The Washington times., 1936-11-14

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Evelyn said, cor we might get him
to take us somewhere. I'll be
alone. Dorathea's staying down
town with somebody"
"Oh, no, he couldn't. He has
another date"
WELL" Evelyn said, when I
was a girl, and a boy was as inter
ested in a girl as Lowell pretendS
to be in you, he didn't have an
other date before he sailed for
South America! It seems to me"
"Who'S Dorathea having dinner
With?"
"Oh, the same girl she's been
out with pretty near every night
for the last two weeks. A girl.
You'd think in stock and bond
house she'd meet some men. A
girl! Well, I suppose you and I
can stay home and eat off the
kitchen table like a couple OF old
maids. I'm beginning to feel like
one, and Dorathea acts like one,
and as for you I'm sure don't
know what to think. Lowell acts
about as peculiar as anybody I
ever"
"Oh, Dorathea will be getting
married some day."
'Well! hope so! That was one
thing mama didn't have to worry
about. Edith was the first, and I
was next and Francesca was the
though she's the eldest. She
thought the world of me when we
were little-always called me her
baby. can't understand why She S
so nasty now! If she'd only send
for us all to come out to Manila! J"
"All of us?" Jan was frightened
She didn't want to go to Manila,
it was too far from Lowell.
"I don't know why not" Evelyn
said. "Look at the match Fran
cesca made, and she was q when
she married. Of course-natural-
ly-1'm older than that, but that
doesn't matter these days. Every
one says it's the older women who
are the most attractive. Whos
that Mrs. Violet Johnson - the
Honorable Mrs. Cuthbert johnson
you read about in the fashion
magazines, who's so much more
exciting than her daughter? Edith
would know. Let me see-What
was talking about?"
Aunt Francesca" Jan said du-
tifully, but to her relief Evelyn
said no more about it. She was
free to slip away, get herself ready
for the last afternoon with Lowell.
He came in the little green road.
ster he always drove. They had
lunch in a place that was crowded.
eve should have gone to the Pal
ace," he said uneasi1y and she
looked at him adoringly because
he even thought of going there.
Afterwards they drove through
the park, and walked through the
AQUARIUM, not that they wanted
to see the fish, but because they
didn't know where else to go.
This was their last afternoon.
It was so precious they didn't
know what to do with it.
At 5 o'clock they found them
selves at the beach. Bought wal
files. drank coffee out of thick
China mugs. They watched the
waves breaking on the beach, saw
a ship going out to sea.
"That's where you're going"
Tomorrow, he said.
They held hands, sitting side by
side in the green roadster. He
wanted to kiss her, to hold her
tight, to tell her everything that
was in his heart, but there were
others parked so close, so many
curious strangers.
isn't it getting late?" she asked
finally.
st suppose So" he said duly.
He looked at his watch, think
ing miserably of his dinner date,
of leaving Jan, on this, their last
night. Why doesn't she tell me
not to go, he wondered?
Why doesn't he just stay with
me and forget his old dinner, she
thought.
A pail of disappointment settled
over them both. They sat silent,
a little apart. Then he started the
engine, drove her home.
y 4
Evelyn had meant to go to the
pier with Jan, but at the last mo-
tP1ent one of the tenants detained
her, and she had to let Jan go
alone. Jan felt shy. Not knowing
which street car to take, not quite
daring to spend the money for a
taxi, she walked the long blocks to
the pier, passing wharf loungers,
sailors, stevedores, who eyed her
strangely.
On the big covered pier, already
teeming with people and taXis and
carts piled high with baggage, she
walked timidly and alone. the