The Washington times., 1932-02-08

AaQ SalQ al 11ESC WLlSu IL was
planned that Lily Lou should
come to live with her. IF my
own sister can't be welcome
here, things have come to a
pretty pass. Board! I should
say notl"
But, though May and her
husband both worked, they
weren't getting ahead as fast
as they might, and with Ray
mond's relatives using the place
as a sort of free boarding
house already, it seemed only
right that Lily Lou should do
her share.
Besides, she liked to. 1t gave
her a feeling of independence.
Of power. 1t was eXhilarat-
ing to feel independent. Being
the youngest in a large family
is all well enough in a way.
You get advantages that the
others never had, never could
have had.
Everyone in the family, from
Great Uncle Zeph, who was
almost a hermit and had a
shack way up on Lone Noun
tain, to May, who was only
five years older than she, had
been helping pay for music les
sons ever since Lily Lou could
remember.
Hard Work Ahead
Dad had emptied shabby
pockets on the kitchen table.
Two dollars, three dollars and
so cents, and two dimes and a
nickel-three dollars and rs
cents, by crack! That ought
to buy a little girl a dress!
Mother had sat up nights sew
ing, her tired eyes closing
wearily sometimes as she strug-
gled to keep awake.
And May curling her hair for
her, and their older sister,
Bess, bringing her family in to
town for the church social, or
whatever it was where Lily
Lou was to sing, or play the
piano. No wonder they all
took such an interest in her
life now. In a way it was their
life, their career, their success.
Lily Lou understood that. She
knew they had all worked to-
gether to give her advantages
they had never had. So it was
up to her to make good. No
love, no marriage, for her. At
least not for years and years.
Work, and music, instead.
It would be wonderful to
sing in opera some day. To
come out before the curtain
flushed and laughing, and take
call after call. Sometimes she
could imagine it so vividly that
1t seemed real already. Her
cheeks would burn, her eyes
would kindle with excitement,
she'd rush to the piano and run
up the scale, her lovely voice
rising easily, effortlessly, in a
swelling column of sound. oh,
she had the voice. They'd all
said that. If she just didn't
die off in the meantime she'd
get there. but oh, the day..
the days and days that had to
be lived through before then.
Feminine Chatter
Sitting there on the upper
deck of the ferry, Lily Lou
looked around at the other
commuters. At the girls, young
and pretty girls like herself.
They sat together in little
groups, chattering and laugh
ing, on their way to work.
Maybe they weren't going to
have careers, but they were
having a lot more fun in the
meanwhile. They didn't have
to save all their money for
lessons. They didn't have to
practice every night. They
were living now. this minute
E. buying the pretty things
that tempted them in shop
windows, going out, enjoying
themselves. :.
The boat creaked slowly into
its pier. The gangplank was
lowered. The crowd streamed
off. formed two human rivers,
flowing up each side Of Mar
ket Street, tributaries leading
off at California Street, at
Sacramento Street, at every
corner, being lost at last in
the general morning crowd.
Lily Lou walked briskly. A
new day beginning. Anything
The look of expectancy
came back into her dark eyes.
the corner of her full red lips
turned upward, the warm color
came into her creamy skin.
I'm not really discouraged"
she thought, dreamily, "just
kind of tired and waiting. E. I
wish something would hap
pen. .Soon."
Quirk Of Fate
Lily Lou didn't know it, but
something had already hap
uened. Something that. was go
ing to undermine the founda-
tions of that very career she
was so sure about.
Up Market Street, at the
head of the crowd of 8 o'clock
- II. Il