Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1934, Page 72

EE XY EER RPN EN N Youth? Er NN FE RN E R Fryvrryeryss [ EW YORK had turned old- fashioned. It was a chromo done in snow, a memory fes- tooned with icicles. The whole city, it seemed, was scented with evergreen and verdant with ground pine. It was a Christmas eve out of a book. Niles dismissed his taxi at the corner of Sixth avenue and Eighth street and walked up toward Sixteenth street where he was to meet Olive at 6:30 for a cock- tail before dinner. Everything with Niles ultimately came back to Olive. But today his broad good-humored face was a trifle drawn. It was strange, he thought, how the bottom of life could drop out and one’s heart be a kind of molten ache. He wished idly that he hadn’t gotten the jolt just at this season. He liked Christmas; had no sympathy with the moderns who thought it smart $o de- ery it. Olive, too, took Christmas seriously, or generously pretended to. Now, of course, he couldn’t be sure of anything about her. Except that she was lovely, and « that if she had hurt him, she had dcne it because she couldn’t help it. In spite of his unhappiness he was, as usual, a little excited because he was going to see her so soon. They had been married three, no, four years—the baby Elise was 3—and he had never grown accustomed to the wonder of seeing Olive every day. She was sitting at one of the small side tables in the nicely lighted cocktail room at Pete’s. Niles saw her first. She was beautiful, he thought. Her mouth was 8o vivid, her blue eyes so deep and soft. SHE looked up and flushed as she caught his eye. “Darling!”’ she ex- elaimed as he sat down opposite her. *“I've got every single present!” She re- garded him with mild triumph. Each year so far he had been able to rag her about mad last-minute shopping expedi- tions for some forgotten relative. “I don’t believe you.” The waiter hov- ered, and Niles asked, “What’ll you have? One of those lousy pink things?” She nodded. “With cherries.” “Good heavens! All right, Louis. Some- thing horrible with cherries for Mrs. Maitland. TI'll take mixed vermouths, more French than Italian. I don’t be- lieve it,” he repeated, “you must have left & cousin out.” She shook her head violently. “No, honestly, Niles. I've thought of every- thing and everybody.” “What did you decide on for Muggins?” They had discussed the baby’s Christmas presents for days and in the end had still been amiably arguing. “Oh, the doll,” Olive answered quickly. I think you were right after all. A little girl can’t have too many. When brother comes along I'll leave it all to you and Tl bet we’ll have to move out. Electric trains, tools, when he’s 6 months old.” She made a gesture of mock horror. Niles’ twinkling eyes suddenly smarted. He thought what a good sport, always. Niles Wanted but One -"Thing This Christmas Eve, Olive’s Love—But What Could He Offer Her to E ompensate for Phil’s A Star Magazine First-Run Story. J-_"JJ;"JJl.:l.!.3'.!‘J.3'..i.A'a.!&«*fi&&&d."dl.’.l&.’&.& O S o o o o o o * Here she was in love with another man, a young man, and she was still prepared to carry on; to stick with him, even to plan- ning the son she had promised him. He murmured. “I got her modeling clay. A big box of it.” He smiled vaguely at her ripple of laughter. She knew that he would play with the modeling clay more than would their daughter. Niles loved the feel of elay. He hadn’t given much thought to his hobby, but whenever he was in the nursery for an hour his spatulate fingers were constantly busy, molding .the little strips of wax-soft clays on his daughter’s play table. And Olive flattered him by lining her sitting room shelves with the strange little figures he fashioned. He wondered suddenly and sharply what she would do with them when she left. It was the first time he had allowed the thought of her leaving him to come into the foreground of his mind, and he was momentarily very still. Some friends called to them. He motioned Olive to join them. “Got some lists to make out,” he told her crisply, and got out notebook and pencil to prove it. But left alone, he sat looking straight ahead of him. He had been slow in real- izing that he had lost *Olive. When old Archbald had said, “Nice of your wife to take such an interest in young Owen. She urged me to buy his bonds the other day,” he’d thought it was just more of her divine kindness. When a day or two later Miner had said the same thing, and then Over- brooke and Grey and half a dozen more of the