Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-08
THE LUCKY LAWRENcEs
By KATHLEEN MORRIS

| leaves were drifting and Dick showed
her his initials cut clumsily into the
great bole Of a pepper tree. The girl
stopped and touched her lips to them.
do you know what that is, Dick?"
she asked, Strengthening UP, with eyes
full of love and laughter. That's love
dear. The love Of a womalI for a
man" "a.
1.-The miracle" he said, kissing her
glowing face.
On the way home they stopped at
the graveyard and Gail knelt, dry-eyed
and thoughtful, at Edith's littlC stone
and touched its carved inscription with
her flngertips.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God" she read. And all
that evening, the last Of her girlhcod,
she thought of Edith.
MY darling, If you could share this!
You'd love it so! Packing the trunk
you'd have so many little tricks, out of
the backs Of magazines! You'd come
out to visit us maybe in London, and
we'd prowl together-in the Strand and
in Charing Cross Road"
The evening was one long dream-a
dream that blended into the dreams of
the short night, when she slept lightly
but sweetly, mingling waking thoughts
with happy confused Journeys into the
unreal.
She thought Of the old house, the
stately old ugly rooms, the books and
books and books. She thought of her
poetic mother dying, with innocent lit
! tie Ariel on her arm, and OF motherleSS
childh3 cod days when she and Edith had
whispered Of school affairs, going of
| to sleep. Then papa off to the war,
and then the strange sense of sud
denly growing up, of responsibility that
had come with the news of papa'S death
and her first job.
Poverty, hard work, encouragement,
ignorance-how these shadows had
darkened about the Lawrence children!
She and Edith had philosophical, had
read books and taken walks, had refused
the spurious coin when the genuine
had failed them. But Ariel had f1ut-
tsred straight toward the flame, desper-
ately determined to force from the
world what the world would not give.
Edith, always steadfast, faithful, COM
ing to the library to help stack books,
planning supper in the side garden,
with raspberries and iced tea. But Ariel
in open rebellion and Gail not much
better.
She remembered the day when Van
Murchison came suddenly back into her
life and when fun, excitement, visits
and frockS had seemed within reach.
OAAo1OAoAoSVOAy AAAPPoAAO' o1NNNJ -
had been, she had accepted him. She
had determined, indeed, to marry him
should the chance be offered her
marry him to escape.
Gail, dreaming of all this on her we'd
ding eve, trembled with sudden chill
in the darkness and solitude of her own
big chamber. She would have taken
Van to escape-what?
Well. this This that she had tonight.
Her friends. her background. her family,
Phil and Lily and the children, all the
beauty and dignity of home. To escape
from her work, hsr green fountain pen.
To escape from Dick and London and
all the glowing future!
Then 1t was morning and there was
no more time for dreams. The house
was astir in the foggy dawn; Lily, with
her hair in curriers', running frantically
about the kitchen; little boys stumbling
to and fro. Sam grinning over his early
cup Of coffee, Phil rushing off to work
with all sorts of commissions and
threats sounding in his ears.