Evening star., 1925-11-08

w SAT up d Willie dll6I
had gone that night. We had been
staying at Wills house or mine until
we got our furniture, so this was our
first night in our new home. We sat
talking about how nice it had been
of people to give US the party, and
then we got to talking about Mr.. and
Mrs. Long. who had been the last to
go and who had got into a quarrel
right in front Of us.
We joked about her saying, I'm
not asking you to be Intelligent. Joe.
l know that's too much to expect.
Ard his. well, I'll admit there was
one time in my life when l wasn't in
telligent-when / got married"
Suddenly Will said, II wonder if
they ever liked each other the way
you and I do
''Oh, Will" / laughed. The idea of
the Longs ever having been in love
seemed so ridiculous.
''I'll bet they did once" Will insisted.
Most people do when they get mar
ried''
Then how did they ever get this
way" / demanded Can you i'm
imagine our saying the kind of things
they do to each other"
"No-thank Godr' said VIII. 'And
it isn't only the things they say
haven't you ever noticed the way they
look at each other? AS though-as
though they hated each other?'
Will looked at his watch and it was
after / o'clock. Lets wind up the
clock" he said. SO he wound it, with
his arm around me. and / set 1t. 1t
was very still in the house, and the
sudden sound of the little tick tick
was queer. kind of like a home com
ing TO life, Just beginning to breathe.
l thought of Mrs. Westerly and her
saying that she hoped it would keep
time for us long after she was gone.
and suddenly don't know why-I
thought of VIII dying. OF coming
into that room and seeing our big
chair by the table, our polychrome
candlesticks on the mantel, hearing
just as it was tonight. Would l ever
have to listen to the little tick-tick-
tick without WINS arm around me,
knowing that 1 should never feel his
arm around me again?
"Oh. WIFI / pressed my face into
his rough shoulder, and he held me
tighter as though he were thinking
the same thing. that our little clock
might still be ticking some day when
we wouldn't have each other.
I'm always try to be a good hus-
denly in a husky voice.
l hung onto his hand tighter. "I'll
always try to be a good wife to you,
Will"
1t was strange and solemn, it seemed
much more of a pledge than the one
we had made when we were married.
1t was like scary prayer. standing
there alone in our new home with the
little clock ticking in the stiffness.
x X X Il
THE next morning everything seem
ed commonplace and natural
enough. l looked at the little clock
to see if / had time to make mullins
for breakfast. and VIII started off
to the Office by it. That very night
he came home all excited. And no
wonder, We were going to have a car,
OF course, 1t was just a flivver.
Father Horton had at last decided
to get bigger car, and he gave Will
his old one and told him that if he
wanted to trade it in. and get a
brand-new f1ivver sedan, he would pay
the difference and give it to us for
a wedding present. If we wanted to
We did a one-step all over the living.
room and sang so loud that Dulcie
came out on her back porch and call,
ed over to know what the riot was
about. We talked about 1t through
supper.
And I'll teach you to run it," said
Will.
"Oh, of course" I said.
Just like that. We were both per.
fectly casual about it. Through the
arch into the living-room we could
hear the little wedding clock ticking
away, and 1t sounded casual, too
There was nothing in the world to
indicate that at that very moment
our marriage was approaching crisis
that would make me feel acquainted
with all the unhappily married women
in the world.
Three weeks later the car arrived
looking all bright and shiny. and as
nifty as a million dollars. We had
supper early and left the dishes. sc
that VIII could show me how to drive
before it got dark. He steered out
onto the pike, me sitting on the little
seat in front by him. BY good for
tune. We passed Mrs. Curtis. It's
seldom that you do pass just the
right person when you want to, wheI
you've got on your new suit or you're
in a taxi, or something to your credit
VIII began explaining about the
engine to me, but I was bowling anG
SmllnS 10 people on the sidewalk, anC
didn't pay much attention. 1t didn't
make any difference, anyway. I was
out to learn to drive that car, not tC
hear VIII lecture about it's insides
"You can't drive a car intelligently,
he said, suddenly noticing that
wasn't very attentive, unless yoy
understand the mechanism. I've
bought a little book for you to read
called How to Operate a Motor Car.
It's very simple"
THAT book that saw on the liv
ing-room table" I gasped. "You
didn't get that for me to read! Why
, 1t looked like our old textbook ir
physics. All diagrams about can
shafts and f1oatfeed carburetors-why
I couldn't understand that stuff If
read it from now to doomsday."
''Oh, yes, you could" said VIII en-
courag:ngly. Its easy"
Well, I'm not going to-" I saiG
| firmly. You can't tell me that al
these notwithstanding people yol
see driving cars know all about can
shafts and pistons and things
There are too many halfwits driv
ing cars" said VIII; but you dom
- IT,