Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

" gSAA AA S4@OR
his two friends the Rodleigf
H. had not aged one iota, appal
entity, but the three bird-doe
had grown old. Rusty" the red set
ter; Blue Jeans" the Bolton, an
Golden Slippers" the Gordon, wer
not cripples, thank fortune, or evel
feeble; but grizzled with sobriety, eau
tious-footed, firm-boned, incontTover
tibly tangible, where once, fleet ant
skstchy as May mists, they had flashed
like silken will-o'-the-wisps across tn
scene.
Now, lolling NICE again on the Rod
IeIgnS nearth-rug. with huStyS
colored nose on his ankle, Blue Jeans
freckled paw jogging internationally a
his elbow, Golden Slippers jetty liz
nuzzling his ear, a strangely poignan
serse of the absolute unduplicability o.
old friendship woke suddenly in Stol'
wo~th's consciousness.
Slowly, with some vague him of thi:
In his eyes, he lifted his glance specula'
tiyelv to Dan R~odleigh's slouching figure
in the great w~ingchair, and passed
from Dan Rodleigh's answering smile
to the wagner features of the woman ir
the bright cretonne depths Of the
couch.
BY Jove, peopler" he said. "It's good
to be home!"
Sure it's good!" agreed the man in
the wingchair.
rs it?" questioned the woman on
the couch.
Dan here may have added a pound
or so to his tennis weight, or a ruddier
hue perhaps to his schoolgirl complex
ion,' said Stolworth, but you. Alice,
With your bobbed yellow hair, and
Bodied skirts?" laughed the woman
on the couch. Fashions change, but
not friends. what? Is that your idea?"
And that rakish manner" persisted
Stolworth. whoever in the world 10
years ago would have guessed how be-
coming, how unutterably becoming
You went away in August" said the
woman On the couch. She edged for
ward suddenly from her bright pillows
and lifted her face quite starkly into
the f1relight-a lean face, clever, humor-
Gus, gaminish even-but not quite
yourg-never quite young again.
you seem to forget, Jimmy" she
said smiling, that it was late August
when you went away!"
"The twenty-eighth, to be perfectly
exact, admitted Stolworth.
The woman laughed.
II spoke figuratively," she said. Late
August of the heart was what I meant.
Old Summer-the first frost, even.
Blight and decay in the posie garden
and no treasure yet in the bins. Why,
.merciful heavens, man, I gave away
what I was pleased to call my last pink
dress at just about that time, I remem-
Der; took to talking economics; plan
ned no end of philanthropies. But
now" she attested blithely, "have you
noted the incredible change? Now we
talk tennis, jazz, movies! Plan firta-
tons. ven sport ourselves without
shame in all the colors Of the rainbow"
"Ho!" roared Rodleigh. "Alice has
cluttered the house all up with male
hedglings-moon-faced boys
FRANKLY %impudent, Alice Rodleigh
jumped suddenly to her feet and,
snatching her husband, ha~lf-grinning,
half-protesting, into her arms, burst
gayly into a popular song Of the day
and, swinging him mercilessly through
a staccato measure OF two, sent him
reeling back into his chair again, with
both grin and protest blurred to mere
breathlessness on his astonished face.
"Poufi" she laughed. who gives a
darn for Old Summer? It's Young
Winter now-November, if you choose
gay as an Indians fiame-colored
blanket. all the pestiferous gnats land
nots) cleared utterly from ones exist
ence. Gold on the pumpkin-and a
cellar full of winei"
With the faintest possible suggestion
OF self-conSciousness, she reached up
suddenly and patted her bobbed hair.
Even my foolish yellow hair" she
deprecated, hasn't had either the
grace or the gravity to turn gray, you
see-but just keeps on following and
following like witch hazel blossoms
she chuckled, against the general
drabness of the waning year."
"sDrabness of the waning year is
good!" scofed Stolworth. But really,
you know,"-his face sobered a little
but really, you know, / don't mind
ter-and the things Of Young Winter"
His voice dropped just the faintest per-
ceptible bit below the tone of ordinary
conversation. And to continue that
simile," he said, your mouth is like a
scarlet maple leaf floating. And your
eyeS-thoSe nut brown eyes"
"Gracious!" laughed Alice Rodleigh,
"how continental you've grown!
Adroitly, as she spoke, her white
hand flashed through the fire-lit
gloom; kindled a dozen slender candle
sticks into pale almond-shaped spurts
Of light.
A charred log, bursting for a single
tridescent moment into a glory of
sparks and flame, threw the lolling
figure of the man on the hearth rug
into an almost startling clarity and
emphasis.
As though struck disconcertingly by
Gnynn nNdly cf0VNi6Nant nOnoof ~ it,.
Alice Rodleigh stepped back a little
into the shadows and stared apprais-
ingly at him.
Yes, it was just exactly as any one
would have rated it, she admitted.
The romantic figure of a man who had
always done romantic things-travel,
adventure, all the gay, lifting escapades
OF an untrammeled energy and an un-
hampered pocketbook.
With a little sigh she glanced back at
her husbands shadowy, bulky outline.
The unromantic figure of a mar who
had never done romantic things, who
had never had the chance to do
romantic things. Unless, of course
cher loyal heart glowed and quickened)
unless, of course, the sacrifice of his
career could be called a romantic"
thing. In the first days of their mar.
rage, on the very verge OF his big
chance, when her t~reacherous lungs
had forced the decision so precipitously
upon him, how utterly selflessly he
made it. For her! Love, her safety,
and no career. That was Dani
X X x X
CPECULATIVELY she took another
glance at Stolworth. That brow,
those eyes, the virile throat
She shut her own eyes, lived back in
sudden memory the first moment that
she had ever seen him. On her we'd
ding day it was-right in the middle
of the marriage service. Stolworth
was to have been the best man, but,
quite Enthusiastically, had not arrived
in time. Right in the middle of a
prayer the absurd thing had happened!
AS though drawn by an irresistible