Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01

on IL as an artist on canvas. bring
! ing out high light there. subduinR
! n tone here. He could make II do In
credible things. 1t was his slave, his
toy.
| roll loved the car. She would drop
| whatever she was doing to go riding.
She usually donned lace and ribbon
atrocity known as n "bOudoir cap
This intimate garment she wore In the
gaseous. crowded Chicago boulevarts.
her dark face all the darker in con.
trast with it's absurd lacy frame. Some.
! times on Sundays they toured. y
whisking up and down the asphalted
! highways of the Illinois prairie land
scape: mp and down. rather aimlessly.
| like thousands of others. Poll was hap.
! picSt NJ sucn times.
! So Poll and Tony Sebok approached
middle age: overlook il. The house
was paid for. They owned IT. had i'm.
proved il. Electric lights "A piano.
| bought on the installemnt plan for the
girls. Rugs in parlor and dining room.
The radio. An almost human washing
machine churned Tony's shirts and
ove,alls clean These belongings had
I marked the passing Of the years This
year the piann The next the washing
machine. The next n new rug. The
next the automobile. Eleven tholIsa nd
dollars In the bank. And nOw-~what !!
! Work and save and brinc up your ki,js
right. Tony had said. Wen. they had
/ done these things. Now what?
OFTEN on Summer evenings thrv
drove over To Jackson Park and drew
/ up at the lake. There they would sjt
surveying the calm or cav0rtings of
the august body of wafer called Lake
Michigan. Poll wore "A neat Summer
! dress and was hailess. unless adorned
! ny the "udoir cap. Tony, his feet
propped up ON the dashboard. dozed
t'"ii didn't care much for the wafer
She said il VAS kind Of dumb sloppine
aronnd like that. going nowheres,
u like place where YOU can walk
on IL. she said. "A place where YIN,
can go. if YOU want tn. aud build n
fire and picnic. and like that"
Tony liked 1t. tie would exchange
pleasantries with the other men whose
| cars were parked on either side. He
| would smoke contentedly.
Suddenly Poll would give a little
| witch and heave Of her shoulders.
Les GO
I'VE ony just come
I'VE been here "a hour. anyway"
lis nice here. What's the matter
with IL here"
"Siitin by the lake all night"
Where YOU want To 60 tor
"Oh. around. Driving around"
What's always aeatin' into you.
anyway? Like a flea Bv gnllv"'
Grumhling. he would start the car.
Poll would draw a satisfied sigh. She
| usually talked little while they were
driving
Money in the hank: house. comfort:
clothes: food; the children married
Suddenly. one day. Les 60 some.
where's" said Poll. Not just around.
don't mean. Somewheres away. In
the machine. Les take the machine.
| me and YOU, and go somewheres on
trip. y far trip 4 far ways
Tony thought about II. He refused
to commit himself. Two DAYS passed
Three. Then. at supper: We could
go to Youngstown. Ohio. To nv
| brother. in Youngstown"
Poll put down knife and fork, Which
| ways ihat?' He pointed vaguely east.
NO l don't want 10 go that way.
] want 10 go that way. Over there.
Where amt never been. Over
there" Poll pointed toward the West
toward the line where prairie and
sky met Tho horizon.
That's west" Tony said
"Aw right. That's where want
to go. West.
Another week spent In tinkering the
car and hnving supplies. They got
their routing. though they seemed
rather vague about their destination
West" they replied to the question
OF the man at the office. West
=
THEY struck out for the Lincoln
Highway. At first they consulted
their route instructions carefully: fol-
lowed them meticuiousiy. jog right
left an Galena avenue: right at foot
of bridge: left mt reverse fork: curve
left. But. az the days went IN. they
developed a kind Of road sense. an
intuitive feeling for right ar wrong
that comes To tourists. though they
still held TO their printed directions.
af course. On toward the Western
horizon ~ fsrs, they drove all day.
sometimes flerceiy. sometimes slowly
but maintaining u certain standard of
miles daily. There was nothing re,
Taxed ahou, this. driving. So many
miles Ia Council Rluffs. ~ many miles
Ia Omaha. so many miles To Lincoln.
Sehr.
II guess we make this. how they
call H--Wauneta-~of. YES. that's how
II Wauneta~-t huh" Poll
would sas.
Nav. guess we push right on To
this here Fort Morgan. Feiler hack
there To the filling station tells me
they got u good camp there"
"Yeh," She was satisfied. Just 10
they went on. Sitting there beside
him his sure ha nds on the wheel. she
would survey with dreamy eyes the
worlds spread ever anew before her.
The Nat prairies Of The Iowa and Ne.
braska corn country found her still
restless. fidgety.
At night they camped. For the first
thousa nd miles or go they elun9 auto
ma tically 10 the accustomed orderii'
ness and met Of life ms they had
known II In the bungalow In the
south portion OF Chicago. They had
bought a little portable oven. Yon
put II on the ground. stuffed II with
wood, lighted u, and In 10 minutes
II was red hot. Poll boiled potatoes.
fried ham and eggs, and even baked
hot biscuits, Tony Ind rugged up
all sorts Of ingenious devices~--a cup
hoard, screws and bolts that dropped
the hack seat into n bed-~thonRh they
carried an auto tent. consrivance
at the hack Of the car ufOpI@d IN
make n dining table. Everything In
the car pulled out. showed In, screwed.
tapped. turned disa ppenred. did
surprising fiipfinps. became something
II WAS not. II was like u magic man
moth toy,
Three cooked meals n day--~at frat
clean bla nkets, washing. heushlne
getting IN at their accustomed hour,
sleeping nj their accustomed hour
Hut slowly. gradually. this old mode
of living slipped from them, A. they
| went on. mn. Poll sometimer would
sing In her hnarse. low voice. songs
Tony had never heard her sing. even
when she had been bride aud had
, sung as she slammed about the kitch
en- ~ the old Nat an North avenue.
whats that you're singing" he
wa,,ld ask. CRAZY sounds"
"kfnhs" Nhe Nuul,t mel as thottr IA