Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-26

Pope. the total result of which was q
dislike Of poetry which lasted almost all
her life.
! The truth, and she was to know it
later, was that the two women were
worried and anxious about money The
| panic OF 1893 was approaching, with its
bread lines and its unemployed, cold
and hungry, seeking shelter in the sta
ton houses, where they lay on the floor,
covered with newspapers for warmth.
They had welcomed the excuse of
Stella's death as offering them a year
| or so OF secluSion. Queer that Stella
dying had served them when Stella
living had been an intolerable tragedy
to them. They still had q few callers,
elderly women in handsome calling cos
tune. for calling was still a function.
One dressed for it. They came in, portly
figures or lean ones hidden under a vast
redundancy Of clothing. Wherever a
Silhouette threatened to emerge, save at
the waist, 1t was hidden under ShirringS
ruchingS, ostrich bands, lace flounces
They sat for the conventional is min
uteS, rose with all their encumbrances
OF clothes, trains and card cases and
moved out with the overwhelming de-
liberation of battleships.
Yes, Stella's death had served Sarah
we'll
There was no entertaining. Now and
then Mr.. Macdonald came to dinner.
bringing with him-he was always a
few steps in advance Of her-a thin,
colorleSS wife. She was extraordinarily
thin and was, therefore, supposed to be
delicate. She apparently enjoyed her
condition, carried small knitted Shawls
about with her and had Missile tuck
pillows about her back.
II am not strong, you know" she
would say plaintively.
BY her fragility she kept her husband
under control. It was like weapon in
her hands against him. Years later
Missile was to hear that she drank vine
gar in secret to reduce herself to the
last stages Of attenuation.
After dinner Mrs. Colfax and the
lawyer would shut themselves in the
library and long and hard were the
battles fought there.
Just how much have you sent Bert
this year?"
very little. But cannot live here
in comfort and let him suffer"
you'll not be living here very long
unless you let him stand on his own
feet"
One night he tried to explain to her.
The country was In bad shape; COM
mercial and bank failures were increas-
ing fast, railroads were crashing, gold
was scarce, there was widespread fear
as to the Governments ability to re-
deem Treasury notes In gold. But how
was Williams widow to comprehend
such matters?
what does Adelaide do with her bit
Of money!" he demanded finally.
She puts 1t in the savings bank"
Then tell her to hold onto It," he
said shortly She may need 1t, If
things keep up"
But Adelaide, as Missile could have
told them, was not holding onto it.
The Winter was interminably long. At
dusk, quiet enough before, the big
house died before her eyes. Downstairs
tiny blue gas points dimly lighted the
parlors and the library; shades were
drawn, the world was shut out. After
bell at O'Clock. She would sit quietly |
with her hands folded in her lap and
try to ignore the palpitating life out
side; try not to think or to remember.
One thing she had gained, however
Now and then she was allowed to visit
Ellen, not too conciliatory Ellen, but
happily married one. Already she was
going to have a child.
Missile always hoped that Ellen would
mention Harry Sloane, but she never
did. And she herself could not speak
of him. There would be q curious tight
ening Of her throat when she tried, an |
almost physical construction about her
hear.
Have you seen any Of the old
friends?"
"Old friends, indeedI I never knew
we had any"
And that was all.
Continued In Tomorrow's Star)