The Omaha morning bee., 1924-07-19
10 ELLEN
By ALEXANDER BLACK.

|
!. lyou?"
i "of course" said Jo Ellen. "Al
lyour friends
More than thatr' exclaimed Mar
.lty. Suddenly he drew closer, caugh
lher tightly, and kissed her cheek. "J'
!, Ellen -
: Now you're acting foolish" Sh
pushed him off. Just because you n
going away
Il ITO be a soldier"
| 10 Ellen laughed. "A soldier ant
la gentleman"
when 1 get back" he said, "witl
lmy tunic on--were going to be neal
LiNew York before going over--I an
going to forget the gentleman par
ilof it."
Threats"
promises.
II don't ask any promises"
mo. You won't ask anything
I.Thats true Well, I'm the on
that won't wait to be asked. I'll al
ways-we don't have friends by ask
ling, do we? =. It's wonderful hov
you get to know who the best frien'
lis. how you get to know the on
you've got to have-the one tina
makes the difference-when some
thing big comes out in front of yoi
when you have to decide about you
life"
"Yes," said Jo Ellen, there's I
whole life coming"
But it doesn't come for us alone.
When he looked at her 1t was al
| il she were arrogantly alone, and
lrevolving universe, with himself II
the front of the swinging clutter, lef
| her unimpressed, inaccessible. Nc
use reaching in and trying to ge
any real hold on her. You sort o
swung loose again.
| She detected a downcast look. L
was pity he had to be sentimental
It was all pleasant enough when h'
wasn't that way. But he was to b'
a soldier.
| She put a hand over one of his.
| We've got lots of work ahead ol
US. I've got to be in this"
| Even to herself this had very
old sound-something almost funny
once it had come out. Perhaps CIR
had to seem old to manage things
Yet she wasn't feeling solemn. Yot
couldn't feel solemn at the beginning
of everything She felt more like
challenging him to a run down to the
green gate.
Martyrs first letter from the camp
was a practical affair, stressing the
Information | that would have a mill
tary sound Evidently he was elated
extraordinarily. 10 Ellen could imag
inc his chest sticking out. With al
this setting up and work outdoors
| /. trfIn ell
saw him again, and perhaps be a bi
struttish, which would make hei
laugh. In later letters he Offered
alluson to the time when he should
come to the Hill, before going across
Everything depended upon what
should happen in the matter of the
war He began, in fact, to have thai
air of being subject to vast circum
stances and particularly to the imme
diate pressure of authority. 10 Eller
concluded that she would not like tc
be in the grip of something that
ordered you this way and that, and
told you just when and how you
were permitted to breathe. OF course
lit was lucky that Marty, II he had tc
be gripped, could be so proudly sub
missive. could get SO much satisfac
| thinking"
Jo Ellen's attitude toward the I'VE
of things was to have discomforts
Mrs. Trupp. for instance, had an
Ieagerness to wear something.
Mrs. Trupp was not so fat as Mr..
Trupp, but her amplitude expressed
a harmony with his; which 10 Ellen
thought could not be quite tradi-
tional. She fancied that fat men
always had thin wives. The second
time Mrs. Trupp came in-the first
visit was brief and obviously for the
purpose Of objectifying Mr.. Trupp'
selection-she had begun telling Jo
Ellen about Mr. Trupp. He was. II
|appeared, rather a trying man. Peo-
pie might not think so. He was sc
agreeable to everybody. But he was
Trying. For one thing, he was care
less about his eating. When she
could feed him he was all right. But
he lunched with people and had nc
sense at such TIMES. The results were
fearful for his insides. She described
these results minutely. And then
about his clothes. He had no inkling
of order; none at all. Never knew
where anything was. Probably ii
was the same at the Office. Anyway
he had a distressing habit of shedding
things at housekeeping them as II
nothing had place. Picking up aft
er him kept a person busy. II she
ever was away for a week or so. as
when she went to visit her sister in
Maiden, the place became a sight
When he tried TO be orderly he was
worse. II was inconceivable that a
man could have so little judgment
for example, about putting pants
away. She sometimes told him he
had better leave them out. He was
exasperating. too. about money: good
you might say. at making 1t, but nc
sense about spending ii. People