Evening star., 1926-12-17


WTNT Had laid it with her own nanos
IL and arranged every detail
III even to tinting the place caruS.
III Ibid look wonderfully nice ana the
IfEal itself was sure to be a success. ~
Al that moment her mother was IN
the kitchen attending TO the sfnotnSl
ed chicken, while Mrs. IloneltS: tne
Emersons' hy-the-day, VINO was 70 ne
trNhsted with serving. talked louuiS
ahnut her husbands infected toe.
HaE'Rose Clifford here-her husband
bAke-the Pease girls there-George
Rhs.her there-mother, myself ana
OIgver." mused Eve. The room holds
eight beautifully.
The doorbell rang. ~~nounci''S ,ne
first guest Eve ran to warn heI
mother and then opened the door
herself. The Giffords entered aueh-
ing and cordial as always.
7.TJo,y nice YOU look, dear" Rose
commented. Il love that shade Of
brown for you.
Eve smiled. She had felt as she
stood before her mirror that she hau
never looked better. Oliver would
simply eat her up with his eyes. The
prospect amused her.
The Pease girls came immediately
and then George Barber lounged m
smiling. cynical utterly at ease. but
where was Oliver2 Eve caught her
brothers. questioning glance ana ta'k'
ed faster. 1t was too proNoNlhE'
Usually Oliver was always on mana 10
the instant 49,,
In the two years that Oliver had
heen devoted 10 Eve Emerson he had
never failed to be punctual to her
Measure Indeed she had grown to
accent him as a fact in her life. some
thing solid and unchanging, piece
of substantial furniture forever wait
ING \upon her need. She liked him,
hut she doubted If she could ever
marry him. She was too sure OF MN.
TN TO this point he had never aroused
in her the slightest bit of jealousy
or uncertainty or untrust. lie was
tust Oliver who was always there.
Moments passed. half an hour. Mrs.
Tibbetts was getting nervous. Twice
her form had appeared in the back
ground anXiously gesturing that
everything was getting overdone.
."I am afraid" Eve said with
smile that was intended to convey to
her guests that divers absence was
neither unusual nor of the slightest
importance, that oliver isn't coming.
So we will proceed to the table.
What can have happened? He is
always so punctual,'" Rose Clifford
6tl AolIiNC iAC iAH'3ih I't"hANN ~
oughtn't YOU to, Eve?"
Eve laughed.
"He may pop in any instant With
a full explanation" she said.
But oliver did not pop in. Nor
did he telephone. His absence was
accompanied by deadly silence, which,
with Ewes permission, George Barber
tried at last to break. He telephoned
to divers landlady, and the answer
l. hn1 1nff 1r1I.
riedly on the $50, taking a bag with
him.
"How odd not to leave a word of
excuse for you, dear" whispered the
older Miss Pease.
Eve didn't answer.
The evening was a failure. Miss
Scott, the obliging neXt-door neigh
Dor was hastily called in and pressed
into service to fill out the second
table. Eve was cranky"
After the guests We're gone and 4
Mrs. Tibbets was paid and the cat
put out and the lights downstairs
turned off she went to her room and
cried as she removed her new frock,
which, she realized now, she had put
on more for divers sake than any
body else's.
Lying there in the dark. with wet |
cheeks. she asked herself several |
DOlSi1dnl WHY Udu o1IN6T
gone? He never went anywhere; he |
owned but two devotions in life
one to his job and the other to her.
Where had he gone? Not back to
his old home town, for his mother
was gone and there was nothing
to call him thither Why had he
not called her up TO tell her that
he would not be at her dinner party?
Always hitherto she had found him
the most thoughtful and courteous of
men. Did it mean that he had sud
denly become angry-or Indifferent
or had found another love else
where? But why conjecture?
The next day and many days
passed and divers absence passed
into deathlike silence. Eve tried to
work, to play, to appear her natural
self But she was exceedingly un
happy. She could have called up