Smyrna times., 1932-07-20
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
HIS BIRTHDAY"
BY Jane Osborn

WUuluHI Lave LnOuSnL ABOUT II IL
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 q
birthday and a money order had
slipped from the letter. 1t was for
a hundred dollars and the letter had
explained: Il know you can't pos
sfbly need the money but | am
hoping you'll take it and spend it
do something that you really want
to without thinking whether it is
extravagant or not. Do you remem-
Der what fun you and ! used to
have on your birthdays?"
So when George sat in his bache-
Ior 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
it 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 60.
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 TO pick flow
ers as his mother might have sug
gested on any other day. but to
play Robinson Crusoe. One day
they had gone together to the sea
shore and spent most Of the day
4 swimming.
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 a de
cision as to what il 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 wanC-
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 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 IL 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 1t
| done. Then she said she would
go with him.
George and Edith took 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 1t 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.
So 1t was that. after they had
seen the church together and talked
about ii as one architect to another,
| he asked Edith to have luncheon
with him-because at the time 1t
seemed as If nothing else in the
world would be so pleasant. Then
they went on another drive in the
country. He asked her to have din
ner with him and to go to the thea
ter, too. Edith said she couldn't.
She had work to do that night and
besides-"It seems so strange that
you really wanted to be with me-"