Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-25
TODAY'S EVENING STORY
AN EVENING OUT
COPYRIGHT BY w. WERNER

lonely. it was plain to be seen. They
brought out card table and pack
of cards. For once the room was
comfortably warm, and the sisters
were agreeably surprised.
Madeline shuffled the cards. Cora
cut, and they examined their hands.
But somehow instead of playing they
began to talk. Soon their tongues
were flying eagerly. They sat dis
regarding the cards in their hands
while they chartered merrily.
From the first funny incident
which Madeline related and Corals
tale of a frozen waterpipe they drift
ed to more intimate personal con-
fidences. Then suddenly Mrs. Whit
ney began to tell about her earlier
life. when Mr.. Whitney and were
first married we lived in Candor." In
the unaccountable way in which a
woman sometimes reveals her past
history, she continued the story.
II was married at 16 and Tom
was 81. We were terribly poor. l.
wore a scent lawn to be married
in. There were such things as s.
cent lawns then" she smiled family.
1T was pink, and I made it myself.
I carried big bunch of pinxters,
which Tom got me in the woods. AS
soon as we were married we went
home to Toms folks to live. They
lived on farm and had come from
a village.
II was a slender little thing, and
Mother Whitney was old and frail;
SO had to do all the heavy lifting
for both Of US. My baby lived only
four hours after it was born. was
dreadfully sick. Before I was out of
bed Mother Whitney died. She went
like blowout candle. Father Whit
ney never recovered from the shock.
He lived only a year after she died.
Zone day a man whom = Father
Whitney had known came to the
farm. He was a geologist of note.
and while he was there he killed time
by going round and examining our
rocks. We had more rocks than any
thing else. In that way he located
the blue granite quarry which gave
us all our money.
"Of course right away some big
men from the city wanted to buy
| Tom out. We talked it over and de-
cided that was the best thing to do.
I wasn't very we'll, and Madeline was
! only a few months old. Tom went
down to the city to sell out. I got
his telegram telling me what he'd
done.
HE was sick when he came home,
but he had put the deal through. 1
| thought he was only overtired ana
that he would recover in few days,
but-he had smallpox"
| Instinctively Helen laid her hand
on Mrs. Whitney's.
"In less than two weeks he was
gone" ended Mrs. Whitney broken.
| ly. There was a silence which Made
line broke by springing up. my
goodness! It's 1890 and we haven't
played a card!' she exclaimed.
Mrs. Whitney pulled herself to-
gether. ''Why, so it is! Come in to
the dining room, my dears, and let's
have a bite of something" she said
There was delicious hot cocoa,
SANDWICHES and cake. Madeline told
some funny stories. The sisters
could see that she did it to restore
her mothers cheerfulness.
II don't care, we've had a nice
neighborly evening"" Mrs. Whitney
said, as they parted.
Back home the sisters stood with
the pipin-hot register between them
and looked at each other.
Poor woman! All that fashion
business is put on just to help her to
forget" Cora said.
Helen sighed. at could see that.
I'm glad we went. I guess after all,
Co, that rich and poor, plain or
|. stylish, we women are all alike 'un-
der the skim"