The Washington times., 1937-08-07
LOOKS A WRECK

him?"
1.-THE Minton Club"
LOOKS A WRECK
Peggy wi h e d that Aunt
Birdie, instead of observing her
with pity, would come out fatty
and tell her that she looked a
wreck. Who, selling gowns at
Madame Ivry'S six days a week,
could hope to stay up until seven
and resemble a rose at eleven OF
a Sunday morning?
Last night Art McGlintock and
the whole covey had been in fine
form. At 4 o'clock it had seemed
a swell idea to stage a Spanish
fiesta in the basement playroom
of Arts house. Only, Peg hadn't
counted on Aunt Birdie barging
in at 10 o'clock.
Aunt Birdie was Scrutinizing
her with the anxiety of a sur
geon who discovers a hopeless
complication in his patient.
II don't want to preach at
you," she said, "hut there was
time when you wouldn't bother
with Second-rate people,"
THAT was away back in $780,"
said Peggy, pouring another cup
of coffee. Il didn't know about
life then"
But, Margaret" said Aunt
Birdie, "a silver wedding is very
fine thing"
ALWAYS CALLED BIRDIE
Aunt Birdie always called her
Margaret, because Aunt Birdie
deSpiSed nicknames. This might
have been caused by the fact
that all her life she had been
called Birdie. In fact, Peg had
been named after Aunt Birdie,
and Aunt Birdie was her god
mother, and, since mother died,
her guardian, too. So she made
herself stay awake and listen
while Aunt Birdie explained
that q silver wedding repre-
sented Is years of married hap
pineSs.
Peg did not see Aunt Birdie
again before the evening of the
celebration, and still wondered
why she had insisted that Peggy
attend at all. 1t would have
been more like Aunt Birdie to
take the position that if Peggy
didn't care to attend, she
needn't. But Peggy was there,
and with Johnny.
He was obviously having a
beastly time, woodenly dutiful
beside her. He was a tall chap,
never fleshy, but his face
seemed thinner than she re-
membered ever to have seen it.
"You needn't look so bored"
she told him.
Sorry. Was looking bored?"
NOTES JOHNNY'S EYES
The William West Roses,
who were giving the party for
Aunt Birdie and Uncle Albert,
had quite a house at East Har-
Dor. It was a house with ball
room. There were $50 guests,
mostly older people, and Peggy
made up her mind to endure it.
But in the ballroom, where the
lights were brighter, she sud-
denly had a feeling somewhat
sharper than boredom, for she
noticed Johnny's eyes, and it
occurred to her to wonder if
she, also, had changed in that
way.
His were the eyes of a man
who no longer believes that any
thing wonderful can happen.
Aunt Birdie and Uncle Albert
had believed that Johnny would
prove himself genius in paint
ing.
The depression proved tina
Johnny could not earn a living
and that Peggy could not sell
gowns in Madame Ivry'S pink
and green salon in Fifty-seventh
Street, and that if Johnny chose
to withdraw inside of himself
and become an iceberg she could
find other playmates.
Art McClintock, chief of these
playmates. had come up with
his lean smile and had evidently
been on the point of saying
something witty when suddenly
silence possessed the ballroom
The band was playing the be
ginning strains of the wedding
march. Art groaned. Nobody
had expected Aunt Birdie and
Uncle Albert to pull this off.
But there they came-she in
a veil and the white satin gown
of 1912; he in the old tail coat
They would go through the cere
mony again, after Is years, with
the same bishop, the same
friends.
HEARS BISHOPS VOICE
In 1912 Bishop Stonehaver
had been a handsome young
man, in 1880 not so young read
ing the lines to Peggy anc
Johnny Peggy half wanted tt
laugh. But she felt as uncom
Portable as Johnny looked, anc
inside of her something created
Q strange vacancy. Into this