The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-03-09


whole way"
Thank you, no."
"But why?" he asked, surprised.
sim not going home. think I'll go
In to Sunbury and treat myself to a
hotel meal and cinema--movie," she
hastily corrected herself.
"Good! I'm going to Sunbury my
self. Have lunch with me, will you?
I'll even 60 to see a-cinema--with
your
In her pleased surprise at such a
jelly invitation (for to be in Marvin
CreightOn's company was rather peril
ously exciting and Nicely was lonely
she dropped her cool manner with
rather startling suddenness and as
sented with childish delight.
The day was clear, the air delicious,
the roads in good condition. Marvin's
car delightfully."- easy and comfortable;
and Nicely, freed from school-room
drudgery and, for the first time in
weeks, from the atmosphere of the
Schwenckton household, felt sudden
hilarious gayety, a tingling In her
blood. such as she had not experienced
since she had undertaken the serious
profession of the teacher.
"Oh!" she laughed gleefully, fairly
bouncing In her seat, what larkl it
makes me feel young again!"
me, too!' responded Marvin. his
eyes swapping. Pedagogy could dry
one up at the roots, couldn't tiff"
he conscientiously added, zone didn't
fight to keep it a living thing"
Il try not to take it too seriously"
said Nicely.
"A shockingly imprudent thing to
admit to your superintendent / sup
pose," he remarked ironically, "you
look upon your work merely as step
ping-stone to something elsey /
"Oh, dear, yes 1 don't expect to be
a. school teacher all my daysl Ora
cious!''
"A stepping-stone to marriage, sup
poser"
What good guesser you are! But
why be high-hat about that? Woman's
place is in the home, isn't it?"
TITS not been for the past ten years.
You are a back nrmberl'
''You surprise K. thought l was
ahead Of my times because" she said
with sad conviction. SIN sure
couldn't make any man happy If had
70 dO his housewor.r-k
will you tell me-" he inquired in a
tone of dulcet gentleness, "why you
adopt Pennsylvania accent when you
talk to me and an English accent when
you recite Shakespeare?"
"Oh," she lightly responded. "that's
just my platform manner-I've acted
quite bit"
professionally" he de led,
startled.
Both in private theatricals and pro-
fessionally."
''What, then, made you ever turn to
teachingY'
working my way to Hollywood"
Marvin looked rather staggered, for
this knocked out his suspicion as to
who she was and put very wet
blanket indeed upon hope he was
half consciously cherishing.
do you think" he asked somewhat
stiffly, tits right to use our schools
as a stepping-stone for your ambi-
tions?"
I'D use every school in this county
for my ambition if I'd the chance to!
land all the trustees and even the
superintendent himself. Now throw
me out of your car! Take my job from
me if you think me base and unprin-
cipfed! / don't carei I've nearly
enough money saved anyway to get to
Hollywood. Anyway, believe could
get there sooner by cooking my way
out-cooks earn so much more than COL
lege presidents in Americal"
do your parents uphold you in this
ambition Of yours?"
"Now you are a back number -
parents influence having passed out
eleven years ago."
"Your parents are living"
Eyes"
"Where?"
"A perceptible pause. Reading,
Pennsylvania"
"Any brothers and sisters?"
"No-my only brother was killed In
the World war and" She stopped
short; she had spoken impulsively;
Marvin wondered whether emotion for
her slaughtered brother-or something
else-had checked so abruptly her
statement of coincidence.
He would test her a bit. "That's
odd" he remarked. II have an English
cousin whose only son was killed in
the World war and his only other child
is daughter about your age!"
whats odd about it?"
Rather coincidence. don't you
think?"
"Why, no. There must have been
thousands of such condolences, surely"
ITO BE CONTINUED)