The Washington times., 1931-02-17
CHAPTER 4

After dinner-which Adelaide
enjoyed heartily, not coming to
the table however, but served
on an ample tray-the Sander
sons and Mary Lou stayed for
another hour or so, sitting Sc
dately in the living room,
hodge-podge of good and bad
furniture, of mixed periods,
after the dishes we're washed
and dried. And presently they
left for their train, walking to
the station for the good OF
their health, after so lavish a
meal. Billy, who had been told
merely that his mother ana
father had to go away Tor a
time and that he would soon
come to stay with Gram, Aunt
Adelaide and the cat, was per-
fectly happy in the charming
selfishness of children, TOO
young to realize the impending
long separation. and delighted
with the thought of country
and garden and freedom. to
saw nothing of the spelling ne
would get from his relatives, OF
which he was perfectly aware;
The fact that Mary Lou would
be with him, too, made every
thing quite all right.
Clara was happy for him thaC
. he took it that way" as sne
= said. but mother-like she nat
urallv could not forbear a Ilt-
tie pang of jealousy that her
bow seemed so indifferent 10
her departure. Not" she aooeo
hastily, that I want MN 10
grieve."
Billy Not Responsible
Hes very little" Mary Lou
excused him, and he doesn't
realize. 1 expect that after you
do go, he'll go througn some
had times and be awfully n me
Sick for you, Clara She re-
trained from adding what Sne
further believed, knowing Billy
which was that he would soon
forget, soon adapt himself. Chill
dren were like that, she thoughG;;
and even some adults. No5 all
erown-ups, however, possessed
! such a happy faculty, she pom
dered heavily.
The rest of the remaining
time flew, or so it seemed 10
Mary Lou. The house was
cleaned, things we're stored,
some were sold to friends and
neighbors, Mary Lou and Billy
raced along Shore Road one
Saturday afternoon while the
Sandersons went shopping for
clothing suitable to the tropics,
Billy serene and unconscious
Mary Lou with an Increasingly
sore heart. And presently the
day had come for Clara and
Howard to bid their little boy
good-by and to take him out to
Oakdale. Mary Lou stayed home
that day, wandering about the
empty house. a house which
seemed the ghost of itself, most
Of the shabby, lived-wlti1 furni-
ture gone, the walls showing
marks of vanished pictures and
the very floors, bare, ect1oing
desolately to her tread. She
was very unhappy and very un-
certain of herself
She would spend the night OF
the SanderSonS' departure next
door, with a friendly nelgnbor,
for tomorrow morning The past
pieces of furniture, beds. dres-
sers and a chair or two would
be gone.
Larry came over that even
ing, before the Sander5)nS' re-
turn, gazed soberly upon the
emptiness. the strapped and
locked trunks, the bulglng and
battered bags, gazed earnestly
upon Mary LOUIS pallOr and
listened" as he said, 70 her eX-
traordinary Silence-a remark
able feat-and then dragged
her out to dinner. dusty as she
was, her trunk and her little
belongings having already been
expressed to Oakdale.
You'll seem so far Off" she
told him, over coffee, III miss
you"
Not necessary. Oakdale's only
an hour or so away. You can't
get rid of me as easily as that"
he told her gayly, AMI I'm
trailing that job for you, Mary
Lour Trust your Uncle Iarry!"
Find me a job as compan-
ion," Mary Lou told him, try
ing to laugh. you know gen.
teel and quiet! That's me! I
can read aloud, Larry. and I
think I can fetch foot stools
and carry trays and pull down
window shades, for I've had
quite a course of Aunt Adelaide,
you know"
He Knew Her Type
Larry had never met that
plump and ailing lady but Mary
Lou had given him a full de-
Scription. He laughed and then
sobered abruptly
Joking aside" said Larry, If