Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-08
INSTALLMENT xxx.

y Muller's she looked at the In
credibly smart ensemble; the tan
silk blouse, the tobacco-brown coat
with a great fur collar.
1.-THE tag seems to be gone, Mr..
Yer. Not that I think it's-just my
+e"
1t is thirty dollars" said old Muller
2dfastiy. The saleswomaI aim nsiI
. led bewildered.
Thirty dollars!"
Thirty"
Che tried it on that night for the
.nily, pulled down the rich little to-
:. -co-brown hat over her eyes.
You're stunning" said Lily and
: .el. Gee, you're cute!" Sam and
ii said. Dick said nothing:
The days we're full Of delights; IN
t'le long evenings she and Dick sat by
-, fire and planned.
What keeps us in New York FOR ~
Gcys, Dick?"
.Oh, I have to see Mr.. Leavitt, and
y, have to get you a Winter coat-or
,aybe we could get that In Lon
Dick, assure you in all seriousness
that can't believe my ears!"
It's going".he said slowly with q
I.ch content in his voice-"to be fun!'
DO you know whom I'm going 70
miss like everything, Lip" GAN asked.
f4iley were busy wiping the dishes.
"Phil?" suggested Phil's wife.
Phil too, and, of course, the baby.
Cut I mean Danny" said Gail. He
and understand each other. ! never
dreamed Jnat 1 could love a little boy
MS much as that
He'll miss you, too" Lily said, tears
In her bright sharp eyes. But won't we
all" she added, simply. =,
It was only Ariel of them all, OF all
Clippersville who could not share the
ycitement and pleasure of Gail Law
,cnces marriage. Ariel had somehow
,ost her birthright of little sistership.
There had been no happy furry OF
flowers. gifts, wedding frocks and we'd
cling plans for her, and she looked on
It Calls excitement and emotion with
disillusioned. hard, young eyes and
1aint curl Of her lip.
Sometimes Gail dragged herself from
her own roseate absorption to try, as all
her world had always tried, to cheer
Ariel.
DO you know anything about Man
chester?"
Manchester"
THE New Jersey town where Van is,
where you'll live?"
Not much" Ariels tone would be
utterly dreary. Van says there's a
country club"
That might be fun"
Il don't imagine anything in New
Jersey is fun. 1t sounds to me ike
horribly jay place"
Words were no use. Beautiful, mar
ried to the man she had chosen yet the
secret of content was denied Ariel, and
she could only look forward with appre-
hension and backward with regret.
Ariel tried to feel contempt for Gail,
so innocent, so awed. so trembling with
love and faith. Ariel was but 81, but
life had hardened her. She had aged
thrilled Ariel now. No promises rang
true in her ears, no prospect allured
her. And Gail at 20; Gail, who wrote
stories and handed unmanageable little
boys and novel-loving old ladies so ex-
pertly; Gail was only child, going in
utter unknowingness to her bridal night.
To Gail men could still be fine, good,
worthy Of trust and love; to Gail mar
riage and motherhood would be the very
crown of life.
But, after all, it was hard to despise
beauty and strength and hope; it was
hard to despise the prospect that en-
braced travel and new cities and the
crossing of the, great ocean. Above all,
it was hard to deSpise love-and how
these two loved each other
Calls new cards came-Mrs. Richard
Alden Stebbins; Calls new trunk came.
with plain little "A. L. S." lettered on
the blue stripe that encircled it.
On the afternoon before the day it
self they were walking about the old
place that was presently to be Sans
home. Sam not only had theories about
farming. but he had an eye on pretty
Beth TAFT, who taught the kindergarten
grades. He, Gail and Dick wandered
through the deserted farmhouse that
still smelled Of apples and rotting wood.
and through the sweet-scented barns
and stables.
Sam had left them alone for a min
ute in the kitchen.
IF Beth and Sam make a 60 Of it
we'll come back some day!"
We'll come back anyway, Gail"
They stepped into the dooryard and
looked up at the trees from which the