The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-03-02

being unable to live under the same
Copyright By Dodd. Mead . Ca
WNU Service

being unable to live under the same
roof.
The hardest part of 1t to Marvin
was the distress it caused his mother.
II anything could have made him deny
his soul it was that.
While he freshened up In his bath
room, revealing In its conveniences and
comforts (there was no bathroom at
Absalom Puntz') he wondered how
Miss Schwenckton, who looked so
dainty and seemed so fastidious, en-
dured the crude life at Schwenckton's
farm. She didn't flt into the picture
He knew the party must break up
soon, for 1t was nearly dinner time
and most Of these people had several
miles to drive; and few empty cups
and saucers about the hall which the
servants had overlooked told him they
had already had tea.
How did his mother, comparatively
intelligent, stand that crowd7 And
yet, how else would she ill her life,
emptied, through her great wealth, Of
the wholesome necessity to work? SUI
perfuous wealth was q joy-killer as
surely as poverty.
The visitors were gone at last and
Marvin went downstairs to take his
mother in his arms.
1t was cozy having his dinner alone
with his mother; and the taste and
comforts Of his home, after his dose
of Absalom Puntz' menage, were GER
tainly soothing.
"Father thinks dose Of plain living
will cure mel" Marvin smiled as he
helped himself to fillet Of steak and
mushrooms the butler was passing
"On the contrary, living at Absalom
Puntz' has made me realize, as / never
did before, how much unnecessary lux
ury we have here, which always took
for granted. not knowing any other
way of life. So this throwing me out
on my own is just having the opposite
effect of what he intended 1t to have"
II don't like to think of your living
in such discomfort, DEAR" his mother
answered, though you're not looking
any the worse for It! But how in the
world do you stand their food?"
'It's good. walk about the coun-
try so much that anything tastes good.
I'm getting to like sauerkraut and
boiled beef and cabbage! Bully! And
fried ponhaus! And even smearcase !"
Imagine st. Croix eating at the
table with those Puntzes!" Mrs.
Creighton smiled. "Sauerkraut and
smearcase and ponhaus!
"Tt's not their food SO much as the
way they eat it that kreistles' me.
Know what 'kreistles' means? OF
course you don't. Means disgust, rubs
me the wrong way, gets my goat.
can't watch them eat: they are too
darned Industrious about it."
"Marvin, want to ask you some
thing-I'm worried. st. Croix is phi
laundering, I'm afraid, with very COM
mon girl and do dread what can
come Of such entanglements. It's so
imprudent! You get about the coun-
try so much l thought perhaps you
had heard or seen something Of 1t,
have you? Do you know who the
girl ISL"
"No," Marvin responded gloomily.
his heart sinking; that car Of his
brothers near the William Penn
school and Miss Schwenckton pretend
ing she had remained in school to
work when she had been out on the
road-and that weird business of her
changing her clothes-"How did you
hear of it. Mother?"
"The girl sent a box of fudge here
to the house for him, with a verse
written on the wrapping paper-the
poetry being as homemade as the
candy! I gave it to him when he
came home and he was so embar-
raised and angry knew he must be
involved rather deeply-and I've been
Worried"
"What makes you conclude, Mother,
that she's common girl?"
"Her poetryI
You'll mebby think 1t amt so mulch.
But in one piece I put a kiss.
You'll know which one-the sweetest
it's"
Marvin laughed joyfully-the author
of that was not Miss Schwenckton!
"St. Croix certainly takes his
chances, playing round with one of
tboco panusuIvonfo nutch oirIcf T;rc&
thing he knows he'll have a lawsuit
on his hands. But think" he tried
to comfort his mother, "'we may al
ways bank on st. Croix' playing safe.
Philandering is Of course always dan
gerous where suit for damages offers
big haul-but in st. Croix' philos-
ophy Of life, Prudence and Respect