The Washington times., 1931-02-17
NOU Go On With the Story

we COulu SCb yOu JOO AIhC CAAoV
it would be great"
Its about all l can do" she
conceded in q small voice.
Cheer up" ordered Larry,
fiercely, "or I'll make you marry
me and then. woman, you'll
have your hands full!'
Clara and Howard returned
from Oakdale late that evening
and Clara's eyes were red while
her tall, lean husband was
much Subdued. The next morn
ing, early, Mary Lou went with
them to the boat. Larry man.
aged to be there and others Of
their friends, including several
past business associates. They
were sailing by way of England
where they were to join the
rest of the party which was
going out to India on the con-
Struction work.
The pier was exciting and
Mary Lou was smitten with
nostalgia, as always, for far
places and strange sights. for
the feel of a ships deck under
her eager feet, for the sound of
the waves, for the vast eXpanSe
of changing color and perpetual
motion which is the sea. But,
presently, it was all over, and
the ship had pulled slowly away
and there was Clara. waving
frantically. with Howard beside
her, and Mary Lou, despite the
presence of Larry beside her
and he was holding her hand
tightly. a fact of which she was
unconScious-despite the hun
dreds of strangers there. milling
about, waving, calling farewellS,
felt very much alone. very for.
lorn, as if she we're the only per-
son left in an altered and sud-
denly inimical world.
Larry took her to a hasty
luncheon, for he had to get
back to the office, and tried to
cheer her up over a lavish out
lay of broiled chicken, but her
appetite had failed her and she
was glad, somehow, to go back,
by subway, to the empty echo
ing house. there to wait for the
last moving van, to turn the
key in the lock and to sur
render it to the agent of the
owner. BY the time this was
all done, it was evening and she
went next door to the kindly
woman who had offered to take
her in and. refusing supper,
went straight to bed in that
terribly strange room.
Health and youth and tears,
shed quietly into a pillow, soon
plunged her fathoms deep into
sleep and when she woke to
streaming morning sunlight,
somehow things didn't seem as
bad. 1t was over. she had no
more home, she might as we'll
face it. Anyway, she'd see Billy,
that endearing rascal. today;
she could make herself useful
to Grandma Jennings and she
would try and listen with what
patience she could muster to the
never ending tale of Aunt Ade-
ladies aches and pains. And,
too, Larry would come out to
see her, while surely. surely ad-
venture waited, just around this
particularly difficult corner!
Youth is elastic and Mary
Lou had enough vitality for 10
girls. She ate enough breakfast
for two. anyway, being very hun
cry, to her great aStoniShmenI.
and after bidding Mrs. Davis
good-by set out for the station
and Oakdale with small hand
bag and a large stock Of re-
gained optimism.
The first few days passed off
quietly enough. There was
some special canning to be
done, Aunt Adelaide had taken
to her bed for one Of her pc
riodical rest cures, despite the
fact that for years she had
never done anything save rest,
While Billy had to be adjusted
to the new school and the new
mode of living. And Mary Lou
had her hands full, writing out
a diet list for the little boy and
pinning it up in the kitchen,