Evening star., 1923-02-25

She collected travel folders and often
talked in their terms. In her mind
she always said "brooding Fesuvius."
blue Mediterranean" azure coasts"
"Egypts golden sands"
Arnold Hatch ate dinner nightly at
Pardee's. He lived in the house next
door. which he owned. renting II to
an Okoochee family and retaining the
| upstairs front bedroom for himself.
a tall, thin. eyeglassed young man.
who worked in the offices of the
Okoochee Oil and Refining Company,
believed in Okoochee and wanted to
| marry Maxine. He had twice kissed
her. On both these occasions his
eyeglasses had fallen off. taking the
passion, to TO speak. out of the
process. When Maxine giggled, un-
! controllably. he said: Go on-laugh,
But some day I'm going to kiss you
and I'll take my glasses off first.
| Then look out"
You have to have good deal Of
| humor to stand being laughed at by
| a girl you've kissed, especially a girl
who emphasize her aloofness by
| wearing those high white
silk blouses.
You haven't got goitre, have
you?" said Arnold Hatch one evening.
brutally. Then, as she had fiared
| in protest: II know il. / love that
little creamy satin hollow at the base
Of your throat"
you've never s. The scarlet
famed up. She was human.
II know it. But love it just the
same" Pretty good for tall, thin
young man who worked in the offices
of the Okoochee OIL and Refining
| Company.
Sometimes he said: I'm darned GER
tain you like me"-bravely-'love me.
Why won't you marry me? Cut out
all this Shaving. I could support you.
Not in much luxury, maybe, but
"And settle down in Okoochee!
Never see anything. Stuck in this
God-forsaken hole: This drab. dull,
| wonderful people, wonderful places.
| color. romance, beauty. Damascus!
Mandalay. Singapore, Hongkong!
Hongkong. 1t sounds like a
| temple bell. 1t thrills me-"
"Over in Hongkong," said Arnold
| Hatch, 81 expect some Chinese Max
| inc Pardee would say: 'Okoochee! 1t
sounds like an Indian war drum. 1t
! thrills me-"
! Sometimes Maxine showed signs of
melting. But she always CONCEALED
| again under the influence of her re-
| solve. One evening an out-of-town
| diner. on hearing her name, said:
"Pardee! HIM. Probably corrup-
! tion of Pardieu. A French name
! originally, l suppose"
After that there was no approach
! ing her for week Maxine Pardieu
by God" it meant. A chevalier he
must have been. this Pardieu. A
| musketeer. a swashbuckler. with
! lace falling over his slim white hand,
/ and his hand always ready on his
sword Red heels. Plumed hat. Par
| dieu
TTOW she hated anew the great oil
! / i tanks that rose on the towns
| outskirts. guarding it like giant sem
! tinels. The new houses. The new
country club. 'Twenty-one miles of
asphalt road. Population in 1900
| only 467; in 1920 over $4,000. Slogan.
! watch us grow" Seventeen hundred
| oil and gas wells. Fields of corn and
cotton. Skyscrapers. The Watonga
| building, twelve stories. Haynes
| block, fourteen stories. Come west.
young mani Ugh!
Sometimes she made little rhymes
l In her mind.
There's Singapore and Zanzibar,
/ And Cairo and Calais:
/ There's samarkand and Aicazar.
. Rangcon and Maudalay.
| "Yeh," said Arnold Hatch one even
| ing when they were talking in the
! Pardee back yard. 1t was 9 o'clock.
| Dishes done. moon. October. Max
+ inc had just murmured her little
] quatrain. They were standing by the
| hedge of pampas grass that separated
| the Pardee yard from Hatch's next
door.