The Washington times., 1934-08-01

engaged TO MN, arenC your
mot in my own mind, Allen"
"Why, of course, you're still
engaged to him." Allen got up
from the table and walked
across to the cash register to
pay his bill. They went out,
leaving their coffee and Aliens
plate of food untouched.
A block away from the sta
ton he bought a newspaper,
and all the way home on the
street car he read the first Sec
ton of it, handing Susan the
section containing the woman'S
page. But he made no pre-
tense Of reading it and sat with
his hat pulled down over his
straight nose, his eyes fixed on
the advertisements above the
windows.
In silence they left the street
car, and neither of them spoke
until they stood before the lit
tie Shoe Fixery with its shad-
owed doorway. Then Allen said,
"You'd better go on ahead now
so that your people won't know
you've been out with me-" And
there was extreme bitterness in
his tone.
She went in and finding the
dishes in the sink unWaShed
donned an apron and leisurely
cleaned up.
The house seemed very still
after that, and Susan had a
feeling that it must be the dead
of night, although the kitchen
clock said that it was not quite
$50. She put the pans away,
hung up the dishpan and
loaded a tray with the dishes
she had washed and wiped. AS
she put them away in the china
cabinet in the dining room she
glanced uneasily over her
shoulder at the black doorway
of Uncle Worthy's den and the
parlor doorway across the wide
hall.
DISCOVERED
Above her head a board
cracked and she glanced ner-
vously into the hall once more.
Someone was coming very quiet
ly down the stairs. She could
hear soft, slow footfalls-and
then, in another second, she
saw Allen come around the
turn from the landing.
He stood in the doorway and
she saw with a thrill of pride
in him that he seemed to fill
it with his height and the
width of his shoulders.
"Susie!" All the anger was
gone out of his face now. He
was the smiling, confident
young man who had stood in
his dripping clothes before the
parlor fire a week before and
told her that she was in love
with him. "Susie, come here
and kiss me good night" he
said.
But is was he who crossed the
room and stood beside her, and
the instant he was near her
everything in the world was all
right once more for Susan. She
thought, Were mad about each
other, and that's all that
counts. Everything else is just
piffle." She wondered, as he
laid his hands on her shoulders
and bent his face down to hers,
why she had been so weak, so
unconVincing, that day with
Wallace. .Ah, that was the diff
ference between Allen and
everyone else on earth: when
she was with him he could make
everything seem clear and
simple. The world was heaven,
and there were no real prob
lens after all
Even when you're disgusted
with me I'd rather be with you
than with any one else, any
where" she whispered to him,
her face buried in his shoulder.
But, Susan, we can't go on
like this, trying to keep every
thing secret for months. Let's
get out Of this mess" His voice
was urgent and one Of his hands
made a sudden thrusting move
ment as if he were trying to
push his way out of a place
where he did not want to be.
Lets get married tomorrow
and live like coolies on what
I'm making. I'll soon be max
ing more" He went out, talk
ing about himself as he never
had talked to her before. Boast
ing a little as q man boasts
only to the woman he loves. ..
"Listen!" whispered Susan,
her forefinger at her lips. II
thought I heard someone!"
They stood without making a
sound for two or three minutes,
only their fingers touching. But
neither Of them heard anything
more than the drip-drip Of q
faucet in the kitchen and the
tapping Of a twig against the
dining room windows.
1T must have been a mouse
in the WALL" Susan whispered.
'"This old house always has a
mouse somewhere in it no mat
ter how many traps we Oh,
Allen, wouldn't it be wonderful
if we could be married." She
smiled up at him and he kissed
her again.
Neither Of them heard Lutte
as she came down the last flight