Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28

K that underneath all the racket and
y the rumpus, the toot of tin horns,
the gusts of confetti, the night was
New Year eva solemn night, president, sig
pincant-and that she was spending it alone!
Yet this spending it alone had at least been
of her own choosing. Certainly she had not
bean alone at the dinner hour! Sharply, the
gay scene came winging back to her That long
bright table lined with rollicking guests. New
Year eve-New Year eve! Hooray! And
H-u-z-z-a-h Clank it with glasses! Blaze it
with silver! Cool your hot cheeks in the snow
of the naperyl Scorch them again in the glow
of red candles! Shake the flaming confetti
from your hair!
Yes, f1ame-colored! That just exactly
what the confetti had been! Even now in her
hair every time she shook her head, it was like
a shower of sparks. Just ordinary confetti
hadn't been gay enough for them, it seemed.
Gold it must be! Gold! A veritable Midas
shower across the blinking senses Midas
shower? Even the night itself. All the CLEAN
and CLINT of it. How like gold-piece itching
in the palm, the bright phrase tossed itself
from hand to hand! New Year eve-New
Year eve! How shall spend it?"
Spend it, you wastrels? Why not save it in
stead? Just for once. How oddly, like an inner
voice, that sudden, imprisoned protest had
rung across her startled senses. Save it
save it! Why not save it-nstead?"
How persistently, all in that instant, her
mind had kept reverting to the quiet
hearth-fire waiting SO patiently for her in her
private sitting room. The luxurious chaise
Tongue, the deep wing chair-just herself, just
her husband! new book or two! A bit Of
talk even! A shy flare of mental intimacy!
Just handclasp surely at the fated hour.
But her husbands mood it seemed, had not
run in just this same groove.
'New Year eve-New Year eve! How shall
we spend it?" That was his question!
AS though in a single resonant voice, the
answer had rung to the very rafters cat The
Rc.sterers,' of course! The best show in
town."
mo. I thank you" she had said.
single glance of surprise from her hus-
bands eyes, babble of protest from her
guests-and then, in a clatter Of pushed-back
chairs, riot of laughter, whirlwind of color
the bright storm had passed.
Yet even now, lolling back in the quiet which
she had longed' for with book and table
close at her elbow and all the silken soft
nesses of her life wrapping her senses like
luscious anodyne, she felt vague sense Of dis
quetude. an unprecedented hunger gnawing
at the vitals of safety.
She felt a little cold suddenly-reached to
the smoldering fire-and found it did not warm
her! She felt little hungry suddenly
reached to the glistening bonbons at her elbow
and found they did not feed her She felt
little thirsty suddenly, reached to the red
wine on the table and found it did not quench
her thirst.
Frankly disquieted, she jumped up and ran
to the window, and, pulling back the heavy
curtains, stood staring down upon the rollick-
ing boisterous scene in the park below. Snow
everywhere! And jostling throng! Around
the brilliantly lighted municipal Christmas
tree. still blazing stanch and sweet in the
waning year, gang of hoodlums wreathed
like garland twisting in a flannel Dogs
were barking, frecrackers suffering ribald
jests tossing to and froi Yet underneath it
all. transcending it ALL that strangely arrest
ing sense of expectancy! A whole world wait
ing for that poignant moment when Time
itself should cross from the proved has-been
into the still unfathomed yet-to-beI And
lovers eyes raking lovers eyes And old
hands, cropping for old hands Even young
laughter, hushing suddenly in its vehemence-
10 QueStion-to question?
without rancor, yet with a frankly ironic
twinge to the humor. she tilted back her own
head suddenly and laughed Well, her lovers
eyes, this night, had gone to rake the lines and
languors. the barbaric beauties and incredible
vulgaritieS Of the most popular and altogether
raciest show in town. And old friends, CROP
ing eagerly through the shadows, CROPPED only
for the touch of a silver f1askI And young
laughter, if it ever did hush its racket to
question, asked only, Where do we go from
here?"
Turning back into the room, she started
slowly toward the chaiSe Tongue. Then stop
ped suddenly and cooked her brght-hued head
toward fresh burst of laughter and blare of
tin horns from the rollickng park below. A
strange little light woke suddenly in her eyes,
mo! Upon my soul, swear It'll" she cried
out Il will never spend New Year eve insig-
nificantly again!"
In another instant, rushing to a teeming
wardrobe, she had tossed aside dozen SHIN
mering evening wraps and priceless furs. and
slipping instead into a plaided sports coat
with black tam-o'-shanter pulled down over
her glstening hair, she cast single depre-
catory glance at the jeweled heels of her black