The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-06-06
DOCTOR FORSTER
BY JOAN M. GRAY

a.
&C by Mcclure Newspaper syndieate)
Doctor Forster went to Gloucester
In a shower Of rain.
He stepped IN a puddle wa up to his
middle.
And never went there again.
INDEED, Doctor Forster had been
4 going to Gloucester for many
years-fye, to be exact. He went
there to call on Mary Louie had
loved her devotedly since he was a
struggling young practitioner of
t~wenty-four.
The sky was overcast as the doctor
stepped from the station and prepared
to walk TO the pretty white house
where Mary Lou and her tyrannical
little mother lived. The ice and the
slush We're disagreeable, but Doctor
Forster trod on air. 1t began to rain
and he put up his umbrella and hur-
ried along. gripping the handle fero-
ciously as he thought Of the years that
he had waited for his moment. He
picked his way carefully along the
sidewalk outside Mary Louis shining
white fence and waved his hand at
Mary Lou. who was fixing a bowl of
jonquils at the window. This was his
undoing.
At the gate, where 1t looked per-
fectly hard and safe for walking, Doc
tor Forster took a horrid slump. went
in to his ankles, slipped and went
down on his knees. There he knelt,
umbrella still over him, nice and dry
above. but wretchedly wet below. He
had n glimpse Of Mary Louis shocked
face and struggled to his feet. He
was certainly un%presentable and he
was certainly going home.
He struggled out of his pit and
turned away. The green door. with
its shining knocker, opened quickly.
and Mary Lou cried:
Reggie! !"
But Doctor Forster had gone from
the sublime to the ridiculous and was
mortified almost unto death. He pre-
tended not to hear. Then a stern
voice, belonging to a little person
with silver hair, took up the cry:
Reginald Forster, come in the
house this minute and change your
clothes. You're supposed to be a doc
tor; don't you know anything? March
up those stairs, go into the first door
on your right, and put IN the trousers
you find there. Put yours by the ra-
diator to dry and then come down and
have some tea. Give me your UNI
brella."
Doctor Forster went up meekly, put
on the trousers and hung his own to
dry. Mary Louis father had been a
little man; Doctor Forster was large.
The trousers had been Mary Louis IA
theirs and poor Doctor Forster felt
like a clown. He simply could not go
down and face Mary Lou. Suddenly,
in the long mirror, he caught sight of
the sparkling buckles of his hose
supporters. He groaned miserably.
Reginald, hurry" called the stern
voice. you'll get your death without
something hot"
Again she had spoken and must be
obeyed. He went wretchedly to the
stairs and started down. Mary Louis
mother looking up, suddenly ducked
into the living room and choked. Mary
Lou had one glimpse as he came
through the door, then she looked out
of the window until he had carefully
| seated himself on the edge of a chair.
Doctor Forster had gone TO Gloucester
and had certainly stepped into plenty
Of rain.
He drank his tea and ate his muf-
fins. He answered Mary Louis chatter
and also her mothers. They were try
ing TO put him at his ease. He could
think of nothing except that Mary Lou
had seen him-Mary Lou had seen
him! He writhed.
REGINALD, I have some of your spe-
cial chocolate cake and here I've CON-
pletely forgotten it. Sit perfectly still
and I'll run out to the kitchen and
get it. No, Mary Lou, I'll 60"
she sprang up and left them in an
awful silence. Mary Lou pltied Reg
gle sol Reggie. who was always so
perfectly at his ease, looked actually
awkward, with his teacup on his knee.
And m~iserablel Mary Lou caught
sight of the twinkling buckles of his
hose-supporters. Her heart ehoked
her. She got up quickly, went over
to Reggie and actually put her hand
upon his brown hair.
Reggie she said softly. I'm so
sorry You see, she loved him and
could not laugh at him.
"oh, Mary Lou" cried the poor doc
tor, can you-that is, will you-do
you"
oh. yesi'' breathed Mary Lou.
Reginald forgot Mary LOUIS fathers
trousers and almost forgot Mary LOUIS
mothers teacup. He set 1t barely on
the edge of the table, rose and folded
Mary Lou close to his beating heart.
They stood thus a long time and
Mary LOUIS mother, with the plate of
chocolate cake, stood in the doorway
Just as long. Her eyes caught the
sparkle of the buckles Of the doctors
hose supporters.
Children" she %quavered.
"Oh. mother r.
Eyes. motherl" cried the doctor,
happily. "Imagi1e 1t. She will marry
me in spite of these trousers and that
puddle! Can you believe it?s
Certainly cried Mary Louis moth
er. IF she hadn't taken you, I would
have. You need looking after. Come
here and let me kiss you BOTH
Then Pa Got a Shaking Up.