Evening star., 1925-06-07
comes out?" Gregory inquired. polite

comes out?" Gregory inquired. polite
ly.
Dorcas glared at him, and made an
effort to restrain her temper. Those
things you were saying about
women" she faltered. Il don't blame
you for hating most of the women we
know. I'm-I'm sort of ashamed of
being a woman myself, now that I'm
beginning to realize how-womanized
our men are. And
THAT squaw was very far back in
your ancestry, you know" he remind
ed her. How many greats is it?"
Dorcas gritted her teeth. Gosh.
you're unpleasant she said They
walked in silence for a moment, and
Gregory's stern face gave no signs of
inner softening. When are you going
away"
I'm two weeks"
She looked up at him, a quick. side
long glance which he avoided. You're
glad to go,'
She probably would not see him
again before he went. but even so
| there was no sense in quarreling with
him. He seemed to want TO quarrel.
IF you marry some South American
squaw. do bring her to call on mer'
she invited, politely. TN take her
shopping"
I'm not especially contemplating
| matrimony," he said. Though If I
were. I'm afraid a squaw is about the
only sort of woman who'd put up with
| the life I'm going to be leading for the
| next twelve monthsr'
Il suppose you'll find all sorts Of
| nice gruesone cases to be taken care
| of down there.' said Dorcas, bitterly
II hope So He lifted his hat, and
( ynl Nlxa- L., L.
| planned Good afternoon.
Dorcas strode angrily down the
street to the hotel where she was
meeting her mother for tea.
Cfvflity was out of the question,
civility to her mother who prattled
exasperatingly about dressmakers and
| florists and caterers and guests for the
party which was to take place in three
days. Coming out, Coming out
where?
''Dorcas, l never saw any girl so
| uninterested in her own debut Mrs.
Ryder said, impatiently.
| y X
TT was the day of her coming-o out
party, and her mothers excitement
and emotionalism seemed almost in
decent to Dorcas. All this squabbling
this frantic telephoning, this scheming
and plotting, to introduce her to peo-
| pie whom she already knew, to state
| to the world that she was of an age
| for wooing and marriage.
| AS she watched, aloofiy, the prepara-
! tions. shame settled more and more
| heavily over her How Gregory March
| must be laughing at the whole affair,
Gregory, who thought she liked il all,
| who thought she wasn't worth any
| thing better, anything more real,
Dorcas seized her hat and coat and.
| with breathless, furtive haste rushed
| down the stairs as one might rush
| from burning building. She went to
the garage and got her car; aimlessly
| she turned into the Fenway.
| She was nervous, too. for she found
| her hands were trembling. To have to
! return to that house, to be dressed In
| the frock which hung glimmeringly on
| a scented hanger in the guestroom
| closet, to be arrayed for the world s
| inspection, the worlds open knowledge
| of her availability! She felt a fierce
! sympathy with Gregory's desire for
| dirty people with horrible ailments;
she wanted to plunge herself into
reality. into a world where people
were alive.
| Gregory She wondered what
| those people were like with whom he
worked, Rosa and those others of the
| North End. Rosa had had no coming
| out party; she selected her man
| with Jail record and an unholy thirst
for liquor-and married him. 1t was
! all so simple. The North End. She
| hadn't been there since she was lit
! tie girl. The old North Church, where
Paul Revere watched the lanterns;
| and somewhere, in that country where
| he had galloped to give the warning,
| the old Indian Dorcas had walked her
sons and grandsons and girded them
\ IL
| Copps Hill burying ground :.
| Dorcas turned the car about and
headed it into the city. She wanted,
1 suddenly, to see for herself.
| The streets, narrow and dark, We're
| cluttered equally with rubbish and
with children. Dorcas drove slowly
| looking up at the windows of the tene
ments and trying to visualize what
sort of life went on in those rooms
| where these dirty, shrieking children
| were born and grew up and married,
| to bear, in turn, others like them
selves. Dirty, squaltd yet some
how she could not feel it more sordid
than what she had left behind her, on
Bay State road.
| She turned a corner sharply, honk-
! ing her horn to clear the street of
boys playing marbles and girls playing
| hopscotch, and there, half block
ahead of her, Gregory's car was drawn
up before three-story brick house.
She felt as though she were watch
| ing a moving picture of Gregory
| March; beneath her the car crept.
| spaillike, toward the scene. He was
mounting the stone steps, his back
| toward her; like a motion picture. she
heard no words, but she saw an old
woman. huddled in a woolen shawl,
call to him from the street below,
saw Gregory's face, smiling. friendly,
turned over his shoulder. One didn't
need words, after all; the old woman
was talking excitedly, gesturing; it was
as though she were warning Gregory!