New Britain herald., 1927-12-22

It would have sent her flying | into the bathroom to turn on the water for Lily's bath. It would have meant service-ease-com { tcntion.
 A wave of longing for all these ! things swept over Lily as she look l ed at the small, untidy room, with | the bright sunlight finding every ! grain of dust-every mark on the furniture.
 ! Florence's room across the hall 1 was in perfect order. Lily stared at it. Did Florence get up in time to straighten her room every morn ing before she went to work, for pity's sake? Or did Mrs. France do it?
 "Jiminy, they must do nothing but work" thought Lily. Everybody in the house. I wonder if they expect ME to turn into blow horse, too-' If they did they certainly were due for an eye opener, and no mistake about it'
 Downstairs the telephone rang. Rushing down the steps, Lily Won- dered wildly if it could be her moth CT calling her-or her father. May be they'll miss me so much that they'll let me take Pat there to live"
 But the voice on the other end Of the wire was a voice sine never had heard hefore-a voman's voice. high pitched and nasal. "Alis France?" it asked and before Lily had time to say that she was Mrs. France. junior, it went on:
 ''The telephone line in the store is busy. so I ies' called to ask you if you could send me up some starch and blueing right away. This IS Mi" Thinker. I forgot to get them when I was in on Sat-day night, what with hearing Pats wedding an all" Lily did not wait to hear the rest of "Mis' Thinkers" conver~ sation. She banged up the receiver and flew back upstairs.
 "What a place to live in-Where grocery orders come over the phone." she cried aloud to the walls of the room. "Oh. what have l done what have I done to myself?' And she began 10 cry, plunglng her lace into her small hands.
 And the worst of it, she sohbed to herself, was that Pat didn't really love her. although she had given up everything 10 marry him. II he really cared for her. would he have left her yesterday and gone over to those cheap, common letter sons, where Elizabeth Ertz was sure to be? Would he have let her stay, locked up in the room all night. in stead of banging the door do"n as she had hoped he would' :.
 "Oh, no" she walled aloud. oh no----'
 Suddenly she decided that she would not stay in the house any longer.
 She dragged the gray bags from under the bed and still crying and gaspine. she began to throw all her things into them, helter-skelter. And all the time she was doing it, she was wondering what Pat would gay what he would think when he came home at noon and found her gone.
 She was 50 busy with her own thoughts that she did not hear the front door downstairs open and gen tly close. Quick, eager feet cam" running up the stairs, and Pat came into the room. In a second, his eyes took it in-ths half-pacl1ed bags, the unmade bed. 'he tears on his brides face,
 Then he swept her into his arms. and she had her cry out with her face buried against his blue over alls that smelled Of grease and gasoline and rubber 9. most heavenly smell to Lily that morning.
 "So." he said, you were going to run out on me, were you? Going 10 leave your old husband, eh? Desert me at the altar?"
 With her lovely head against his breast, Lily nodded Pm the wrong wife for you, Pat!' she sobbed Your m-m-m other says I've got to clerk in the store, or else do the cooking"
 This Was~not the exact truth. But when Lily waAte,l 10 twist the truth to her own uses. she did it without even realizing what she was doing. She had had no brothers or sisters to teacll~her to play fair, as Pat had had. He believed her, and his mouth hardened at the corners,
 Honey, you don't have to cook, " he soo'hod her, holding her closer and closer, and punctUati7g his words with hard. swift kisses. I'm raying our board here ani you don have to do a lick Of work but look after this room and d out the laundry! But I would Ike you to learn to cock, and Mothers Of fered to teach you. She's a marvel ous cook"
 Lily sighed. She didn't want to