Evening star., 1928-12-23

Stew, II YOU CtiE ~
for details. She ~ [
noticed at near MA -AN|
table a couple she IA w
had married years III II -
and years ago ".
don't let's say how IA
many. ~
she was a sweet, plain little thing with
bushel of money. He was in the
Greek god class, but poor. She took
him abroad for the honeymoon, and
after they had set up what a Greek
god would call their lares and penates,
in q house which was papa'S gift to
the bride, the poor but beautiful hus-
band fretted over the dull monotony
of domestic bliss So they broke up the
home and took a sui@ in hotel. Then
something went wrong with the bushel
of money and papa crumpled up under
it and died.
And there the two were dining in
that plain little cafe! To be exactly
right, he was dining-turkey and ice
cream-but her order was for soup and
tea. She took slice of bread from
her husbands portion to piece out her
crackers, and when he had showed his
plate aside she sopped the gravy he
had left
The years since "Lohengrin" had been
brutally unkind to the woman. Time
had dug trench lines across her fore
head, and her eyes showed that trouble
had scared them on her soul. Her hat
was one of those narrowing things that
are forever marked down to 98 cents
for this occasion only, and the coat
collar was relieved with the white of
valenciennes that had been pinched to
make it look like laundered ruff1ing-
which it didn't. The sight of the COL
Tar and the suit put a choke in the
throat of the newspaper woman-re-
membering that other golng-away
gown all satiny cloth and cut steel
and the pinkest of cheeks and eXqui-
Sitely coifed f1axen hair
The man was still as f1ourishing as
the particular green bay that so ac-
commodatingly lends itself for COM
parative purposes. His AbSolomish locks
were dramatically "silvered at the
temples" to meet the requirements Of
the most fastidious movie hero. and he
had a gold tooth on the side that
showed like a collar button on parade.
The two were in some discussion in
which the man was the pleader but
as he had one of those hannelly voices
could make of it was a sort of
m-m-m-.. But the womans voice
was sharp with forlorn distinctness:
"It isn't that, at all. You know it
isn't. It would be as, bad for you as
it would be for me. 1t would leave us
both without a cent to depend on"
But, dear heart, you don't look at 1t
in the right m-m-m-."
And whatever it was, the newspaper
woman knew by the hopelessness with
which the poor thing passed over the
money for the man to pay the cashier
that he was going to have his way
maid with no Greek god OF her own
to say it to:
"I bet she's got to sell the house
that papa gave her for a wedding
present. bet!"
And after that she interspersed her
oyster stew with thanksgivings that
jumbled together about like this:
"I am thankful that have no Greek
sod. silvering at the temples, and that
/ do not have to write up weddings,
any more"
TT was an unpretentious little lunch
i room, with everything as clean as
sunlight and with bare, polished tables
where half-dozen men and women
ate sedately, got up. paid their bills
and went away to make room Tor as
many others-all of them so centered
on their own affairs, that one rather
akish-looking young woman who had
come as guest of another woman who
was older and palmer, felt called upon
to make a comparison:
Every time I come in a cafe at
home here I can't help thinking of
that dear old Latin Quarter. Why, you
couldn't go in a single one there with
out seeing people who were really
worth wilhelm art, you know, and
music and literature, all that sort Of
thing. Now II this little place were
in the quarter you would come across
all sorts of clever men and women
who would come here on account OF its
simplicity"
Il like mine well done, but she wants
hers rare"
The interruption came from the
plain woman, who having finished CIV
ing her order, went on in voice that
might have been sympathetic or mildly
sarcastic:
ut is a pity you had to come home,
honey. You and your violin should
have remained in Paris. Still, we are
See that Quiet-looking young woman at
the corner table? Well, she's making
money, hand over fist, designing Mono
grams for stationery. Gets orders from
big paper houses all over the country.
The woman with her has made good
in the newspaper field, and the man
across from us-not the old one, he's
an inventor, but the one with his hair
cut like any every day maxwell, he
makes money at portraits, and the girl
with him draws fashion plates for a
syndicate. No I'm not making it up
as / go along, either. That batch of
youngsters sitting together are report
ers, except the one with freckles and
he's a staff artist who does magazine
covers on the side. Oh, there are a
lot Of others, day in and out"
We'll, for goodness sake! Why do
they act so-you know-prosy? Why,
If they were in the quarter, they would
be doing all sorts of odd, daring things
singing, you know, and calling to
each other, and making snappy
speeches against the Government"
That's all right, honey, If you all
like 1t, but these men and women don't
need to label their gifts for fear they
won't be known. Each is making a good
living. That's difference, you know
the difference between ambitious anna
teurs and the tried professional-the
d1fference between expectations and a
bank account"
There certainly is difference" >"
snapped the rakish young woman.
Glad you see 1t. You will appreci-
ate 1t more when you get paid for your
concerts and pupils begin to come in.
Also, there is another big difference
the difference between the Latin
Quarter and Washington D. C."