Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-01

Tommy Carter was not dead! She had
a surge of happiness at the thought
of his young gayety, a thrust OF clear
unselfish joy that the darkness and
GOODNESS Of the grave had not dimmee
that youth and gayety! Why, Tommy
was alive! Alivei Tommy could come
back TO his beloved Washington. IL
the smoky blue and furnished silver
OF his Washington, Come back anc
laugh and live, How glorious. He
would come back. Back---to her! And
AT that she went dizzy, sick Why. he
couldn't come back to her. She didn I
love him. She couldn't marry him
She wouldn't! And with this thought
came memory of her position! Tommy
/ would find her as the heroine of a
romantic story, And he would know
It was lie.
She stood up quickly Alive" shs
said. in a voice quick with trouble.
sit down. said Cecily, in hard
tone. II haven't finished with your
Judy sat down. dumbly, obediently
I've always wanted to be real. And
being real is caring enough for things
to fight to get them Cecily's tone
was low, but a sort of triumph rang
! through its velvet softness. I'm
! fighting for something / want. And
/ the only way / know how TO fight Il
to make you answer some questions
! What are you going to say to Tommy
Carter about your engagement TO Jack
Darien?"
| Judy did not answer.
! How can you tell him? You think
! / don't see exactly what happened, but
| I do. You were engaged to Tommy.
! Then Jack Darien came along and
swept YOU off your feet. And Tommy
went to war and YOU put on telling
/ him the truth. Well. now what are
you going to do about it?''
1T wasn't like that" Judy said pas
sionabely.
Were you engaged to Tommy
when he went awsy?" Cecily's tone
was sharp. cold
Yes"
Did you ever tell him the TRUTH"
No"
Wen. what are you going to tell
him now?'
Judy sat suddenly erect. That will
lie between Tommy and me- she said.
Cecily shook her pretty head in it's
trim, smart little hat. You think SO.
but it WON'T she said firmly. That's
where I come in. mean to know
what you are going to tell him. have
right to know. told you being real
was fighting for what you want. ]
want Tommy. Now, will you tell MOP"
Judy's voice trembled as she started
to speak, but it steadied rapidly. "I-
I've led g. pretty muddled sort OF life.
haven't I?' She sighed. I'm sorry.
/ wish I could undo it all, but, Of
course, can't
And you're right. You're entitled
to know what I mean to do about
Tommy. I can only tell him the truth.
What else is there to do?"
do you love himf''
Judy shook her head sadly No.
I never really did. I tried to, but 1
couldn't"
But he loved your"
Judy saw the pain in Cecily's eyes,
knew what the question cost her.
He didn't love me. Not really, :"
she said gently. 1T was a sort of in
fatuation. That was ALL
'Then-then there might be q
chance that he would like me-"
1T don't see why not. But, are you
sure OF your feeling for him. 1t
was Judy's turn now to ask questions.
so sure that it will break my
heart il he doesn't care for me.
know he's poor. but I'd live in a one
room shack with him II he'd ask me.
/ know what my people will say, but
it doesn't matter to me any more than
the rain outside when you're in where
it's safe and warm. And that Is where
would be if he ever cared for me"
She stood UP and made a sudden,
brave, surrendering gesture. you
see. am bold. 1 am different from
YOU. want to give and I'm not afraid
to say so. The chances are Tommy
won't like that rs much as he does
your quiet, lovely indifference. 1 can
see where that would set a man quite
crazy. But If he can't have that he
might find my sort of love comforting,
at least" She gave q little laugh,
mtrthlesS and touched with bitterness.
TIN SO shameless that don't care
any more about that than / do about
his being poor"
But he's not poor.' Judy said. And
suddenly her face crinlxled with mis-.
chief. He has heaps and heaps of
money. His father has all sorts Of
mines and things. Your people. won't
mind in the leastr'
For an instant a little shadow dark.
ened Cecily's lovely eyes, her shoulders
dropped. I'm sorry she said THAT
Is, I'm almost sorry. Somehow
wanted it to be very hard-my marry
ing him! I'd like to have had to give
up things for him. And on the in
slant of her pathos she gave a deli
cious laugh. I'm talking Of marrying
him and he doesn't even yet know but
what he's engaged to your
A moment more, and she looked at
Judy darkly. "I'll never forgive you
IL you've hurt him. she cried. al
think you've been beastly to him.
Suddenly Judy laughed. In spite of
her heavy heart she felt almost happy
in Cecily's hope of happiness You
ought to thank me for not loving
him. she cried.
Were those letters in the paper.
the letters to The Girl Back Home,
were they written To VoII2"
Judy hushed. 81 don't know!' she
admitted.
eff they were." Cecily said slowly,
''h0 will never love me! NeverI There
was real love in those letters for the
girl he was writing to!
Sometimes" she paused, looked
way wistfully, sometimes I used to
imagine they were written to mel Oh,
! know it was foolish! You can laugh
If you want to. But said to myself
that II he were writing to you directly
there was no reason he should pour
his heart out in the paper for the
world to see--unless he was trying to
reach a girl he didn't dare write them
to! know it sounds absurd when /
say 1t that way-but I sometimes
thought it might be that way" She
looked at Judy, pleadingly.
Judy could only shake her head. 'I
don't know!' she repeated. 81 wish
/ did. It would make things SO much
simpler. But don't known