Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10

A Story
By Fanny HeosIip Lea


until morning! Curly coming into
her at dawn--a sodden fool.
Not the day Curly pitched her one
| knock -out of q book over the rail,
when she had scolded him.
RLOoD on the honeymoon then!
~ What the Gilly person had seen
had been the reconciliation.
"The day before we got in YOU lay
in your chairs all day, just talking
very low"
| "Curly--Nou're drinking too much
YOU can't do it and do your stuff"
Don't you worry, sweetness. Ill
do my stuff all right I've got n
| contract
"Other people have had contracts
before you. You got to- stay with it.
That's not sob-stuff--it's business.
care about my stuff I've got some
ambition. You'll ruin your chances
this way"
Listen to her, Gosh, you're sweet
me some more!"
IAN right. It's for your own good
| and because"
Go on--because-say It."
| "Curly--you know | love you"'
That was what the Gilly-person had
Seen-or moment like it, Curly's
hand coming over hers, his lips touch
ing her ear.
Sure you love me, You'd better"
II won't--if you let me down, Curly
| mean it,"
You stayed in your chairs all day
and / stayed in my chair and watched
YOU. That night | wrote letter to
Ian. and next morning | mailed it on
| the dock"
What did you say" asked Desiree.
| Il told him | didn't want to live
without him--that, unless [ could help
! him TO get well and be with him while
| he was doing it, / had no interest in
life. / told him. if he would come up
to San Francisco and meet me, we
could be married and go to Arizona. l
| told him, if he wouldn't come up-that
L would so back, and we could be
married and live out at Lcahi. Any
| how--we must be married, That
loved him-and he needn't lie to me
| knew he loved me. That. il he
| wouldn't do as | asked-Id kill my
self"
| "Oh, what a letter" said Desiree.
| She could see tin neat Spencerian
characters-f1ashed on the screen, held
| just long enough-fading out.
| II NdSs Sdlu Tue SrIliN pSlSOu. T1t
c-cabled back-'Wait'-and came by
the next boat. We were married the
morning he got inland we left for
| Tucson--that night"
| After a pause. "Of course. YOU
don't look it," said Desiree. Il look
| it-more than you do"
"Impulsive, you mean" inquired
the Gilly person, diffidently. I'm not.
1t was seeing you. seeing love"
| Desiree stirred restlessly-at which
the Gillyperson stood up.
I'm s.sorry. I've talked so much
and you were tired when l came! But
as soon as | saw Lost Souls l had to
meet you-to tell you-that / owe you
all my happiness--and Ians. /
thought 1t might possibly m-mean
something to you-to know"
| He did get well, them" said
Desiree.
| He's all WELL" said the Gilly-per.
son, proudly. He's got a job on a
ranch now. OF course, the first year
or two it was pretty hard. We hadn't
much money. We lived in sort of
shack-he slept outdoors--I did all the
work myself but I don't any
more" She beamed, oddly matronly.
Now, I've got very good help"
1T was hard on you, though" said
| Desiree, wasn't it?"
You mean / lost my looks" said
the Gilly person, frankly. She shrug-
| Ged that aside. Il wasn't ever very
pretty-but l look better sometimes
than 1 do today" Suddenly she flush.
ed scarlet. I'm going to have baby
in the Spring"
"A BABY
I'm stronger than look" said the
| Che
Desiree staring at her.
| * X
| STRONGER than she looked. She
~ was stronger than Hercules, with
that look on her face-sheer spirit
burning in fragile flesh.
DO you remember" she said, 1.-The
place in Lost Souls before the baby's
| born?"
| Desiree remembered.
| "I think you must have lived
| everything a woman can-to show it
to the world so beautifully--so poign-
antly. You made me cry-you made
me want to give all myself-unselfish-
| ly--to love-"
| did I? Did I make you feel that?"
cried Desiree. And now her eyes
shone, and her cheeks flushed. Her
hand went up to her heart.
"Yes-you did," said the Gilly-per-
son. You are an artist. OF course,
you must know that, yourself"
She turned at the door, to which she
had gradually retreated. and asked
with delightful effect of recalling her
manners. MIR. Conley-I hope he's
Well?"
Desiree looked away--at red roses in
silver vase-and looked back again.
She said, II left him four years ago"
1n1 ffnl
"Oh-I am so sorry--I didn't know
II thought you didn't" said Desiree.
She explained--under some inner COM
pulsion: He drank-too much. He
was weak. He threw away all his
chances"
How t-terrible. That b-big. good
looking boy!"
Something in Desiree's heart
shrieked, Curly" just once-pas-
sionate and pitiful-calling him back
across the years. She said: "Yes-he
was good-looking, wasn't he? But he
had no-control."
"C-couldnt you-help him at all?"
asked the Gilly-person shyly.
Desiree said, Not and get anywhere
myself" She left it at that, with a
slight air of defiance. Honesty, at
least. No hokum.
"You-you seemed SO deerly--in
love"
Il was. He had his chance with
me-"
"C-couldn't you have pulled him out
of it? He seemed $50 m-mad about
you?"
'If | had wanted to give up my own
stuff-perhapS-Who knows"
All the tribute in the Gilly-person g
eyes cooling and disappearing--polite
ness taking it's place-courtesy. aloof
and diffident-disappoin plainly
bitter.
What was she thinking? Discover
ing feet of clay upon an idol of ala
baster? How about the idols feelings,
finding itself not all of ones SUBJ