Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-03


accommodated tourists" all Sum-
Il mer, and there was a small, clean,
Hnpersonaf bed room they let her
have, along with breakfast and supper
for SIS week.
Something Nina had once said came
back to her
You know, its like being in a differ
ent kind of play. to have been a mar
ried woman, and now to be a widow, .
she had said. THE part takes re-
hearsing =" How did one play the
part of Tilted girl? Up to now, her
part had been so different. Oliver
princess, leader, all the center-Stage
parts . not now. She must adjust
herself to part where the girls and
men who had looked up to her could
pity her. Could whisper and wonder,
and be sorry =.
She knew, going about her work, of
necessity meeting her friends, men and
girls, in the bank at church, outside,
that they were discussing her. The
mercileSs, detailed curiosity of a small
town focused on her. Girls who had
wanted Tommy. Men who had wanted
her.
Becky Purdon, asking her watchful,
pointed questions. Little underlined
Bill Wallace making jokes about Tommy
and about her having a changeful dis
POoAClOll 4llOSG people VINO
are never lacking, who assure you Of
their championship in a way worse
than being inimical.
i've always believed in YOU. I'm
IRE you threw Tommy over" And
always the watching, interested eyes
Well, 1t had to be gone through. And
Ishe had written to an employment
agency for secretarial work in Phila-
delphla, and to her old one in Balti-
II couldn't
Whlle-carry on, SomeWay, somehow
over the deafness and shame and hurt.
and feeling Of loss, and of being made
quate, every hour, to another hour of
living it through. Carry on, somehow.
Some day she'd be old.
She had loved her leadership, her
court OF admiration, more than she had
known. She hadn't realized it was any,
thing more than common friendliness.
for all she knew. Now-now that she
was sensitively registering every word,
every expression of all the people
around her-she knew how lucky she
had been in popularity and admiration,
and how much it meant TO her to have
it gone.
Il hadn't realized 1 was such a weak
sister," she told herself vaIiantly, and
went on with her work. Nor did she
realize, Of course, that the watching
ana Questioning was inevitable, and
that in spite of it she was still liked
The blow seemed to her to have taken
everything. There was no fun to things
any more. And there wasn't anybody
10 turn TO. She had always been the
ore JeSsica leaned on. If she had let
JASlca go in hole about the money
for the red coat, If she'd refused to
lend Jessica the money last time, she
would be married to Tommy now. That
didn't bear thinking about) The first
SUNDAY she spent writing Nina in care
OF her French bankers, writing Jessica
and, last of all, writing Tacy. And.
curiously enough, only in the last let
ter did she say any of the real things
she felt. Tacy was as close-mouthed
as tomb and, looking back now, Helen
could see that she had never approved
much Of Tommy. She had seen the
essential responsibility of him
Tacy came over TO see Helen. The
day after she had received the letter
she was rocking grimly in Mrs. Birch's
little, gaudy, tidy parlor, waiting till
Helen came home from work
I'm having supper with Emma Birch
and taking the trolley home afterward,"
she informed Helen. Il came over to
see you. There isn't much of anybody
you can talk it out to. You came to
me If you're mind to. been through
trouble myself, an I'm safe"
Yes, Tacy was safe. They went
up to Helen's little room, and Helen
found herself talking it all out Stonily
at first, but toward the end with
flooding, relaxing tears.
was you I'd try for work some
where else" was Tacys advice Helen
ltlhened, all her pride coming to her
rescue.
NO, I'm going to see it through
here And anyway for a while. I
won't run away like Tommy"
Then I got to say one thing, Helen,
though hate to add to your worries.
Don't you trust Mrs. Delamater She's
goin' TO try to spare Tommy at your
expense"
But it does spare Tommy" Helen
said wonderingly, ito let people think l
broke II of, not he"
TO folks that know what honor is,
maybe. She don't, an he don't. 1t
must be hard on the old gentleman,
except that most men don't look for
honor or decency in wives much. They
expect their sons to ketch it like small
poX seems IT, out Of the air"
Helen shivered. 1t didn't seem TO
her she could stand much more. She
held Tacy tight, and Tacy patted her
shoulder
Now, there. you poor child. It's
been a shame. You've had dreadful
had If you'd married him, believe me.
There's good things round the corner
for you, you're young an han some.
You may be glad Of this get"
mo. There's nothing I can want,
said Helen.
Presently Tacy went away But
Helen felt comforted She was not
quite alone. She went to work next
day a little buoyed up. a little more
the laughing Helen she had been. But
the morning tired her, and she began to
realize that what allied her was more
than the blow Of Tommy'S treachery.
She had overdone, as Tacy had warned
her for long time before the thing
had happened She worked more des-
perately hard; she couldn't be i'll; why,
she had to have money! She went the
round between her little room and the
bank, the lunch room near the bank
ard home again. She strove TO talk and
laugh with the other men and girls.
But she missed it horribly. just the
same. Tomny's wild gayety, his sudden,
furious, resentful temperS Wnen NOBODY
had done anything-his charm, his
power of sweeping people along with
him. She missed more than anything
else, though she did not know 1t, some
one to give love to. Doris Milliken was
the only friend OF whom she saw much
Doris would not let her go. She needed
Helen still, and hunted her out in the
little golden oak room, taking her for
long walks and talking about Ronny
And Helen found herself telling Doris
doris. who was so silent that nobody
ever thought of asking her not to tell
anything!) the truth Of the matter II
seemed queer to be telling Doris you
were unhappy instead of consoline
Doris for her troubles.
IT hadn't realized 1 was such weak
sister," she told Doris, trying to laugh