The Washington times., 1934-07-28
GIRL IN THE FAMILY - By Beatrice Burton

cloth and gripped both of hers
hard. Just as soon as you
CAM"
"I'n have to, Allen. I'm go
ing to. But it's not going to be
easy"
"What's the matter with you.
Susan? Getting cold feet?
Still a little bit crazy about that
guy? Be honest with me-"
I'm trying to be honest,
Allen. You know I don't care
anything at all about Wallace.
You must know it-but it's not
going to be easy to give him
back his ring. I don't like to
hurt anyone. And then there's
my family wish they didn't
have to know about it. They're
going to take all this very
badly"
"It wouldn't be so bad if I
had a job and could be out Of
the house all day, or if I could
marry you right away and walk
out"
His hands pressed hers.
"That's an idea. Why don't
you do it?" His face lighted up.
"Will you, Susan?"
Susan hesitated. She had q
mortal longing to say, "Yes," to
marry Allen at once and go to
live with him in a cheap room
somewhere. The vision Of such
a place flashed through her
mind-badly furnished, small,
with trunks showed under the
bed and a gas ring on table
for the making Of coffee, bags
of sugar and buns on a closet
shelf, and over everything the
patina of poverty. But it would
be lovely
"I could pass up the law
course, as far as that goes"
Allen said suddenly, and as he
spoke Susan made her decision.
"Then we'd be sure to have
enough money"
"No," Susan was emphatic.
IT wouldn't think of letting you
do that when you're as close to
your bar exams as you are
Why, you'd be just a court
house clerk for the rest Of your
life if you stopped going to law
scchool now! I'll stay on at
home until we can get mar
ried the right way. My people
will simply have to realize that
I have a life of my own that
they mustn't try to interfere
with.
They'll say that it's nothing
less than criminal to break my
engagement after it's been an.
nounced in the newspapers" she
said, thinking thin gs out.
They'll tell me that I'm pub
1icly diSgracing Wallace, and I
suppose that's what I shall be
doing, as a matter of fact-but
that's Aunt Edna'S fault because
she announced the engagement
without saying a word to me
about it,"
Wanted To Work
"Why don't you find some
thing to do and get out Of the
house part of the time?" Allen
asked. 1T should think you'd
enjoy it, Susan. I've often Won
dered why you didn't"
We'll, I have, too," said Su-
san. 1--WE wanted to for years,
but they've always been dead set
against it. They seemed to think
I'd lose caste if 1 turned into a
working girl"
Il don't know who'd give me
any work to do, anyhow" Susan
went on when the table was
empty except for an ash tray and
Aliens package of cigarettes.
"I've never touched typewriter
or an adding machine in my life.
But the very thought of them
the thought of getting into some
sort of business office-always
has fascinated me. I've asked
my father dozen times to let
me go to business college, but"
But What?"
"Well, I've been going around
with wallace for a long time,
and my father always pointed
out to me that if I married him
I wouldn't have any use for q
knowledge of office work.
Weren't you in love with him
any time, Susan?" His steady
gaze was still on her face and
Susan could see how anxiouSly
he was waiting to hear her an
Swer.
mo, never felt sure of my
self with him. I didn't like to
let him kiss me, and he knew it.
He told me, just the night when
he went away, that I was a very
chilly sort of person"
But you would have married
him if it hadn't been for last
night, wouldn't you?"
Susan'S shoulders went up in
a shrug. st suppose so," she an
swered truthfully. 'I'd reached
the point where I thought I
could not stand living at home
a day longer. And then I was
flattered by his liking me, and
I knew he'd be what's known as
"a good husband You've heard
of girls marrying for home,
haven't you?"
Allen nodded.
''Well, that's what was going
to do, I think. But now I
wouldn't marry him if he owned
the best house in town and a
camp in the AdirondackS and a