Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-11-20

motor, the jangling telephone, the ciE.
cling alrplnne. 9 n
Nothing short of miracle, at least
In his eyes, was the fact that Of all
the milling admirers about this phan-
tom Of delight. her glance should fall,
linger and conclude by adoring Mich
ael, fifteen years her senior and boz
longing to the back-rank and file Of
the almost extinct coachmen.
Naturally, 1t was here that her In
fuence entered most violently. With
in two weeks after the bewildering
knowledge that Roselle was in love
with him, the two of them. hand in
hand, like children, had sought out
the school for automobile drivers,
where Michael was enrolled for eve
ming work. Two weeks later, his first
payment Of his nest egg of FIVE hum
Z dred dollars was made on an orange
colored. slightly used taxicab, and
three months later a newly licensed
chauffeur, In natty cravenette suit,
legglngs and cap, was doing his test
driving on speedway just outside the
town. ''
1t was by all odds the most exclt-
Ing event that had ever entered his
life, and to mitigate what might have
been the pain of 1t, Hotspur was to
be relegated for light farm work to
the truck garden of an uncle of Ro-
selle's, where the pair, when they were
welded, could visit him Of a Sunday.
1t was all, as Roselle put It, just too
hotsy-totsy for anything. except that
the sllp-up came where not even her
sharp foresight could have ever an
ticipated 1t. sa-ss r.as.aeaee
One week before the wedding of
Michael and Roselle, and that same
one week before Michael was to as
sumo his permanent place on the taxi
cab, Rosele staged party.
1t was a pretentious affair." given in
the back yard of the little house on
the outskirts Of town which Roselle
shared with parents and a brood Of
small brothers and sisters. There
were colored paper lanterns strung
on clothes line. Dancing on the back
porch, to ukelele music supplied by
some Of Roselle's old flames among the
taxi boys. Strawberries and cream
and homemade ginger bread passed by
Roselle's perspiring mother and small
er brothers and sisters.
1t was toward the end of the eve.
ming, after Michael and Roselle had
been obliged by their warmed-up
guests to dance a fandango, that the
real novelty Of the occasion took
place.
Led into the back yard by four Of
Roselle's little brothers and sisters,
head down, tail down, eyes down, was
Hotspurl Hotspur, mind you, rugged
up in white lace ruff, and berlb-
boned sunbonnet and large veil Of
lace curtain caught by orange bios
SONS at the neck
Hotspur, the sweet-eyed, delicate
nostrlled, satin-flanked Hotspur, stand
ing there abashed by the ribaldry.
quivering under ridicule, DETAINED by
geegawsl
1t seemed to Michael, seeing 1t hap
pen, as If his heart had stopped and
with 1t his desire to ever live again.
Cracking laughter about him, Ro-
selle clapping her hands and skipping
about the detected figure Of Hotspur ;
the guests applauding this latest coup
of their plquant little hostess; 1t came
over Michael suddenly that here In
fhio hupaiIloffn0 vnnunant nrnhohIu ro-
sided blessing. Here, in this moment
of hurting for Hotspur, there came to
him the imposslbillty of what he was
about to do. .s.s ...
Michael belonged on his box, behind
Hotspur. Roselle, bless her, belonged
to that age out there. A good enough
age II you knew what 1t was all about,
only Michael, for the life of him, some
how could not figure out the need Of
rush through time to the jangllng Of
telephone bells, the whlrring of mo
tors and tipping of planes. II
Feeling that way about 1t all, bleed
ing at heart for Hotspur, the rest Of
his decision came quickly. LI
Michael is back on his box now, the
last cOachman in the square. He still
drives for the older families and the
nurses at the hospital still have way
of sending for him when they want
their patients to enjoy tranquil drive
behind the restful old Hotspur.
He has even driven Roselle and hel
husband about on two occasions
when she was patient at the hospital
after the birth OF her babies. -''.