The Washington times., 1937-08-07


cred together"
1t was the bishops voice.
Everyone recognized it. But the
bishops lips seemed not to be
moving. Peggy rubbed her eyes.
The bishops lips were still not
moving. His voice was still go
ing on. Now the responses be-
gan, and the same strange thing
seemed still to be happening.
These words we're Aunt BRIDES
part, but Aunt BRIDES lips were
not moving.
Il, Margaret, take thee, John
Albert"
Memory struck Peggy with the
chill of an icy wave. Dry.
mouthed, she looked around.
What would people say? The
people were exchanging puzzled
looks.
Did nobody, nobody in all this
crowd, recognize those voices,
young. timid, tremulouS? At the
end, the murmur spread, marvel
ing.
Now, wasn't Birdie clever? I
didn't dream that voices could be
recorded in 1912"
HOW ABOUT A DRINK
Art McGlintock, letting it be
known that he was glad this SEN
timental performance was over,
laid his hand on Peggy'S arm
and said that a drink was
needed. He included Johnny.
Johnny said no. He had TO
leave, he said. He had another
engagement. He left them.
Come on" Art said, "let'S
get whacking big drink"
Peggy looked at him.
Look" she said, excuse me
a minute"
She had to be alone.
She was alone, on the farther
corner of a terrace where the
lights didn't shine. She let the
tears fall. This, then, was what
Aunt Birdie had had UP her
sleeve: an old photograph record
ing. Aunt Birdie had thought it
would be fun to put a photograph
under the altar when Peg and
Johnny were married. Darn Aunt
Birdie.
OF course she had taken the
old recording and had it stepped
up to the full voice, like the new
records of Caruso. Peggy let the
tears fall. She hadn't wanted to
remember. Nor did she want to
be found crying, and she was
very quiet when footsteps came
near. 1t seemed to be a man,
pacing as if to measure out deep
thoughts. He paused on the other
side of shrub, and she crouched
down.
She could hear him breathing
heavily. He lit a cigarette, the
lighter flaring. She saw it was
Johnny. More than ever was she
quiet. He would never know it
had hurt her as much as this.
The cigarette must have been
half consumed when he tossed
it away, and with a sigh that
she knew he would never have
uttered if he had not thought
himself alone, he turned to move
on. It was her will to let him go.
eve WANT THE NAME"
johnny" his name spoke it.
self through her lips. He stopped.
Listening. He came back.
"Oh, it's YOU"
Johnny" she said, nobody
knew it was U.s."
Nobody" he said. She
watched some stars through the
branches of a tree. The stars
blurred, and she heard him
speaking, as if to talk against
the night wind and defeat it..
Nobody remembered u.s." he
said. why should they? That's
the past. This is the present."
He turned, to GO. It seemed
of their own accord that her
hands reached after him.
Are we gomez" she whis-
pered. Are We entirely gomez"
He stopped again. "It was
like seeing ourselves after we are
dead" he said Maybe we are
entirely gone. We aren't the
same as we were then. That's
sure"
She had heard people say that
things would be so much nicer
if people could be born old and
grow young. All at once she
knew that to have youth, and
sincerity, and beauty to look
back upon, was to have a stand
ard by which to live. And the
cry came out of her throat.
We're still us, we haven't
changed, not us ourselves, deep
inside. Johnny, don't say we
were fools then to choose one an.
other"
Planning Silver Wedding
He did not pause this time.
1--WE WEREN'T" he cried, and his
arms caught her. and she knew
that all along this was what he
had wanted to do, that he had
been awaiting a sign from her.
Art McClintock came out on
the terrace.
II say, what's all this?"
We're planning our silver
wedding" Johnny answered.
But look here" Art began
Directing. He was counting on
their divorce. He wanted to
marry Peggy himself.
Sorry, Art" he said. "But