Evening star., 1926-12-26
THE BUTTON

| a kiss in Central Park. And then he
proposed to her, while she was still
shaken by that kiss. She had kissed
boys before, but those kisses had
meant nothing. This one melted her,
it seemed, as a rock is melted, but
still she was only astonished at this
sudden weakness, until he asked her
| to marry him. She was dismayed, for
that question interpreted her emotions
to her, and some newly awakened
| wish in her mind wanted to reply,
| Yes" She shut her lips against that
word. "Oh, ] don't know" she said
| tormentedly. wait, dear-don't ask
me now Then, with that respite
gained. there seemed to be no reason
why she should not let him kiss her
| again.
Afterward she remembered saying
she loved him. But now. safely away
from him. she desperately hoped not
| She evaded him for week. And dur
| ing that week she thought of nothing.
day and night. except him-his big
ness and helpleSsneSs and his black
hair and his arms around her, and his
| kisses on her mouth. Nothing else
seemed to matter.
Within months they were married
= i ~
&I1II Ildd dIN ~lIhSu ISE
- Barbara Locke. In ina gination
she had seen it featured on the covers
of magazines. She had intended to
make that name famous. But now
without a demur, she became Mrs.
Riggs. She felt secretly proud of
being Mrs. Riggs And that was odd
because the name Riggs meant moth
! ing-yet. Of course, he wouldn't be
doing this kind of work for long; it
was just an opening for him. Mean
while, she went on working. They
needed the monew she earned, even if
it was only little, and she enjoyed
being really his helpmate. But when
he was called to New Jersey, of course
she had to go along, and she left the
magazine.
He had worked up rapidly. and in
little more than three years he was
given the position of assistant man
ager of the New Jersey branch. 1t
was a wonderful opportunity. and she
was very happy about it, They lived
now in a pretty New Jersey suburb
and had car. Every morning she
drove him down to the station to catch
his train, and every evening she went
down to the station to drive him home
Another year passed.
A ND then one morning when Henry
"A had just put on a shirt. he took
it off again and threw it violently on
the floor.
What's the matter, dear?" she
asked anxiously. THAT shirt just
came from the laundry yesterday
put it in your bureau drawer myself"
THE thing has a button off the
front" he said fretfully. Il don't see
why I can't have my buttons sewed
on! 1t isn't as though you had any
thing else to do"
Barbara sat still, looking at the pat,
tern on the wallpaper She did not
answer Henry's contrite good by"
She sat there until she heard the front
gate click; and then she rose and went
into her own room. From closet she
rummaged out an old suit case with
the initials "B. l.. on it, and from the
garret her portable typewriter, long
disused. Then she began packing her
clothes, choosing carefully. When
she had finished, and dressed in an old
tailored suit. she took her suit case in
one hand and her portable typewriter
in other and went out.
I'm through she said to herself.
and caught the car for the station,
where she bought a ticket for New
York.
She went to her old hotel, registered
as Barbara Locke and went out to
look for a, furnished room in Green.
wich Village.
She had looked at and decided
against several places to live. when
she turned a corner and found herself
a few steps from the house where she
had lived nearly five years ago. There
was room Torrent" sign out and
she smiled, wondering if her old room
were empty. She rang. and, young
woman answered the bell. us Mrs.
Casey here?" Barbara asked. 1t WUuld
be good to see her old landlady again.
Mrs. Casey's out" said the girl.
But I'm her daughter"
Mrs. Casey, Barbara knew, had
daughter; but this was the first time
Barbara had ever seen her. She had
heard Mrs. Casey tell more than once
of Sarah Ellen and her troubles with
| her husband Jim. So this was Sarah
Ellen! She had seemed, five years ago,
| in Barbara s mind, to constitute
| good argument against marriage-an
| argument, however. which Barbara
| had forgotten all about, just at the
time when it might have done some
good to remember it.
I'm Barbara Locke" she said,
uttering the name as proudly as in the
days when she had intended to make
it famous; land / used to have the
back room on the second floor Is it
by any chance for rent?'
Yes" said the girl, 1T is that. Do
you want it AGAIN."