Evening star., 1922-08-13


opening she swung herself down. land
ed softly. gave him a warm hard little
fist and a thank you almost gruff. and
was up the steps Of her boarding house.
The house itself looked as II it had
measles and Clauson drove of thinking
what frightful life Miss Rickson lived
His stenographer by day and tenant
OF a SCARED looking boarding house by
night. And what brick she was
brown, rosy business-like little brick.
A woman. too. Eyes that were deep
with what could be tenderness.
None of that said Clauson and
turned into his own street.
He put up his car. walked the half
block to his apartment and while he
waited for the elevator-the thought
which he had kept in the background
abruptly enveloped him, seemed to rush
at him from outside: Suppose Miss
Rickson were waiting for him up in
fourth floor front. Romance Of sweet
ness almost forgotten might be possible
with Miss Rickson.
He hurried down the tiled hall to
his own door, burst in, shouted: Hello.
.Jep." He was genuinely shocked at
himself He wanted to make amends
by a tremendous homecoming such as
he had, before now, carried off when
he was too tired to mean it.
Hello, darling she said.
He had swift look at the picture
which had greeted him SO many nights.
The brownish room, the ;leaped-up
tabIe-everything Jep did seemed to
take so much cloth or wool or what
ever it was-and of Jep. herself in
street dress busy at lord knew what.
She was measuring something. She
put up her face to be kissed. kissed
him, smiled absently, said without look
ing at him:
They sent me up some that the
moths have been in
"Oh they did, did they" said Clau-
son grimly.
He made his prepare tions for dinner
and as he came up the passage he
shifted distastefully at an odor-waX.
rubber. gravy-the odor of home. The
familiarity of the pictures on the pas
sage walls oppressed hin,-signed photo
graphs. a pergola. Il Captain. A little
gong was pecked at thrice by the maid
trying simultaneously to dish tin
ling?" and came toward him picking
threads from her skirt
They went down the passage. He
slipped his arm about her. She had
his hand under hers. And when they
sat at table Clauson looked at her
across the soup and asked:
Did l. have my arm around you
Just now. when we came down the
passage?'
"Why yes. didn't you?" she said.
"Yes. I think you did. why:''
Nothing" said Clauson. II just
wondered
From time to time, at dinner. he
looked at her stealthily. Fifteen years
they had had together. There were
no children. Suppose there should be
twenty-five. thirty-five years more And
they loved each other. But heavens
above them both. how dull they were
'I think I'll send that moth -eaten
stuff straight back to them said Jep.
wouldn't you, dear?"
81 certainly would, darling said
Clauson.
He thought of the sacrilege of using
holy words in that unthinking fashion.
He thought of the absurdity of assent
ing like a sheep to something which he
knew nothing whatever about. He
thought of Miss Rickson-what If some
morning she should bring in his letters
and say There. dear" with
that good little way Of dipping. her head
and turning it sidewise without turn
ing her eyes.
They considered the theater and gave
up going. They considered telephon-
ing for somebody to come in and make
up table and gave that up too. Clau-
son built a fire and smoked and Jep
read aloud. Then they sat talking.
Once they disagreed on the ethics of
bit of gossip and had a spirited ten
minutes. He didn't quite like Jep when
she argued-she had SO gentle an ex-
ASPIRATION. When they sat silent Clau-
son thought Of Miss Ricksons restful
way of rejoining Exactly to all his
opinions. He suddenly imagined her
saying Exactly. dear" imagined her
sitting here beside him; caught the
zest, the laughter. the thrill which talk
with her could conceivably hold Obe-
diently on that he halted his medita-
tions.
X
LIE looked thoughtfully at Jep. Jep
was responsive, she had humor.
she could be amusing. But he was so
used to her. Her hands. that gesture
to her hair. her absent look. her little
crooked yawns. Not a surprise. not
even a variation. She was Jep forever.
At nine Clauson rose and wound the
nhCerved hof ho
must have it regulated.
1--WE heard you say that oceans Of
times. DEAR Jep remarked, also as
usual.
Dear" again. What continual
farce. And he wished she wouldn't
always say oceans What rotten
60 everything was. How had he got
himself into this miserable little Jail
OF life. full Of clocks and keys and
kettles. What did any confounded thing
matter? No wonder everybody was
tired OF everybody else.
He faced about and said abrutly:
'Tm going out for little while, Jep.
well. where on earth are you 60
ing?" she inevitably asked.
ITO take a turn around a block or
two. I'm seedy. I'm seedy!" said he,
and went.
Ten minutes later he was back and
at the look in his face Jep said: "why.
darling! Is anything the matter?"
II wish you wouldn't call me dar-
ling when you don't mean it, he
burst out. and added: 'T beg your
pardon. Yes. something is the mat
ter. I met Dibble down in the office.