Evening star., 1927-10-18

n KR. AND MRS. CHRISTO-
HH PIER VINCENT went driv-
Vk ing every afternoon promptly
i at 3 o'clock. Rain or shine,
Molly and Nancy, the two
hne bay mares, were hitched to the
shining turnout and brought to the
front Of the gray stone house. There
the houseman waited patiently until
with great dignity Mrs. Christopher
Vincent, followed by her fine-looking
husband, moved down the walk.
For 40 years now the procedure
had been precisely the same every day
at 3 o'clock. At 5 minutes after 3
one could depend upon seeing them
turn into Crescent boulevard. Indeed,
for the last 10 years the clock on the
corner had been set by the traffic off,
Ger by the coming of the Christopher
Vincents. His white head held very
high. Christopher Vincent in his beau.
tifully tailored clothes, cut still in the
fashion of 80 or 40 years back. drove
the bay mares. Besides him, her stiff
black silk dress arranged with delight.
full exactness, sat his wife, with her
white hair tucked neatly under the
bonnet with pansies. A touch of Old
World beauty in the boulevard life of
an up-and-coming city-that was the
Christopher VincentS.
Until-on this beautiful Friday aft.
ernoon they turned the horses heads
toward Crescent boulevard as usual
The traffic officer was quite evidently
awaiting their coming, for his face
got very red and his white-gloved fin.
ger was running itself around inside
his tight collar.
Afternoon, Riley" said Mr.. Vim
cent pompously-for all the world ex.
actly as he had said 1t every after.
noon at 3:05 for the last 40 years.
But officer Riley's face had not the
ways had. Instead, he held up one
hand and cleared his throat. "I'm
sorry, sir" he said slowly, "but you
can't drive on Crescent any more, sir.
It's closed to, horse traffic, sir. Horses
are too SLOW"
Mr.. Christopher Vincent stared
down at him. Horses too slow?" he
repeated.
"Just motor traffic from now on,
SIR" said Riley doggedly. I'm sorry,
sir. But rules are rules, you know.
It's city rule now"
Wen drive on Jefferson boulevard,
my DEAR" said Mrs. Vincent com.
posedly.
"No ma am, that's what I'm trying
to tell you. It's rule--only motor
vehicles on the boulevards. ma am"
And so the Christopher Vincents re.
turned home a full hour and twenty
minutes early that Friday. To people
of wealth and dignity what possible
Joy could there be in driving any.
where but the boulevards? There was
usually but little talk in the house of
the two Vincents. Tonight there was
none.
Saturday morning when Mr.. Vim.
cent departed for his early morning
constitutional as he had for the past
40 years he would have been sur.
prised to see his wife leaving the
house some 10 minutes later. She
went in the opposite direction toward
the huge apartment hotel with its
arcade of select shops and turned in
without hesitation at one with the
sign Beauty Shoppe."
When she came out she carried the
queer, old-fashioned bonnet in her
hand and her hair was dressed and
waved in a style that was right up to
the minute or even a second or two
ahead of time. Her eyebrows had
been twitched into a very straight line
and darkened just the least little bit.
With head high she turned into the
shop next door and came out a little
later with a straightline frock Of soft
black silk and a wide.brimmed hat
that softened the fine wrinkles on her
face.
Then she went home to face her
husband.
It had been one Of the most humil.
iating experiences of her lfe-the
afternoon before that she had been too
old-fashioned, too slow, too out-of-date
to appear on the boulevards. With