The Washington times., 1926-02-04
By ELENoRE MEHERIN
1Anthnrsnf aChickie,,l
CHATTER II 1Continuedl

Mrs. Mcneil dearly loved her
youngest daughter. She had no
mean motives in urging Sandy to
accept "that pleasant Mr.. Muril-
To-" She really believed that
wealth insured happiness. San
dy,s beauty would have q worthy
setting-she would be saved the
ache of incessant deprivation
Nothing wear sdown JOY more
quickly. Isabel Mcneil knew il
well. She rejoiced that Sandy
would escape. It didn't occur Ia
the mother that an empty heart
might prove graver tragedy thar
an empty purse.
Not . Cold Woman
Not that she was a cold woman
but she belonged to j generation
that taught its girls to look on
the Joys of the flesh as SINFUL.
In her giTilhood one didn't anticf-
pate ecstasy in marriage Al bride
nobly SURRENDERED the sacrifice
being justified only because OF
the children.
If Sandyss mother had ever
known rapture, she had long
since forgotten about It. Her
married life was settled into q
routine thing of commonplaee,
placid habit like the morning and
evening kiss OF her husband. So
she was a little impatient with
all this fussing about love. She
wasn't the one to understand the
yisionings OF girl Just nineteen
She now looked III Sandy With
urieyed hurt sIie4c that Sandy
pretended not to see.
Sandy Was seen
make yourself to home.
Isabel, she said airily.
Mrs. Mcneil closed her eyes
severely. Your sister. Madelines
saw you. She saw you walking
In the hills with Timmy!"
"Oh, that's all right with me
let the girl see the beauties OF
life?,
"I'm not fooling, Sandy. This
Is no. way for you to act. Now
that you're engaged we must ex-
pect dignity from you. You're no
longer a child. What do you sup
pose Mr.. MurilIo or his sister
would think IL THEY saw YOU"
"I'H tell you. mother, I'm not
Just sure that I'm going to marry
Zen. I'm a little at sea on the
proposition. On the level. Isabella,
lust what is the inside dope on
marriage? What do you know
about it,"
Mrs. Mcneil gasped. Il shouldn't
think you'd make fun of your
mother, Sandy"
Not making fun. ole dear.
I'm seeking information. Before
Won were married, did you love
INV father SO much that you al
most tainted when he looked in
your eyes or touched your hand?
I'm my day girls didn't have
such thoughts
"I'm- not asking about thoughts
I've plenty of them. I'm ask
ing about the feelings. You
can't kid me there-anatomy
hasn't changed any In the last
30 years"
Mrs. Mcneil ScornfuI
Mrs. Mcneil took refuge in
that old defense: How can you
be 30 irreverent. Such things
are too sacred to talk about"'
"Oh save your bushes. Isabel
La! / see you don't know darn
bit more about 1t than ] do.
That's all 80 years of marriage
did for you"'
People thought Sandy sophisti-
Gated. She had even been called
"Hard boiled" Her mother was
afraid of her, cherishing a secret
dread that Sandy might go too
far" Sandy was continually
shocking them with her brazcn
audacities.
But for all her daring sponta-
neity, her large chatter. she was
extremely young in her thoughts
young and unawakened.
Her knowledge was of the tongue:
not Of the mind or heart. She
had a great deal of information
scattered loosely in her brain. II
hadn't been absorbed and made
mart of her consciousness through
experience. She wasn't half as
dangerous as her family judged
her.
One evening after her unsuc-
cessful argument with her mother
she passed the living room door.
She heard her uncle Bob Mcneil
speak angrily: "a marriage that
will make her life meaningless"
He walked over to the mantel.
knocked his pipe against the
hearth. What a rotten sport
you are, Angus, to deliberately
shut your own child out from
the joys of life: 1T amounts to
death for girl like Sandy"
Sandy's Father Speaks
A suave grunt. Sandy's father
fiddled with his watchfob, his
eyes twinkling. Women don.
look at II that way. They die nj
heart failure or pneumonia or
dropsy. I've yet to know of >
woman who died of marriage"
Sandy's ears tingled. She was
conscious of a beating choke in
her throat. She loved Bob Nc
Neii-a dashing fellow, not yet
80. What did he mean by thai
tContinued On Page 81. Column