The Coolidge examiner., 1932-07-08

DOuy Hdue, sdylHS SOlueluIuS lIdl
could be twisted into a meaning
that hadn't been intended. They
spent hours discussing the negligible
emotions of schoolboys. 1t was
simply silly!
1t wasn't an attitude she consis-
tently maintained. She liked to
giggle herself sometimes. She hung
back little one day, coming out of
French class, to give Isabel Norris
and Jane Cole, who were coming
along behind her arm in arm, a
chance to overtake her. 1t would
be fun to tell them what had hap
pened to Myrtle Bowling in geom-
etry the period before.
Isabel and Jane appreciated
Myrtle and would, Edith thought,
enjoy hearing about the incident.
But they were absorbed in matter
Of their own.
Instinctively, Edith quickened her
pace. She didn't know whether
they were looking at her or not,
but she wouldn't for anything in the
world have let them see that she'd
meant TO wait for them. The crowd,
her old crowd-Martha, Carolyn,
all Of them-had got up a beach
party, and she hadn't been asked.
Evidently she wasn't going to be.
They could have asked her safe
ly enough; she wouldn't have gone.
1t would have been-decent Of them,
though, to give her a chance to say
so. Evidently they'd meant to drop
her from the first. Well, they
wouldn't find any trouble doing it.
She took a front seat and bolted
the minute class was out, snatched
her hat and coat, and fed. She
hoped she'd hear Carolyn call after
her to wait, but she didn't.
She found the house locked up.
She remembered now that 1t was
the day mother was out 10 lunch.
1t struck her that she ought to
write a letter to Ed. She hadn't
In ever so long-not since the last
one she'd done on the typewriter
down at dads office.
She sat at her desk a long while,
connecting the blots on her desk
pad with lines to make them into
geometrical figures, before she wrote
anything on the sheet of note paper
she'd laid out.
At last she wrote Dear Ed" at
the top of 1t, and got herself
started.
81 don't suppose you'll be sur
prised to get letter from me writ
ten with a pen, because mother has
probably told you that I'm not at
the Office any more and there isn't
any more Office. I've gone back to
school and / simply hate It. Dad
wanted me to, so / went. think
I'm going to college in order TO be
better prepared to take job"
She connected up lot more blots
before she added anything to that.
Then, writing pretty fast. she went
on, 'If, by any chance, you see Mr..
Morgan, you might ask him II he
happens TO remember whether that
secretary OF his fathers went to col
lege or not, and II she did, what
college II was. / don't suppose he'd
remember, only II he did happen 10,
thought I'd like TO know. You
don't need to ask him unless you
happen to see him. remember he
said once that she was an awfully
good secretary, and that's what !
want to be-"
She couldn't think of anything
more she particularly wanted TO say
to Ed, and yet she realized she
couldn't end 1t here. He might won
der why she hadn't written 1t 10
Roger in the first place. He might
even show 1t to Roger. Heavens
Were there any misspelled words in
1t? She'd put in some more junk
when she could think better. She
was really getting a headache.
She was lying down with a wet
handkerchief over her eyes when
mother came home. Mother struck
her. somehow. as sort of heartless
didn't take her headache on trust
at all; wanted to know what she
had eaten for lunch, and on being
told she hadn't eaten anything, sent
her down to the Ice box to get a
glass Of milk.
Perhaps she'd have paid a little
more attention and learned that
hunger wasn't really at the bottom
of the trouble at all, If dad hadn't
Unexpectedly come home just then
himself. He was sort of excited and
in a perfectly terrific rush. He
wanted his bag packed while he
shaved and changed his clothes Sc
that he could catch the five-thirty
train to New York that night
| There was banker he knew taking
that train and he thought If he went
down with him he could sell
some insurance. Also, he had an
idea he wanted to take up with the
home office-some new sort Of con-
1