The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-05-15
Chapter XII
Is.

front room as living room, the alcove
as bedroom. Heaand Selma had fur
nished 1t together, -discarding all of
the rooms original belongings except
the bed. table, and one fat comfort
able faded old armchair whose bro
cade surface limited past grandeur.
When he had got his books ranged in
open shelves along one wall, soft-shad-
ed lamps on table and desk, the place
looked more than liyable; lived in.
During the process of furnishing Sc
lima got into the way Of coming into
town for day or two to prowl the
auction rooms and the secondhand
stores. She had a genius for this sort
of thing; hated the spick-and-span var
nish and veneer of the new furniture
to be got in the regular way.
She enjoyed these rare trips into
town; made holiday Of them. Dirk
would take her to the theater and she
would sit entranced. Strangely enough.
considering the lack Of what the world
calls romance and adventure in her
life, she did not like the motion pic
lures. "All the difference in the world"
she would say, between the movies
and the thrill get out of play at
the theater. My, yes! Like foollng
with paper dolls when you could be
playing with a. real live baby"
The. day was marvelOusly mild for
March in Chicago. Spring. usually so
coy In this region, had flung herself at
them head first. AS the massive re-
volvlng door Of Dirk's Office building
famed him into the street he saw
Paula in her long low sporting road
ster at the curb. She was dressed In
black. All feminine fashionable and
middle-class Chicago was dressed In
black. All feminine fashionable and
middle-class America was dressed in
black. Two years of war had robbed
Paris of its husbands, brothers, sons.
All Paris walked in black. America,
untouched, gayly borrowed the smart
labiliments of mourning and now
Michigan boulevard and Fifth avenue
walked demurely in the gloom of crepe
and chiffon; black hats, black gloves,
black slippers. Only black was good"
this year.
Paula smiled up at him. patted the
leather seat beside her with one hand
that was absurdly thick-fingered in its
fur-lined glove.
tits cold driving. Button up tight.
Where'll we stop for your bag?"
L s,1ko hn hnr
Her manipulation of the wheel was
witchcraft. The roadster slid in and
out of traffic like fluid thing, an
enamel stream, silent as swift cur
rent in river. When his house was
reached, I'm coming up" she said.
81 suppose you haven't any tea?'
.Gnsh, no! What do you think !
am! A young man in an English
novel;"
Now, don't be. provincial and Chi
cagoish. Dirk" They climbed the
three flights of stairs. She looked
about. Her glance was not dlsapprov-
ing. This isn't so bad. Who did it?
She did. Very nice. But of course
you ought to have your own smart
little apartment, with Jap to do you
i up. To do that for you, for example"
Eyes, grimiy. He was packing his
bag-not throwing clothes into it, but
folding them deftly, neatly, as the son
of wise mother packs. my sal
ary'd just about keep him in white
linen house-coats."
I'm going to send you some things
for your room, Dirk"
..For Gods sake don't!"
"Why not?"
1.-TWO kinds Of women in the world.
learned that at college. Those who
send men things for their rooms and
those that don't"
You're very rude"
"You asked me- There! I'm all
set" He snapped the lock of his bag.
I'm sorry I can't give you anything.
haven't a thing. Not even a glass of
wine and a-what Is it they say in
bookshelf, yeh-a biscuit"
In the roadster again Paula main
tanned fierce and steady speed for
the remainder of the drive.
1--WE call the place Stormwood.'
Paula told him. "And nobody outside
the dear family knows how fitting that
Is. Don't ,scowl. I'm not going to tell
. you my marital woes. And don't you
say asked for it. y. How's the
Job?"
Rotten"
'.You don't like It? The work?"
81 like it well enough, only-well.
you see we leave the university archi-
tectural course thinking we're all 60
ing to be Stanford Whites or Cass Gill
berts, tossing off a Woolworth build
ing and making ourselves famous over
night. I've spent all yesterday and to-
day planning drygoods box that's
going up on the corner of Milwaukee
avenue and Ashland. west"
-"And ten years from now?"
Ten years from now maybe they'll
let me do the plans for the drygoods
box all alone"
"Why don't you drop it?"
No xvoc ctortlad 0Drop ift Hnxv