Evening star., 1934-01-26
INSTALLNdENT xxi.

as he drove along. The old
~ ways and old associations seem.
ed strangely boring and empty.
He was not happy. sometimes even
the thought Of going to work intruded
itself upon his troubled mind. But he
thrust it aside as foolish, since he had
more money to spend than he could
use, as 1t was.
Doug made his way through the traf-
fic Of the Queensborough Bridge and
was on Northern Boulevard before he
realized it. Soon he was Tar out Long
Island where the land was level and
little side roads lined with tall Autumn
kissed trees invited the minded
to leave the beaten path and explore the
country lanes.
Not far from Templehaven was q
road Doug had loved when he was q
boy. He hadn't been on 1t since ne
started to college. Then 1t had led to
big farms with wide green orchards and
fields Of waving corn. Doug remember
ed with q thrill that 1t was time for
pumpkins to be lying In the sun, for
fodder in the shock. A sudden
nostalgia to explore boyhood lanes
seized him and he turned OIL the big
road. Perhaps he could find something
be wanted to paint.
Doug drove along slowly, drinking IN
the beauties Of Autumn on Long Island.
Surely there was no more beautiful spot
in the world. All the artist In his soul
cried out for q canvas and brush. He
had ridden along perhaps two miles
when suddenly his eye was caught by
q wide stretch Of farm land. which
reached for miles.
Then he saw that there were hum
dreds Of people working in the fields.
When he saw near the huge white house
that seemed to be the center Of activity
q long row Of tents. he stopped his car
and sat back to watch the hum OF
activity.
It looked like q tremendous agricul-
tural project. Some were husk1ng corn,
other men piled the fodder In shocks,
still others plowed long strips OF Iano
getting the ground ready for the next
Spring.
He drove on slowly and as he neared
the house he was surprised to see chill
dren playing on the wide green lawns,
women sewing under the trees. Still
other women sewed on machines on
the wide side porch.
Doug stopped his roadster at the
gates and sat back again. 1t was an
Interesting sight. He must find out
what it was all about Then his eyes
was caught by q little tan runabout
in front Of him. Suddenly he set up
with a start-it was Charity's license
number. Butt couldn't be her car.
He took another look and knew he
couldn't be mistaken.
Doug's first impulse was to drive
through the gates and see for himself
what Charity could be doing there. But
he decided against it. It would look
too much as though he had followed
her. The arm Of coincidence was long
but seldom that long.
He had started to drive away when
he saw Charity. She was crossing the
lawn Just q short distance from him.
He waited. too curious to go on, his
heart beating loudly against his ribs.
She was in a henna suit. high at the
throat. knitted dull green beret against
her black hair He thought suddenly
how perfectly she blended in with the
Autumn leaves swirling about her feet.
Almost as If she had deliberately dressed
for the setting The artist IN him
wanted to paint her.
For moment panic seized Doug. It
looked as though Charity were coming
through the gates to go to her car.
But q few feet away she stopped to
lean down and swoop q little boy into
HeI dIIno. Oouk odW Will oAloSh e!ioe
the little fellow wore braces. Infantile
paralysis, perhaps. 1t made him lit
tie quivery.
Charity's eyes-Doug could see them
plainly-were bright as stars. Rose
pink stained her cheeks, which had
lost their too slender look When she
smiled he saw with surprise two dimples
appear and disappear in her cheeks
He thought he'd never in his life seen
any one quite so genuinely happy, The
child chung to Charity's neck as though
he would not let her go. Charity sat
down among the leaves, holding him
tightly The wind carried her laugh,
clear and young, to Doug. Then he
heard her say happily, Two more
weeks, darling. and DR.. Bachelor says
we can take these old braces OF your
little legs"
Batch! So Batch came to this place
in the country. too-whatever It was.
1t looked like some kind Of home. Sud-
denly Doug's day was ruined. Batch
and Charity had been seeing each other
often since the night of the opening of
That was what had been taking so
that she was in love with his old friend
He drove away slowly, feeling more
gloomy than he had felt before he left
New York.
Batch wasn't the sort Of man for a
girl like Charity. He knew Batch's
reputation with women. There had
been great many In his life. But
he'd seemed never to even think of
marrying any Of them. A here today
gone today boy. A man like that
would never make girl like Charity
happy.
Doug looked at his gas meter and
realized he needed fuel A short dis
tance down the road he saw q service
station and drove In. The attendant,
an old man, jumped to activity when
he saw the expensive make of Doug s
car.
Been down to visit the East Side
Farm?" The man asked casually as