Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28

HI ~ GERALD Tibbin stood at the
III long studio window staring
IHS = down into Gramercy Park. 1t
hi ~ was late afternoon. The
|N rays of a still wintry sun
|H slanted sparingly between the big
|Nl buildings on Fourth avenue that made
|Mcanyons OF Twentieth and Twenty
# first streets, touching with faint
III Aint Of Spring the tall red front of
II the National Arts Club. on the farther
III side of the little park, and the smaller
81 brown clubs to the eastward. That
Ia chill yellow light touched the high
81 iron fence that inclosed the park
and rested on the bare trees, under
which closely guarded little children
81 played in Winter coats and leggings
III with their toy wagons and teddy
E bears and bright-colored rubber balls.
III The balloon man moved along out
H side the fence, moved to keep warm,
III his thick cluster of red, yellow and
III blue spheres jostling in the breeze.
III From somewhere off toward Third
u avenue came the defiantly gay janGle
81 of a hurdygurdy. The sound brought
III with it haunting sense of other
II Springtimes in the crowded lonely
& city that became an aching nostalgia
81 in his breast.
m He turned back to the table by the
II door, where the confusion of once
81 treasured things lay heaped on the
b paper she. had wrapped them in
III books, little tied-up bales of letters,
a bracelet, necklace. an enga cement
ID ring, each in its jewelers. white box:
RI other things He fingered them over.
IA Then he lighted cigarette. There
I'd didn't seem to be anything else to do.
IA He heard a step on the stair It
n would be Jimmy on his way up to his
4 own rooms. The devil of it was,
81 Jimmy would look in. That fool bust
81 ness of the Derrick Parme enter peo-
II pie. Jimmy tapped, sure enough.
n Why not stand motionless. let Jimmy
II think him out? But hold on; Jimmy d
Il try the door and find it lock ed. That
81 would be strange, for he never re-
81 membered 70 lock his door Could
If hardly remember when he had, before
III this
N The knock sounded again He
II turned to open. Jimmy did look sur
81 prised. Naturally. Locked in, YOU
IA old stiff" Even commented. Then
il his eyes rested on that tragic heap
q of treasures, wavered over to He
loise's framed photograph that was
Il still on the mantel-the thing had
Il come about with such appalling sud
81 denness-and fi1ally sought his own
II face. Jimmy was short and had to
u look up. Blle-eyed and blond. as well,
Il and within 10 years would be fat.
oh Jimmy's voice, beginning a
N thought eXplosively. trailed off into
3 sympathetic silence. But he was
never silent long. "Oh, libby, not
n really?
Sure. All off. Why not? Have
cig?"
Thanks. But
Conversation no good. All off;
i that's all
a But I wouldn't stand for that Go
p fter her. man! Girls always have
moods"
NO gooo, Jimmy. Here's a wire"
He selected the yellow paper from
collection Of letters in his pocket.
''Married?'
"Yesterday-in New York. Met a
fellow. Come on, Wen burn EN-.
Give hand"
They stood watching the last of the
letters burn. Tibbin put the photo
graph on top of the heap, silver
frame and all.
Don't know but what | looked in
at good time, libby. We've landed
the Derrick-Parmenter account. Co
ing to be one of the biggest cam
paigns in the field of national adver-
Using this year and next THEY'VE
appropriated two hundred thousand
Just like that, No end of pictorial
work, and everything to pass under
your eye-typography, decoration,
pictures. everything. A hundred and
fifty week to start with"
NO good, Jimmy" Tibbin moved
back to the window. THAT balloon
man thinks it's Spring Spring!
Hah, Funny
But good heavens. Tibby-"
Been thinking maybe I'd kill my
self"
"Oh, come, old mani