Evening star., 1926-11-03
CHAPTER III.
John Changes His Mind.

OF course, on the night JOhn maze
up his mind to tell Helena, she was
unusually sweet or seemed so. he
thought he had nerved himself up 10
the point of blurting the whole thlng
out and asking her forgiveness, but
when he reached her house in the
suburbs where she lived, with her
mother and two younger sisters, ne
found her in an unusually gay and
adora BILE mood.
She looked very pretty, too, In a
canary colored sweater and pleated
sport skirt and she ran out OF the
house to meet him in more enthusl-
astic manner than she usually eX-
hibited.
Natalie and Doris, Helenas sisters.
were playing croquet on the SIDE
lawn. They waved to him gayly.
There was a pleasant air of domes-
ticity about everything. The warm,
scented kitchen was SO big ana
roomy. So different from the kitch-
ems In apartment houses. John al
most wished that he and Helena were
planning to live in the suburbs. 1t
had been her wish that they take
an apartment in town and he had
been quite willing. But houses in
the suburbs were rather nice and
this one particularly.
Mrs. Ford was really a darling.
| Not bit like the traditional mother
| in law.
"Fricasseed chicken" she said with
smile as she kissed him. and
Helena is fixing candied sweet pota-
| toes"
1t was plea SAINT to lie in the porch
! swing. There were gay awnings
with green -and white stripes, and in
| the distance poplar trees swayed in
the breeze. The house across the
road had a rose arbor, crimson ram
blers. The smell of them drifted
across to him. 1t would be nice
| to come down here after he and Hell
ena were married. just to get an oc-
casional glimpse of the country. He
girls. And what would they think
| of him If he told Helena he didn't
want to marry her?
Helena appeared in. the doorway
with a small tray. On it were two
thin.stemmed glasses, and as she
came toward him he rose to his feet.
AS they slipped their drinks he
looked at her critically. After all.
she really was sweet. He could
| imagine a worse lot than to be mar
ried to her. Why not let things go
on as they were? Perhaps he would
| fall in love with her all over again
once they were married. And how
could he be brute enough to tell
her that he was no longer in love
with her? He simply couldn't do 1t,
| that was all.
Dinner was very gay. Natalie and
| Doris pra tiled of high school doings
/ and 1t always amused him to hear
| their comments on life. Mrs. Ford
was eager to see that his plate was
kept replenished. and the candied
sweet potatoes were delicious.
When the coffee was served he was
in very good humor. and later when
| he and Helena sat in the porch
swing he put his arm about her and
drew her head to his shoulder. He
| did not face the fact openly. but
actually he had put all thought of
| telling her out of his mind. He was
| in a mood. that was all. II he and
Helena had married when they had
first became engaged he wouldn't
be feeling this way.
At 10:30 Helena got the flivver out
Of the garage and the two of them
climbed into it. They always allowed
a little time to reach the station SO
that there would be no need for
hurry. and 1t was very pleasant to
drive along through the sweet.
scented countrywide. When Helena
stopped the car in little nook near