The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-04-07
CHAPTER VIII

S44E14 4 94b NAA
She sank back on the pillow
and cried a little more. But tn
tears were happy tears. Befor
the parting, there would be tn
wedding. Before Edward left he
for a little while, he would b.
hers forever.
She thought of herself as
bride. She thought of all thu
other brides she'd known. Shells
Harrison, her best friend at high
who had married the Parker boy
last October. She'd gone to thu
wedding in the First Congrega
tional church, with her mother
and Charlie. She hadn't Wantec
Julie to guess that she cared that
Sheila had chose Rosalit
Swayne instead of herself a!
bridesmaid, but Julie wasn't easy
to fool, and she'd been so mad
about it she'd talked of nothing
else all day, and had coughing
spell right in the middle OF the
ceremony, where the bride says
~ do"
Charlie had been difficult, too
He started to hum as soon as he
came up the steps of the church
Churches always made him nerv
Gus and he always hummed when
he was nervous, and every time
he wiggled, or cleared his throat,
she had been afraid he'd start
to hum again.
And now she was going to be
bride, and Julie and Charlie
wouldn't be there.
Ever since she could remember
she had thought about love, anc
getting married, and being bride
She had seen herself, in slim
white satin, yelled in tulle, stand
ing beside the bridegroom at the
altar rail.
The bridegroom hadn't played q
very important part at first. She
hadn't thought much about him
except that he had to be there
of course. Later on she hac
tried" various boys in her minds
eye, surveying them critically
pushing them aside as she might
hats that didn't become her after
all. And in the last year the
bridegroom always had been Ed
ward, though he was never very
clear, because of course, she had
never seen him.
And now she was going to marry
Edward. But there wouldn't
be any white satin, any veil. May
be it would be better to wait. Tc
wait until it could be a real wed
ding, with everyone there. With
ter mother, and Charlie. With q
teal trousSeau, and everything safe
and sure.
She sat up in bed. The room
was very dark. Though the
window by her bedside was open
wide, there was no air. She felt
breathless. and afraid. The
night was so still. She was sc
alone. If she could just talk tc
someone. If she could tel
Julie. >.
Unable to bear it longer, she got
out Of bed, CROPPED for her OLD
straw sandals in the dark.
NoiseleSsly she felt her way
down the hall to her mothers
room. The door was closed. She
stood listening in the dark.
She could hear Charlie snoring
and something else the low
muffled sound of someone crying
It was her mother, of course
But why was she crying? She'c
never cried before-unleSs it were
In the night, like this, when she
thought that everyone was asleep
Marie's hand went out in thu
darkness, closed on the door knob
But what could she say if she
went in? There was her promise
to Edward.
For long while she stood out
side jules door, undecided anc
miserable.
After what might have beer
AoAo' anu n1gnI nave been only
minutes, she was conscious o,
chill, and the fact that the cryins
had ceased. Only Charles reg
ular. whistling shores went on anc
on.
I'll have a cold in the morning
she thought miserably. I'll b
sick, and I won't be able to NEE
Edward, and be married.
Perversely comforted by tn
idea, she went back to bed, notin
with satisfaction that her fee
were icy, and her head was hot
and ached.
And it seemed to her, as he
eyes closed, and sleep claimed he
ct last, that she'd really toll
Julie, and Julie had understood
The hooking bird in the mai
nolia tree woke her at dawn as
always did. but she didn't IL
herself go to sleep again. For
few moments she lay there in tn
sweet half.conSciousness betwee