Evening star., 1932-08-13

a
play. Humanity" shifted with beWilo-
ering swiftness to comedy, to drama, to
tragedy.
White house with green shutters be-
side an elm-areaed street. Little white
cottage on a hilltop. Dreams spun of
gold and silver threads. Dreams in the
dust.
Tony watching the city from her
window, marvelec at the gay festoons OF
lights with which the city decorated the
burial place Of her love, her ambition
A feSe in celebration Of the death OF
love. A gala night to dance over the
corpse of dreams. She would marry
Donald Kemp when he was free. She
would forget her dreams. She would
be his wife. All her devotion would GO
toward recompense, toward reclamation
Of his happiness. He would never know
that inside, in the secret recesses of her
heart and her soul, she was quite dead
The telephone bell. That would be
Donald, back from Haven Beach.
"Hello?"
Hello, Tony. Get good rest?"
Tons of it, Donald. Is everything
all right?"
Right, and getting Fighter"
you saw Lee?"
"All I ever want to see of her."
You'll call for me at the cluh?"
Presently. I've got some good news
! sold your sketch, Night Sky to
Mortieu"
''Donald-he liked it?"
"He liked it $500 worth. At first he
only liked it $3.50 worth, but held
out"
"But-thats ridiculous. 1t isn't
worth"
1T must be or Montieu would not
have paid. Listen. young Tony, I may
be delayed. Suppose you get ready fol
a fiesta-the yellowish dress you wore
the first time I met you. wait for me
in the reception room off the lobby"
Donald, you're a--dear."
so are you"
The apricot dress. Tony surveyed
herself in the mirror hanging above the
blind fireplace in the reception room OF
the Tres Arts Club, A few yards oi
chiffon and of lace. yet they embodied
her fate, She had hesitated about buy
ing the dress when she saw it at ST.
mone's. She knew she should not buy
1t. Fate was stronger than reason.
Strange how fresh and unspoiled the
apricot dress remained Like fate, il
seemed to be indestructible The night
she. first adventured with Lee to meet
Donald Kemp; the night at Haven
Beach when Jock Selden made her
realize the price of plucking primreses;
the night Donald Kemp told her he
loved her. that he was married.
Tony lifted the soft folds Of her
skirt, examined the hem of the apricot
dress. 1t was not bedraggled, begrimed
like herself. Uncanny. Perhaps she
shouldn't have worn it. Maybe she
would have time to run upstairs and
slip into something elee. Things hap
pened to her when she wore the apricot
dress.
Tony"
She was bending over. contemplating
fate In folds of apricot chiffon.
That voice, deep and husky. Res
onant with emotions that were dead
dreams garlanded by city lights. Lean
brown hands. Lips that fingered: Love
was dead. Buried in the city. But the
ghost of love was not dead. 1t IVES here
to haunt her. She must chase thi:
ghost away, strangle it, destroy it. She
must.
"Tony!"
She raised her head.
1Omi
TONY, I had to come to you. Don't
send me away-not yet. Not before I've
told you. l can't go on unless vol
know. I love you, Tony. I've loved yo,
since the first night you came down thi
stairs to meet me and let me look int
your eyes"
"oh, my dear" Tony beseeched, "wh,
didn't YOU let me know-before 1t wa
too late?"
II did let you know. Almost before
knew myself. That night in the stree
when 1 held you close and kissed you
God. a man wouldn't forget the frs
time he held the woman he loves IN hi
arms, and kissed her. had to leave
the next morning. O'Clock, 1t was.
had TO get the train. 1t was my jot
and an engineer. Tony, is pretty mucf
like a soldier, He obsys orders"
"You could have written"
ct did write. That same night, aftel
I got back to the Engineer Club. Ant
I wrote to Lee. I told her loved you
I believed she would understand. lie.
and were never definitely committed
1t was = sort of boy and girl under
standing. She didn't love me. knew
when l met you'll never loved her"
Tony reached out her hand TO NEE
tha lean brown one. SlH was not
doubter. Merely a questioner.
You wrote? never received IN
; letter, not a word from you. not ate
that night-in the street-untll yo'
came here yesterday, to the CLUB.