Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15

treated decently, if to its shabby but
n comfortable furniture had been
known the kindness, gallantry and
courage that go with love.
Untidy now. Dust lurking; clothing. shoes,
cigarette ends, torn up letters and empty bot
ties in lunatic dsarray. dried-up plant in
the fireplace, a dead bird in its cage, an I'M
wound clock on the mantelpiece standing, hui
inflated between a cocktail shaker and a
broken photograph frame.
N the adjoining room. bed room, sick and
tired of the strange turnings and unexpected
pains of life, young and lovely girl who had
summoned reluctant death.
Sounds carried during the first of the few
short hours of New York's uneasy sleep. The
invisible but not grim figure turned toward
the door as the echoing footsteps stopped. A
latch key turned in the lock and into the sitting
room stumbled man who switched on the
light Young tall, well cut, good looking, he
wore expensive clothes which were creased,
hacked and unbrushed. His mouth was
trembling like that of a boy who wants but
refuses to weep. He flung his overcoat ever a
chair dropped his hat on the floor looked about
with a shudder and to deaths extreme surprise
went quietly to the mantelpiece and stared at
the photograph.
TN low vo.ce, unconscious of speaking aloud,
he gave his thoughts full play, Eyes, there
you are with her. John Beacon and Natalie
Bond Parker, bridegroom and bride. The
families without flaw in soundnsss and fine
effort since the Pilgrim days. People beaming.
People saying How charming are these young
people, how splendid in the beauty of youth.
They go forth with joy and happiness clnging
to their hands. Everything made easy by the
approval of both sides, with money removing
fear, example an inspiration, tradition bright
star "a marriage made in Heaven On,
nv Cod"
Death drew near and listened with peculiar
eagerness. The young man went on In dis
jointed sentences
.5ynat a mess he said What mess
we've made Whose feults yours or mine, or
combination of both? To much money? The
rnicrobe of the slackness of these times? Jazz,
bad liquor, the weakening of moral fibre, the
lack of discipline? AS We were two years ago,
as we are today! An orgy, a nightmare, the
stump that's brought to these sordid back
looms. Support cut off by parents who've been
staggered knocked speechless and who must
SAFE themselves. We, parasites, left stranded,
;1nemployable among the unemployed, cinglng
n this CHASTITY torrent to a handful of straws,
not on speaking terms. And that's the worst
OF it . You said last night that we were
-veaalings the no longer decorative weaklings
N a mere fantastic world. You said that there
vas nothing left to live for, nothing to be got
Cor nothing, that we were rotten apples which
had dropped from the tree. You said that death
meant in any case, the total blotting out, the
complete full stop, the welcome end of things.
that there was no faith but in the word of the
bootlegger, no God to call to account. Two
years Of having good time have made me
think So too. Well, then, I'll get out of your
way. The last thing I can do for you shall be
the best I've done for year. You can marry
a man who'll lift you out of all this
HOLDING his breath, Death watched Young
i Beacon put his hand to his hin. Beacon
a name that stood for light guidance, hope,
consideration, kindness, a welcome gleam in the
dark He said ooh, God, have mercy on these,
thy children Have mercy, 1 bese.ch."
The boy twisted his trembling mouth into
smile of galantry. Good blood tells. mot in
this ROOM" he said. When you come back
in the morning you shall be saved from that
shock
He went across to the bed ROOM opened the
door and gasped.
'vou said you were going to your mothers
place tonight"
Il know ! changed my mind"
why didn't you let me know? You could
have found me at the club"
why should 1? You don't care And
shouldn't be here now If you hadn't said this
morning that you didn't intend to come back
I never expected to see you anywhere again."
He said to himself Then she must have
noticed that I had taken my gun from the
drawer" and added with a sudden hot pain in
his heart. MOT that she cares!"
Death knew better than that. Before she
turned her head from the light he saw the
tears in her eyes, Almighty Cod" he said
again. have mercy on these two"
We'll" thought Young Beacon it must be
done in the street-in the broken rocks of new
building. There are plenty of those about"
I.,s..- L. 49,