The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1927-06-07
Alice and Her
Birthday
By DOROTHY DOUGLAS

IA HEN tue HIst bduH a. IL
w the Oliver household, Fred
onslow found himself a godfather
and Sylvia in the unique position
of god.mother. Fred had known
Sylvia since the day she was
leggy child with stubby pigtails
tied with flaming scarlet bows.
Sylvia was eighteen now ana
Fred twenty-three.
ITS such d pity you two don't
fall in love with each other" the
divers said frankly.
Sylvia and Fred laughed good
naturally.
Il am going to see the world,
Fred informed them.
.And 1 want career" stated
Sylvia. "And besides, Fred and l
know each other far too well to
fall in love-"
You're right" agreed the I'M
fiattering Fred, land now, by way
of changing the subject, | want to
tell you that on each birthday my
god-ehild has she is going TO re-
ceive an opal. Thus when she's
ten there will be ten stones and by
the time she is twenty she can have
a nice set of jewelry made"
"And l." promised Sylvia, will
give my god-child a diamond-not
big one just tiny one and they
can be used with the opals when
she is twenty"
.eYou're both too good" ex.
claimed Mr.. Oliver. But it's a
sweet idea"
So after the christening cere-
mony Sylvia and Fred went their
separate ways. Fred, in the course
of year or two found himself in
Australia and each year an opal.
growing with the years, in beauty
and size was added to baby Oil
ver's collection. Fred was evidently
making his way successfully
through the world.
Sylvia went in for writing poetry
and made very, very slow prog
ress. She became engaged to
waster who, when they married.
brought her nothing but unhappi-
ness. She continued to send the
god-child a diamond but each year
the stone became smaller.
The divers watched the affair
with keen interest still wishing
with all their hearts that their two
dearest of friends had married
early.
When baby was eight years old,
a finer diamond than the previous
one arrived. The divers did not
know, however, since Sylvia lived
halfway across the continent from
them, that it was one of the stones
from Sylvia's engagement ring.
There were FIVE.
"They will tide me over another
four years." Sylvia told herself
cheerfully. Her husband had gone
through every penny of her money
but Sylvia was keeping up brave
front. Her discipline through mar
rage was harder than the divers
suspected.
Often Sylvia heard of Fred and
always she was told of the opal
that arrived at the same time as
the diamond. Baby was getting a
most lovely collection of her birth
stones.
when she is fifteen" wrote Mrs
Oliver, Il do so wish you could
come on for a visit and we will
talk Of having some of the stones
set. l should love your advice"
Sylvia sighed as she read the let
ter and looked down at her shabby
clothes. Her poetry was selling a
bit but not so well as it might.
Anyway, 1t helped a little. She re-
allied that she could do far better
by herself and longed for the free
dom of before-msrriage days. Nat
uraIly she fell to wondering how
marriage with Fred would have de-
veloped her. Certainly 1t could not
have been so hard a school as the
one she had gone through.
Another year passed and with 1t
went the second diamond from the
ring. Vita that year. too, went
Sylvia's husband. She wasn't sor-
ry and she turned a Drawer face to
a lonely world and wrote far bet
ter poetry.
aWe are wishing you could come
on this year" wrote Mrs. Oliver.
Alice will be fourteen and she
does so want some of her lovely
stones set into a pendant. I think
she could have one, don't you?
Il believe / can manage" wrote
back Sylvia.
The separation of ten years was
bridged instantly with the entwin-
ing arms Of real friendship. Sylvia
wept copiously on her friends
shoulder. and when she raised her
head it seemed as II the whole fif-
teen years had fallen from their
lives. The day of the christening
ceremony seemed but yesterday.
They were chatting like magpies
when great changing Of the bell
startled them. A second later Fred
Onsiaw. big and bronzed, was an