The Coolidge examiner., 1932-06-24
His Birthday
By JANE OSBORN

4 AD NA4 me eve VI bIillllu
FaiFs birthday. He probably
wouldn't have thought about it if
now on the very day before, he had
not received a letter from his moth
er, who was off on a years holiday
somewhere in France with his IA
ther. The letter had reminded him
Of the fact that he was to have
birthday and money order had
slipped from the letter. It was for
a hundred dollars and the letter had
explained: Il know you can't pos
sibly need the money but | am
hoping you'll take it and spend it
Go something that you really want
to without thinking whether it is
eXtravagant or not. Do you remem-
ber what fun you and I used to
have on your birthdays|
So when George sat in his bache-
Tor apartment that evening he fell
to thinking of those birthdays long
ago. From the time that he was
very little boy his mother had de-
voted the entire day to him. There
had been other brothers and sisters,
so in the ordinary course Of events
he never saw quite as much Of his
mother as he wished. But when
his birthday came his mother some
how disposed Of all other duties and
from early morning until bedtime
she was his. And he could do just
what he wanted to do-and no one
need know what they had done If
1t was something that the broth
ers and sisters might tease him
about. Once he had wanted to
spend the entire day in her car with
her-not to go where she wanted
to go or where other people went,
but just where he wanted to go.
And they had gone down through
all the dingiest sections of the city,
through narrow crowded streets,
along the waterfront and finally
out in the woOds-not 10 pick flow
ers as his mother might have sug-
gested on any other day. but to
play Robinson Crusoe.
Recalling those other birthdays
he decided to spend the next day
as he had done with his mother
doing just what he wanted all day
long. He would do just what he
wanted-and yet as he thought
about it he couldn't come TO de-
cision as to what it should be.
BY the time morning came he had
somehow managed to get himself in
perfectly irresponsible mood, but
he found himself eating just the
same sort of breakfast In the same
little restaurant where he always
went. He left the restaurant
and strangely enough his impulse
led him in the direction of his office
Yes, that was where he really want
ed TO go. He wondered why-yet
all the time he really knew. He
didn't like to let the day pass with
out seeing Edith Lee. Edith worked
there as a craftsman, and a mighty
good one she was-shy, curly
haired, freckle-nosed little Edith.
who somehow felt that to work In
an architects office was the con-
summation Of all her ambitions. Or,
at least George thought that was
what she thought.
Well. he went to his office, and
when he said good morning, Edith
smiled, and George rather surprised
himself by asking her II she had a
great deal to do. Perhaps she
could get time to go with him to
the next county TO see the new
church in which they had each In
their way had a hand. Edith had
a good deal Of work before her,
but while she hesitated. she decided
that she could take the work home
and work until midnight to get It
done. Then she said she would
go with him.
George and Edith took a taxi TO
the garage where George kept his
car that he used only when he went
TO the country, and while they sat
together George smiled to himself
TO think that he was really here with
Edith. Ordinarily he wouldn't have
thought of asking her-because or
dinarily he never acted entirely with
an idea of his own personal salts
faction. He called on certain girls
because for some reason or other
he thought it was his duty to do
so. And there was no earthly
reason why he should be spending
time with Edith, except that he
found pleasure in doing so. He
didn't even think that she cared
about it.
So it was that, after they had
seen the church together and talked
about 1t as one architect to another,
he asked Edith to have luncheon
with him-because at the time it
seemed as If nothing else in the
world would be so pleasant. Then
. 4, IL