' says /.
"No. Barry, even a plot-hungry dra-
matist. such as you are, could hardly
patch up one-act sketch out of the
bunch. For instance. there's that
Miss Dawes. What do you think you
could get out of her?"
Who knows?" says Barry. She
has an interesting face"
"A placid old maids face" says I.
"She's an English literature teacher
in some girls boarding school. I un-
derstand, and is taking her first win
ter vacation in twenty years. You
can imagine what an eventful life
that means. Probably her big trag-
edy was once when a dormitory burn
ed, or William Dean Howells came
there to lecture and she had devel-
oped a case of mumps. And the next
one will be when, eight or ten years
from now, they tell her that she's too
old to teach any more"
"A LII this was off-hand, casual stuff.
~ you know. 1 hadn't made any
close study of Miss Caroline Dawes.
I'd just seen her around, swapped
mods and smiles with her, and no.
ticed that she was rather popular
with everyone. 1 had watched her
showing Hank Snively new game
of solitaire and overheard her rec
ommending Beebe's Edge of the
Jungle" to an old lady who was
yawning over THE Sheik." A nice,
calm, substantial. pleasant-eyed per-
son. Miss Dawes. In fact, she was
almost motherly.
of course, the nearly white hair
made her seem older than she really
was. in spite of the full, unwrinkled
cheeks and the clear, pink and white
complexion. Perhaps she was under
fifty. Anyway, she carried her $50
pounds or so very well, and was quite
easy to look at as she sat there under
a reading lamp writing letters. Her
ankles were still rather trim and
she had nice hands.
Why do you suppose she never
married?" asked Barry.
TOO busy correcting English COM
positions" I suggests. "or perhaps
the right man asked too many ques
tions at the wrong time. 1t can be
done. you know. (
"If that's hint to me-" says Bar
~, then she ought to be a warning
to YOU. Let's not take any chances.
Trilby May"
He had slid one arm across the
back of the swing seat, and 1 felt
myself slipping into spoony mood,
when around the corner came this
newly arrived guest and crashed into
the scene. A dapper. finickly dressed
little man he was, all in white fan
nels, with king gardenia in his but
tonhole. I'd remembered seeing him
1ot