The Washington times., 1936-05-23

He would have her. Always
Thursday, after work, she went
to see Emily. She sat at the enam-
eled kitchen table and helped
Emily shaving string beans very
thin. This was the way Mrs. Mars
den liked them.
Elizabeth Marsden was an ad-
vertising writer for a big New
York shop. Her husband was a
landscape gardener. The wife was
a successful member of the part
nership. But they were born gyp-
sizes. 1t made no difference which
earned the money as long as they
could eat as they wished and were
able to pay their bills.
Emily was full of gossip. She
liked Mrs. Marsden. She liked the
husband. You bet they knew how
to live! Good food-good shows
good friends. They were cultured.
They had REAL background. none
of this make-believe Aunt-Esther-
Mason-stuff!
Nell interrupted crisply: I'm 60
ing to marry Ricky!"
Emily dropped the little contrap-
ton which shaved the beans. Her
mouth also dropped. Finally she
said acidly and her lip curled:
You'll never do it! You haven't
the sand! But if I had your
chance! If I were % again and a
lover in the offing, you'd not catch
me stalling around until all the
sweetness and flavor were gone.
For ten minutes Emily dllated on
her favorite themeS-love, mar
riage, Illustration.
CHAPTER XI
Nell said: MONS sick. I'm not
going to leave her-except occa-
sionally. I can't. But you're right.
mean to live. I'll be burned at
the stake before I'll give Ricky up.
EN-, you've got to help us. You're
to say I'm visiting you. Any time.
Whenever I'm not at home, I'm
visiting YOU"
In the midst of their converse
ton, Elizabeth Marsden swept into
the room. Swept was the word.
She was a plain, lanky woman
with sandy hair, a long nose and
oily skin. But she had a royal
languid manner. She gave Emily
orders, then bowed graciously to
Nell. After a few moments she
put away her airs and sat down
with o,,r1,aJ cho,,1Jorc ond q lonO
cigarette holder on the rickety, un-
painted kitchen stool.
She said, very friendly: $50
you're little Nell and you're terribly
in love? You needn't blush. Emily
has told me. I think it's sweet
and exciting. You're fool if you
wait. It's just as I told Emily
when she said she couldn't go to
California with us. Oh. hasn't
Emily told you? I'll probably be
transferred to our West Coast
store. It's a big promotion. Mr..
Marsden. being genius. can get
by anywhere. We want Emily to
come along. But she worries
about her family, just as you are
worrying. There's no sense to it!
You girls were brought up to think
self-Sacrifice a virtue. AS a mat
ter of truth, it's an ignominious
and very futile weakness. You
never rightly serve another when
you rob yourself. We disturb the
nice balance of life when we give
away the thing we need for our
own self development. We become
the accomplices of theacheater and
the parasite. Did it ever occur to
you that it is sinful waste for the
worthwhile individual to cripple
his own life by bearing on his back
the incompetent and the helpless?
If we had proper courage, we'd
let them starve! Then at least,
the better among us would have
rich, clean, unhampered lives.
This is glorious world, but we've
got to reach out to it freely and
happily, before it's treasures will
be spilled in our arms. If you are
carrying such burdens on your
back that you look down always
to the warkness, how will you
know the sun is shining and for
you? Emerson said it all-'Free
must the scholar be; free and
brave The same applies to every
craft and calling. Those only help
the world who first and most COM
pletely help themselves"
That's putting it tartly," said
EN- when her employer was gone.
"A sap like you, Nell, ought to
write it all down and learn it by
heart and say it to yourself a
hundred times a day."
Pretty crude and heartIess if
you're asking me-" was all Nell
could muster. She felt suddenly
torn and disturbed.
Friday at noon, she had lunch
with Ricky Ricky said: "Nell-an-