The Washington times., 1931-03-28
Life, Love and Adventures
OF a Modern Cinderella

JUST saying pTeCGy, lOVcLhAc
things. You're not angry, are
you?" he asked anxiously.
Ill ut Ease
On the other side Of the
hedge another Delight, the real
Delight, the lost Delight, list
ened, her face rather pale un-
der the carefully applied make
UP. $3.50 the girl had told
him she cared, had she? Why?
Or couldn't she help it? Surely
that wasn't part Of her bar
gain.
mo, I'm not angry" Mary
LOUIS voice came, so low that
Delight could scarcely hear it,
and had to strain her excel
lent ears in Iorder to catch
the muted tones.
MY mother loves you dearly" "
said Lorrimer, and the listener
caught her breath. II that were
true it would be another COM
plication! shed be so happy
if-well, almost as happy as I
would be. we've could have
so much" he went on. "Oh,
I don't mean just money and
freedom from anxiety and all
that. I mean, we have so much
to build on; we could make
something so marvellous, so
beautiful and enduring, from
this long-ago war marriage OF
ours. We have, I realize now,
much more upon which to build
today than then. I don't admit
you were right when you said
that if I had found you directly
after the war our romance
might have gone on the rocks.
But 1 do admit that we have
more now than then. I want
you for my own," he told her.
"in my house. my partner, my
wife, the mother of our chill
dren, for always.
"You told me once, recently,
that modern times and modern
trend had made you frightened
Of marriage. Need it, really?
There are unhappy marriages.
We all know that. Heaven
knows they get enough publicity.
But the happy ones aren't bruit-
ed about on the streets, just be-
cause they are happy. There
must be hundreds, thousands Of
them. I spent a very happy
childhood with parents who
were not only deeply in love
and beautifully mated. but who
we're splendid friends to each
other and to me. Perhaps such
a childhood makes a person
optimistic. Anyway I am. I'd
like you to think of that. I
have said over and over that I
don't want to force you to a de-
cision, but all the time I seem
to be trying to, unconsciouSly.
I'm willing to wait; you know
that, for as long as it takes you
to make up that mind Of yours.
But I can't wait in absolute ST.
lence, you know, because I love
you so much. Finding you was
coming out of darkness into the
light. If I lose you, it will be
my own fault. If I lose you I'll
try to be game about it. I
mean I promise you honestly
that all you've done for me
won't be wasted; if you cannot
care enough for me to become
my wife in reality, 7 won't slip
back into the madness and use
lesSnesS in which you found me
again. I owe you that much:
to keep on keeping on, no mat
ter what happens, no matter If
the sun drops out Of my heaven.
I love you," he said, Delight"
Not Her Lover
Listening, Delight Hartford
felt her throat swell and her
eyes sting with unusual tears.
This was not the boy she had
known, eager, ardent, restless;
yet it was that boy, come to
manhood, his eagerness con-
scious of its goals, his ardor
graver, deeper, his reckleSSness
gone, perhaps forever. This
was a man she did not know, a
man she would like to know, a
man upon whom she had a GER
tain claim.
She did not hear Mary Louis
reply, her ears were dimmed
with the rush Of blood, pump
ing furiouSly through her heart.
She took a cautious step for
ward, Skirted the hedge to q
place where the cloSe-woven
branches were thinner, pushed
them gently aside with her
hands and tried to look through.
Succeeding, she saw Mary LOUIS
face, small, rather piteouS in
expression. She saw Lorrimer
in profile.
He had grown much hand
somer with the years, she
thought, watching him, feeling
old, forgotten memories sweep
ing back ON her with a tremen.
douS force. He had grown
amazingly attractive Thera