Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-02-01
HAD THE
Faulkner
FAILING

| n ARAH COBB hung another neat
| ly ironed shirt upon the clothes
~ bars. 1t was thin and patched,
Clifford needed some new shirts,
but, oh, how she hated to make them.
| II was four o'clock of fine fall
afternoon. Sarah knew she should not
be ironing at that time of the day, but
her work had dragged, She had
wanted 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
Observation-Disclosures. Clifford was
coming downstairs from his afternoon
nap He always took nap now that
he no longer had job. II 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 half the time to fly out of her
skin. Even that creaky stairs made
her jumpy
Clifford, Sarah's husband for forty
years. entered the room. He was
tall, stopped, blue-eyed man, with q
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
81 suppose they're just in the thick
OF the fun over at Merrithews'," Cliff
ford sighed.
~ suppose they are. Helen Merri
thew is terribly lively. She will have
good time whether anybody else does
or not" returned Sarah envlously
"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 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 screendoor tapped behind him.
II needed spring, but Clifford did
not seem to find time to attend to H.
Tint screnndoOr 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
him2 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 ironingboard startled away
her thoughts. Good land She had
burned 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 Cllf
ford's face. Maybe he, too, felt the
futiity, 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, recall.
ing that he had had brother die for
no apparent reason. II had been whls-
pered at the time that he had taken
something out Of bottle by mistake.
At that instant she heard Clifford's
voice. lie was behind the lilacs. Could
he be talking to himself? They said
his brother had talked to himself be-
fore 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 rs he
had years ago when their romance
had blossomed into marriage and she
had thought him the finest young man
In the world. AS Sarah gazed at this
transformed Clifford she heard q WON
ans laugh. There was woman with
Clifford The woman had stepped into
Sarah's range of vision, but her back
alone was visible. II was stylish
back, having what the mOdlstes call u
svelte-line, and II was clad in printed
silk which was surmOunted by
youthful hat and ended In silk ankles
slim enough to suggest the charleston
Again the woman laughed.
"Clif. you're getting to be an old
fogeyl" she cried "And you're only
sixty-One. Why great books have been
written empires built, worlds won by
men older than that. You ought to he
enjoying every minute, earning good
money, pursuing hobby. You ought
to have radio. cara dancing
teacher. Don't tell me you've given
up. man like you. Whose fault is
Il? Yours or Sarah's? Sarah was
Faulkner. All the Faulkners got limp
and Willy around middle life. didn't
think Sarah would, for she was
regular clip as girl. But II she has
the Faulkner failing, Cliff, you've no
business to wilt down with her. Your
folks had zip and stamina. Your dad
was splendid man at elghty-nne
You'll probably live to be elghty.nine
yourself and what will you do for the
next % yearsr
God knows p Clifford struck his
hands together. "Say, Amelia, come
into the house and talk to Sarah Just
as you've been talking TO me-"
Amelia Even II the woman had
not turned and shown her face Sarah
would now have Known her. Amelia
Scott who had been such a spirited
competitor for Cllfford's love that
Sairh had had TO put in her best Hicks
to get him for herself Amelia Scott
returned 0ut of the silent mystery OF
years in stand here with clifford In
their garden and accuse him Of being
the victim Of the Faulkner failing
Straits tnnt upper lip headed wit: