Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-29
The Faulkner Failing.

~ ARAB COBB hung another neatly
ironed shirt upon the clothes
bars. 1t was thin and patched.
~ Clifford needed some new shirts,
but, oh, how she hated to make
them.
It was 4 o'clock of a fine Fall after
noon. Sarah knew she should not be
ironing at that time of the day, but
her work had dragged. She had want
ed to go to the indoor picnic at the
MerrithewS, but she felt that she and
Clifford were too old to mingle with
young folks pleasures. Besides she DID
not care to make cake and sandwiches.
Creak-creak-c Clifford was
coming downstairs from his afternoon
nap. He always took a nap now that
he no longer had job. 1t had seemed
foolish for him to keep on working
at his age, especially as they had
enough to live upon frugally. Sarah
wondered how Clifford could sleep SO
much. For her part she was ready halt
the time to fly out of her skin. Even
that creaky stair made her jumpy.
Clifford, Sarah'S husband for 30
years. entered the room. He was
tall. stopped blue-eyed man, with a
gentle sadness of countenance. Sarah
was small and plump and dark-eyed.
Her greeting to Clifford was to slap
another shirt out upon the ironing
board.
Il suppose they're just in the thick
of the fun over at MerrithewS'," Cliff
ford sighed.
II suppose they are, HELEN Merri-
thew is terribly lively. She will have
good time whether anybody else does
or not" returned Sarah enviouSly.
"She makes me think of the way
you used to be at her age, Sarah" said
Clifford.
Sarah's lips frightened. Yes, she had
been a bright girl. But now-Oh, it
was awful to get old and what was
worse to feel old. You stay old such
long time.
Guess I'll go out to the garden and
start that bonfire" Clifford muttered.
The screen door tapped behind him.
1t needed a spring, but Clifford did
not seem to find time to attend to It.
That screen door was like everything
else about the house.
Sarah. staring after her husband.
thought she had never seen him look
so stopped and shadowy. What allied
him? He didn't have anything to do
but rest day in and day out. She had
her duties-a smell of smoke arising
from the ironing board startled away
her thoughts. Good landl She had
burned a hole in the sleeve of her
checked Bingham. A passionate desire
to cry swept over her, and with this
desire came a strange Interpretation OF
the look she had seen upon Clifford'S
face. Maybe he, too, felt the futility,
the emptiness of life just as she did.
Sarah put the iron back upon the
stove and ran out of the house to find
Clifford. He was nowhere in sight. She
put her hand to her heart. recalling
that he had a brother die for no ap-
parent reason. It had been whispered
at the time that he had taken some
thing out of bottle by mistake. At
that instant she heard Cliford'S voice.
He was behind the lilacs. Could he
be talking to himself? They said his
brother had talked to himself before
that awful thing happened.
White, trembling, Sarah crept for
ward and peeped through the lilac
screen. She could see Clifford. He
stood facing back, his chin up. He was
smiling And he looked just as he had
years ago when their romance had
bloSsomed into marriage and she had
thought him the finest young man III
the world AS Sarah gaZed at this
transformed Clifford she heard
woman's laugh There was a woman
with Clifford. The woman had stepped
into Sarah'S range of vision, but her
back alone was visible. 1t was stylish
back, having what the modiStes call a
svelte line, and it was clad in printed
silk which was Surmounted by youth;
full hat and ended in silk ankles slim
enough to suggest the Charleston.
Again the woman laughed.
Cliff, you're getting to be an old
fogey!" she cried. And you're only 81.
why great books have been written,
empires built, worlds won by men older
than that You ought to be enjoying
every minute, earning good money,
pursuing a hobby. You ought to have
a radio, a cara dancing teacher.
Don't tell me you've given up man
like you. Whose fault is it? Yours or
Sarah's? Sarah was a Faulkner. All
the Faulkners got limp and witty
around middle life. I didn't think
Sarah would, for she was regular clip
as a girl. But If she has the Faulkner