Evening star., 1922-11-26

on the last stroke she rose
and kissed her father good night and
kissed her mother good nie!lt and
went upstairs to her room. 1t was
- o'stock. Cntii she was eighteen
Mary Elizabeth had gone to beC at
. O'Clock. And then for two years
she had gone to bed at half-past 9.
1t was only now that she was twenty
years old that she was permitted to
stay up until 10 o'clock.
The moment he heard the door shut
upstairs Mary Elizabeth's father
turned to her mother. 1t was an old
habit Mary Elizabeth was an only
daughter Indeed. she was an only
child. He was always discussing her
the moment she was out of earshot.
II must say" he observed. shes
nice girl
Mrs. Morley did not reply in words
to this remark of her husbands. She
merely nodded her assent and wen,
right on counting nine stitches and
dropping one.
Il sometimes wonder if We restrict
her too much" he continued. And
then see how conten.ed she is. and
realize that she's jus: not Ike these
these awful creatures.
by awful creatures Mr., Morley
meant merely the daughters Of his
contemporaries. the kind of girl you
meet in the older and nicer suburbs
of New York.
"She Just doesn't care for jazz
and all that sort of thing" Mr.. Morley
said Shed rather stay at home and
read good book than run around
places-like these modern girls
Did you know" Mrs Morley asked
that Mrs. Henderson has allowed
Charlotte to go to the dance at the
country club tonight"
What said Mr. Morley.
Charlotte Henderson was Mary
E,izabeth's friend and chum-the only
one she had
Yes said Mrs. Morley.
Il don't approve of it Mr. Morley
said firmly.
Why" Mrs. Morley said. Mrs.
Fairhope told me today that there
wasn't a girl in that crowd who
doesn't smoke cigarettes and drink
cocktails" Mrs. Morley pursed her
lips They aren't the sort of girls
want our Mary Elizabeth to know.
she said.
1T isn't so much the girls I'm
thinking Of" Mr. Morley admitted.
Its the young men,.
The young married crowd al the
country club are scandal" Mrs. Nor
ley said.
1T ought to be forbidden" Mr.. Nor
lev said He did not say just what
ought 20 be forbidden.
1T certainly ought" said Mrs Nor
ley.
The hall clock struck the half hour.
Mr.. Morley rose promptly. Mrs.
Morley put down her crocheting. Mr..
Morley shook his head gravely.
The beautiful thing we've accom-
plished with Mary Elizabeth" he said.
lis to bring her up so that she doesn't
have to be prevented from doing the
things that other girls do-she doesn't
want to do them"
That's just it," Mrs. Morley agreed
she hasn't got these wild i'm
pulses
"And she hasn't any chance to meet
the wrong kind of man.. said Mr.
Morley.
Whereupon Mr. and Mrs. Morley
went ups tdiTS " oco.
x i X
MARY ELIZABETH sat at her VIM
Nl dow in her nightgown looking
out on q lawn bathed in moonlight.
The moonlight gave Mary Elizabeth
queer breathless feeling. 1t seemed
to her that she had never in her life
seen anything SO poignantly beautiful
as the lawn, with the row OF poplar
trees, in the moonlight. 1t was so
beautiful it hurt. 1t was like-like
heing terribly homesick.
Mary Elizabeth heard her parents
coming up the stairs. For moment
..be turned her head to listen. She
heard their door close. She was alone
with her dreams.
Mary Elizabeth sat by her window
for nearly an hour-until she was
sure her father and mother were
asleep. She loved her father and
mother. That was why she found 1t
so impossible to tell them what she
wanted or even to give them the
smallest glimpse OF what she was like
inside. They would be so hurt. And
she could not bear to hurt them.
They had been so very good to her
so generous. They weren't rich. And
vet they had managed to do the
things for her that only rich people
did for their daughters. An expen-
sive school. and music. and that trip
abroad. And now that she was at
home again, her father had given
her a roadster--all her own. Only
she couldn't go anywhere in it-any-
where she wanted to go.
And then this dance. Charlotte had
bullied her mother into letting her go.
She. 0ary Elizabeth, was the only
girl in scarborough who couldn't go,
the only one left out
She didn't know a single solitary
man of her own agc-only the men
who came to tea at the rectory every
second Tuesday.
And the phrases of i nursery rhyme
came into her head:
Yes yes my darling daughter.
Hang your clothes q hick'ry limb
But don't so near the water.
Her father and mother were like
that; they said, yes. yes. you may go
out to swim. but don't go near the
water.
Mary Elizabeth got up and gently
turned on her light and rummaged in
the closet. She brought out a white
skirt and a blouse and stockings and
sweater. She was dressed in five
minutes. She put her wrist watch in
side her blouse. Then she switched
off the light and turned to her win
COW.
Mary Elizabeth lifted the screen out