Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-04-08
Slid Lydia
to Roy
So
By FANNIE HURST
10 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.l
(WNU Ser Vice)

(wNU serV.ce) =,
THE sun lay blanching the hills
to the splendor of perfect spring
and as far as. the eye could
reach, from the little swelling of
the land where Helen stood. sIanting
orchards, with young trees eager to
bear, reached to the horizon. Pres
emily, very presently, they would
burst into Incredible blossom and q
world crammed already to Its perfec-
ton with beauties of one sort or an
other. would accomplish the impossi-,
BILE, and become more beautiful,
At least, that was the way Helen,
eighteen. and with the love Of youth
In her heart, felt as she viewed 1t
from the rear of her fathers fruit
farm, that was known as Farnham's.
With that kind Of youth in her heart,
and added to 1t love, and a one-hour-
old betrothal, 1t was natural that to
Helen, at eighteen. the quieter, more
adult world which contained her ia
ther, Adam Farnham, and her mother.
Cora. should seem, BY comparison,
lusterless.
You wondered, when you were
eighteen and so In love with life that
the ground under your feet seemed
to culver, when 1t was only you your
self Quivering from love Of 1t, Just
what there was left for forty and for
ty-five; Cora and Adam.
1t mattered only to have been kissed,
as she, Helen, had just been kissed
by the youth named Blair Beck, who
had just ridden over In his brand new
car from his fathers farm, not TWEEN
ty miles distant, and with a ring in his
pocket which now sparkled on her left
hand. They were to be married and
live in a white house with green shut
ters on the Beck farm, the promised
gift of the senior Beck to his son, and
the blessings Of all four parents had
descended on the youngsters as the
apple blossoms would presently de-
scend and whlten the scene for miles
around.
The only deterrent. It seemed to
Helen, was to have reached the peak
Of life so soon. From now on, what
could there be but antlclimax to the
ecstasy OF this; the ecstasy Of the
betrothaI kisses that still lay singing
against her lips; the strange sweet
tihgling of the flesh; the dream Of
tomorrow that could not be quick
enough In coming.
"YOu are young and too eager for
life. my lamb" her mother told her
trying to calm her excltements. "Let
everything come in its turn. There
are compensations for every age"
How old the mother Of Heller
seemed to her when she said this, seat
cd beside her lamp In her perpetually
gray gown, with her gray hair drawn
in low portieres over her ears, anC
her hands so tranquil at their tasks o.
mending or sewing frocks. How sap
less What was there left for Cora
Father, Of course, but they had had
| everything together. Adam was as re
Taxed now as Cora was, and thert
were deep braces ground In perpen
dicular lines on the sides Of his mouth
and they seldom kissed. he and Cora
and it was nothing for him to come II
dog tired of an evening, kick out o
his boots and just lounge with hi
head sometimes on Cora's lap, II sh,
sat at the head of the sofa. And lit
tie to say. Scarcely ever any Of tn,
tender, lovely things to say, excep
II Cora happened to be ailing, ant
then he could be tender.
| But who wanted tenderness onl,
when one was ailing? Who wante.
tenderness from tired gray man Il
his stocklnged feet; who, in turn, an,
the private question to herself shocke,
Helen, who wanted to bestow tender
ness upon pale old lady with hair o
a gray pallori Helen did, Of course
Helen wanted to bestow tenderness up
on both Cora and Adam, because OF tn
passionate love she felt for them. Tn
love Of daughter for parents But tina
was different. The question still re
NAMED high in her heart. How dare
once face the down side Of life. afte
the ecstasy Of a present like hers
Cora and Adam must have had tina
youth, too, and now look. Oh, on
must live, one must live In youth
to store up against the bankruptcy o
agel
They were married. Helen and Blail
when the ground was white with tn
apple blossoms, and the day they re
turned from four months honeymoon
the last slap Of green and white pain
was on the cottage on the Beck plac
and four aged. tired, amiable an
retrospective parents were there I
wish them endless blessings.
There were blessings. Health, chi
dren and farm that widened an
prospered Blair succeeded well an
the children of Helen were the fin
ripe children Of health, and the Sol
rows that came were the inevltabl
ones Of passing life and death.
With the years, the four parent
sIckened and died; there were frlgh
ening illnesses among the childreI
drought came and pestIlence anon
the cattle, but in the main, the goo
overbalanced the Ill. Drought passe'
pestilence lifted. the children throN
and the beauty that was Helen's ri
ened, bore Its fruit, md oh. so gent
declined.
The same with Blair. His heftie
years reached their peak, his broa
| qhouIdara carried THAR haa vIaaf htr