The Washington times., 1924-01-29
CHAPTER xXXvII.
TnVYr,cJ CVRyAV

WAAAN0O O1CIIGU lace AAOV9u uDT
strangely. She said. with a little
odd pathos, Jimmy, darling,
would you like to see me come
trailing my wings in the dust
just so you could brush them
off?"
Lord forbid, Chickie" he
grinned. But II brush you ever
need, I'll bet I know who'd give
a lot to find 1t for YOU" He
kept laughing. Imagine you
loving a fellow, Chickie. Say
wei, hope he knows how lucky
he u.s."
She felt sorry for Jimmy-dear
Jimmy, that she'd loved all her
life. She thought of him with a
touching beauty, her eyes misted;
but as figure in the distance
the tall boy, with muscles Of
iron, digging the cave for them
in the vacant lot: the mighty one,
who set Off double.headed dutch
men on the Fourth Of July and
laughed because they clapped
their hands over their ears,
screaming.
She didn't think Of Jimmy who
sat next her now grinning, but a
mans heart pleading and suffer
ing in his eyes. The glory Of her
own love wrapped about her like
q luminous, soft haze, setting her
apart as one on q mountain top.
Jimmy was allowed to pass as
Jake passed. With q dreamy sad.
ness. sweet as remembered music,
aha NHyofHhnA fhAVva Cha NRyfchaA
to be alone-young priestess in
the temple. She wanted to clear
her life Of all other interests.
Sometimes she imagined Barry
and herself standing above the
world--tust they, no breath, no
thought, no light except one
through the other-moving so in
radiance through eternity.
She. told this to- him shyly. He
laughed. kiss me, you sweet,
poetic thing. But don't let's fly
to the clouds for a year or so.
We've not seen the earth yet"
"A year or 90. Barry7 Why, I
thought 1t was to be at least flv0
or six before we could even think
Of it,"
He colored, drawing a deep,
startled breath: "Well-you grow
literal indeed! I thought that
perhaps on your lighted noun
taintop all things would be given
us. We wouldn't need to eat or
earn or succeed. AS 1t is-only
your dungeon that you don't like
a bit-yawns."
She said vaguely, trembling: ~
wonder If it is so terrible, after
ALL"
He threw her a sharp, dubious
glance and whistled. He was
silent for a long while.
This five or six year wait was
in the back of Chickie's mind.
disturbing, like a small burr that
sticks recurrently into the skin,
managing, however, to elude de-
lection. She caught herself paus-
ing while she dressed, stopping
abruptly in the middle of the
street: or falling into deep medi-
tation in the midst of her tipping.
She saw the five or six years
stretching out in dreary in
dafiniteness she felt chill
finger pressing down on her
heart.
It was borne in on her fiercely,
with a little fainting terror one
night when Barry came to take
her for a ride. He had been
working hard. Things hadn't gone
right. He was tired. They sat In
the car at the beach. He smoked,
looking straight before him at
the water.
A white moon rode coldly in
leaden sky. A small, delicate
cloud fluttered out suddenly, cast
ing this way and that, frightened
like a child that is lost. She
wanted Barry's arm about her.
She wanted him to be looking
Town at her. Her eyes stole
bout his face, growing warm
because he looked so strong and
beautiful to her. She wondered
why he didn't speak; why he
didn't kiss her. With an impet-
uous yearning she moved her
hand along his arm, twined her
fingers under his.
"Oh-hello, dear" he said, pull
ing her to him.
1t was pain that she took with
a sharp, arching Joy. She laughed.
feeling her eyes wet. "Hey, there,
Redhead! love you too much"
She knew what Mary meant
when she said: when you love,
vou suffer--you want to suffer"
Half teasing now, she asked:
Does 1t make thee glad, Barry,
hen I sr1ile?"
1T do, indeed, ma'am."
And broken hearted when I'm
'oomy?"
"Ah--see the whole aorta going
IN smashr'
Cha syailod- Sha thought Wiat.