Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01

ances. I'll 60 back to Caxton and stay sew
eral days. I'll see Herman and Frank and
Joe. Then I'll 60 call on Lillian and Kate.
What lot Of fun, really!" It might Just be
that when he got to Caxton the Caxton ball
team would be playing a game, say with a
team from Yerington Lillian might 60 to the
game with him. 1t was in his mind family
that Lillian had never married. How did he
know that? He had heard nothing from Cax-
ton for many years. The ball game would
be in Heff1ers field, and he and Lillian would
go out there, walking under the maple trees
along Turner street, past the old Stave factory,
then in the dust Of the road, past where the
sawndn used to stand, and on into the field
itself. He would be carrying a sunshade over
Lillian's head, and Bob French would be stand
ing at the gate where you went into the field
and charging the people IS cents to see the
game.
Well, 1t would not be Bob; his son, perhaps.
There would be something very nice In the
notion Of Lillian's going OF to q ball game
that way with an old sweetheart. A crowd
Of boys, women and men, going through O
cattle gate into Hefler's field, tramping through
the dust. young men with their sweethearts.
few gray-haired women, mothers Of boys
who belonged to the team; Lillian and he sit
ting in the rickety grandstand in the hot sun.
Once 1t had been-how they had felt, ne
and Lillian, sitting there together! It had
been rather hard to keep the attention CEN
tered on the players in the field. One couldn't
ask neighbor, "Who's ahead now, Caxton or
Yerington?" Lulian's hands lay In her lap.
What white. delicate, expressive hands they
werei
Eighteen and twenty-five are forty. John
Holden was 40 on the day when he sat at
lunch at the hotel in the town 10 miles from
Caxton.
Now. he thought, he might be able to walk
through the streets Of Caxton to the bah park
with Lillian with certain effect. You know
how 1t Is. One has to accept the fact that
youth Is gone II there should turn out to
be such ball game and Lillian would 60
with him, he would leave the car in the ga
rage and ask her to walk. One saw pictures
OF that sort Of thing In the movies man
coming back to his native village after 20
years; new beauty taking the place Of the
beauty Of youth-something like that. In the
Spring the leaves on maple trees are lovely,
but they are even more lovely in the Fall-a
flame Of color: manhood and womanhood.
After he had finished his lunch John lit q
cigar and went for q walk, not in the streets
Of Caxton, but in the streets Of the town 10
miles away. II he got to Caxton in the eve.
ming, just at dusk, say, now
With an inward pang John realized that he
wanted darkness, the kindliness Of soft evening
lights. Lillian, Joe, Herman, and the rest It
had been 10 years for the others as well
as for himself. Now he had succeeded, o lit
tie, in twisting his fear Of Caxton into fear
for the Others and it made him feel some
what better: but at once he realized what he
was doing and again felt uncomfortable. One
had to look out for changes, new people, new
buildings, middle-aged people grown old, youth
grown middle-aged. At any rate, he was think
ing Of the others now; he wasn't, as when he
wrote letters home Is years before, thinking
only Of himself. "Am II" 1t was question.
An absurd situation, really. He had sailed
along SO gaily through upper New York State.
through Western Pennsylvania, through Eastern
Ohio Men were at work in the fields and in
the towns, farmers drove into towns in their
cars, clouds Of dust arose on some distant
road, seen across a valley. Once he had
stopped his car near q bridge and had gone
for walk along the banks Of a creek where
it wound through a woo6.
HE was liking people Well, he had never
before given much time to people, to think
ing Of them and their affairs. Il hadn't time"
he told himself.
Twice he had picked up people on the road.
There was a lad of 16 from some town Of
Eastern Pennsylvania, working his way west
ward toward the Pacific coast by picking up
rides In cars-a Summers adventure. John
had carried him all of one day and had lis
90 Ale xnn~ ,nIao And