Evening star., 1924-09-14
T 0CT Lovers Three Years Ago,
AOO l They Become Strangers

brows, a dogged set to the corners Of
his nervously handsome mouth.
When Mimi brought in a dish and
set 1t down on the table before him,
he shifted the evening paper, in which
he was already deeply absorbed,
glanced down. and observed with
weary resignation
Stew again."
"Oh. but this is a good one, Kirk"
said Mimi coaxingly.
| He assured her from behind his
newspaper, II know-they all are"
Mimi set her teeth to keep back
the barbed reply with which habit
supplied her. She said. almost plead
ingly. I've got potatoes-and a
salad-'
'".Tinned pears or pineapple?" in
quired Kirk, with unpleasant acute
ness.
Mimi brought the rest OF her Of
fering in silence. In silence she
swallowed tasteless morsels. facing
for the most part inky and violent
rendering Of the evening news.
manipulated with the ease Of long
practice by Kinks brown left hand
while he handled a fork with his
right.
Anything in the paper" asked
Mimi at length.
about as much S usual.
Have a hard day at the off1ce?'
why this unexpected interest in
the Office" Kirk answered coolly. Il
think YOU told me only yesterday you
never wanted to hear the word again" "
oh Kirk said Mimi unhapp:l-.
But it was true. She had told him
just that. He had been late getting
off in the morning. His breakfast
hadn't been ready on time. He had
complained that he was always the
last man to get down to work, and
she had told him that she was sick of
hearing how late he was: that he
stayed there long enough after hours
to make up for it, and that she never
wanted to hear the word "office"
again. All of which didn't quite make
for extended and amiable discussion
of Office affairs just now.
Kirk added Unexpectedly: Hard
enough. l suppose you put In a
nerve-racking afternoon at a movie"
1t was the sort of thing they Gus
tomarily indulged in, the kind of
half-sparring, half-nagging that had
come to be second nature with them.
Mimi felt despair rise in her soul like
a black wave. Were they really SO
far out Of each others reach that this
was all their means of communica-
ton?
x x y
Cutting with both elbows on the
~ table, chin in hands. eyes fixed on
the neglected sweetness of her tea
roses, Mimi fell to dreaming OF the
room in which Mac and the gray girl
would be eating their first dinner
alone.
A big room. most likely, and most
likely overlooking the drive. with a
view of the river. dark and misty,
jeweled with lights. There would be
window seat piled with cushions.
where the two of them would sit
after dinner, his arm about her
shoulders. looking down upon a
vainly drifting world, and he would
say:
1T makes everything worth while
having you to work for"
And she would answer, I'm so
proud Of you! You'll never know.
want to tell every one / meet on the
street what wonderful person you
are
Whereupon he would whisper close
to her ear, Shall We ever get used to
it, wonder-being here like this:"
And she would murmur. just be-
meath his chin, You may; ] shan't.
No. no, well neither of us ever get
used to 1t. will we?"
Was that what Mac and the gray
girl would be saying? Or wasn't 1t
something that Mimi and Kirk had
said once, ever SO long ago-t}rree
! years ago.
Kirk was speaking now. the irrita-
| tion in his voice a trifle deepened.
NO coffee tonight?'
"Ill get it," said Mimi quickly. And
cleared away the dishes and brought
| the two little cups with unsteady
| haste.
NO sugar in the housec" asked
| Kirk at this point, with strained
| politeness.
She fetched the sugar.
Kirk" she offered, with con-
ciliating hand on his shoulder as she
| passed him, Kirk, wasn't the stew
| rather good tonight"
Good enough" said Kirk briefly.
| 1t took all Mimi had Of control not
| to tell him in that thwarted, af-