Evening star., 1922-11-05

ried haste to placate the tyrant.
set down the dish of fried egg plant
from which George had been about to
help himself, on the sideboard out OF
his reach. George and his wife sat listen
ing in silence The maid returned and
said: II think it's for you, Mrs. TAFT
George sighed and produced the evening
paper. which had been tucked under his
leg against this precise contingency.
He didn't particularly care about the
news. of which he had already read the
unexciting headlines, but he did want to
register Il not unamiable protest against
these continual interruptions of their
dinner Emily insisted on making
more or less formal meal of it. Shed
have been mildly annoyed with him II
he'd gone to the sideboard and helped
himself to the egg plant while the maid
was at the phone. Then why couldn't
she instruct Anna to say to these inn
Fortunate telephoners that her mistress
was at dinner and ask them to call her
in an hour? 1t wasn't as If they ever
had anything to say.
There was no use saying this to Emily.
He knew her argument as well as his
own. Annals morale would be ruined
II they short-circuited her services by
helping themselves, and then where
would they be when they had people in
to dinner. But if he didn't want the
meal interrupted by telephone calls. why
did he insist on their dining at the bu
collie hour of six instead Of seven. when
most of their friends did"
OF course, Emily knew his answer to
that. too. BY dining at six they could,
show at the Alcazar and see the pic
ture right end to, instead Of from the
middle of the fourth reel Also they
could find a convenient place to park
the car. And they were home again by
nine, so that IL George had any evening
work to do there were couple Of solid
hours left for It. And as for setting an
example Of propriety to Anna. George
felt it was rather hard. Ever since
their first child, George, jr.. had been
two years old, George. sr.; had been sub
mitting to innumerable small infringe
ments upon his personal liberty under
the plea of setting a proper example
But now that junior was in college,
and his younger sister in a boarding
school. IL seemed to George. at forty
three. that he might be allowed to tilt
back in his chair If he liked and empty
his pipe scrapings into the dessert plate.
There was no good saying any Of that.
either, for Emily knew it as well as
he did.
Well. he knew her answer, too.
though this last word was one she
had never said. After all, they
didn't live in New York nor in Phila-
delphia, nor even in Chicago. They
lived in Avonia. Ill. George had a
good law practice in Harrison coun-
ty. but the great cities and the great
corporations had never summoned
him, and it was becoming clear to
George-at forty-three- that they
never would. Avonia and the movies
and the bridge club and a months
vacation at Mackinac Island was
about his speed.
He doubted very much if Emily, as
regarded her own potential speed
granted a conjugal partner of suffi-
cient horsepower-acquies Emily
might well believe she was born for
better things. She'd been good deal
of belle in her day. She was too
loyal to lament lost opportunities in
his presence, let alone to fling them
at him as missiles; but a conscious
ness that they might be lying ready
to her hand made him walk warily.
She should make the best of Avonia
in her own way, and if there was Il
faint favor of absurdity about some
of the refinements she insisted upon
and about the seriousness with which
she took her committees az! her
classes and her clubs, Il did not be-
hoove her husband to rail. no matter
how often they called her from the
dinner table to the telephone.
4 \ 4
TIE had had time to think as far
i i as this. his mind slipping rapidly
past the familiar landmarks, just as
his eye slid down the columns of
the newspapers, before he perceived
that Emily was not. this time. talk
ing to any member of her drama COM
mittee, nor to any citizen of Avonia,
nor to any one she'd had the slight
est expectation of hearing from. 1t
was a man-George could tell that
from the quality of her voice-and he
seemed to be throwing her into q
good deal of a fiutter.
"Why-why. yes" she was saying.
"Oh, but we'd love to have you! {.
Yes That'll be fine = We GER
tainly will. Only I'm afraid you
won't find us very exciting Four
o'clock Saturday, then"
George, as she returned to the
table, fastened his gaze upon the
paper. When she was ratified she
liked to be allowed to take her time
She sat down bit heavily in her
chair, drew a couple Of long breaths,
resumed her knife and fork and then
asked. "Did you hear any OF that?"
mot much" he told her. II
thought you sounded sort Of sur
prised."
~ should say I WAS" she admitted.
when 1 hadn't heard from him for
nineteen years. Calling up on the
long distance to ask II he can come
and spend Sunday with US! Sur
prisedr'