business men who were his friends, he still only nodded and answered cor- rectly: “Glad you got some. We’re both in- terested in the boy.” But then he had begun to.be afraid. ...a beautiful, adorable mongrel cur...” YHE SUNDAY STAR, WASHI A reproachful voice broke in on Olive’s bewilder- Niles had seen with Phil. looked at her reflec tively. She smiled and he had his one moment of weakness then, when he had all he could do no to beg her for thq mercy he knew shq would never refusdg him. The danger poin was quickly past, and Niles leaned forward and patited Olive’ hand lightly. “Listen, dearest, he said, “let’s no dine out. Run hom and TI'll bring thing in. We’ll have suppe by ourselves.” “That’s a goo( idea,” Olive agreed “I'll let Charlie ang Nonnie go out. O ment. “Chris’miss presints?” Muggins asked with K.2” obvious distrust. He had played an old game, money against years—and he had lost. But, having lost, he had no idea of whining about it. He had been a fool, perhaps, to have taken the risk. But he had loved her so completely! EACH detail of the picture stood out in his mind. His intro- duction to the Mores while on a business trip, Christmas at their shabby, charming home. The warm sun, the darkies crowding up in the morning to say “Chriss’mus gif’, Chris’'mus gif’ to you, suh.” And Olive! He real- ized then all the drawbacks to their mar- riage, He was 35 to her 19 and he was ponderous and socially not scintillating. But he had a great deal of money and he wanted her so much that he would have tried to marry her if she had hated him. And she didn’t hate him. She loved him and was tender with him, She accepted his wealth joyously, was as pleased as a child with the gifts he made her daily. But she was a little afraid of money. She warned him: “Don’t ever let the old money get in our way. So many of your grand friends, darling, lead such brittle lives. We want babies and lots of time together.” He should have known, of course. Phil had been around a lot lately and several times he had come across Olive and the younger man whispering and exchanging glances. He had thought it was a part of their youth and an exuberance he lacked. Well, that was true enough. He did lack both and for the past months he had been driven cleaning up things to get away for the cruise he and Olive had planned to take in February. That would be canceled now. Niles drained his glass. But Phil was a good kid and would probably make her happy. That was the only thing to think about. He smiled at Olive as she came back. “Sorry,” she said, “to have been so long. Give me one more pink 'un.” “Right. Where've you been this after- noon?” Give himself one chance, he thought—one desperate chance to find that he had been mistaken. She hestitated for a long second. “Shopping,” she answered at last. “Of course. Did you take the car?” Another hesitation. “No, I took a taxi.” And he himself had seen her in Phil’s car driving gayly up the avenue! He Niles took longe than he meant over his shopping. He wasn't happ, but he was exquisitely sensitive to thd happiness around him. Every child re minded him of Elise. He filled grubb: hands with toys and candy. Every tired worried woman might, but for the grac of God, have been Olive. And so he addeq to the weight of sparsely filled bags and baskets, disregarding both thanks and protests. It was late when he finally made hi own purchases. He went into a sta. tioner’s where he got a card, the type sh{ liked, with shepherds and angels ang the star and into the thick white enve lopes he slipped the check he had written in the office that afternoon. I was the only tactful way he knew tq give her the freedom she would neve ask for. Curiously enough, he knew the righ amount. Only a few weeks ago Oliv had been joking about it. “Bargain sales in divorces now, dear, she had said. “Ada told me that tha smart lawyer—you know who I mean does the whole thing for $2,000, and that includes the trip to Reno. So i you ever want to get rid of me Doesn’t it sound silly?” They had laughed about it then bu it made it easier now. The amount o the check would tell her what it wa for with no further need to talk about if] When Niles finally started home th shops were beginning to close. Snow wa falling heavily. For no particular rea. son he felt a little happier and he smileg benignly at the passersby, then fell al most full length on the pavement. Some thing soft and active was between feet. Niles said a few short, pithy words ang looked around to see what he had hit It was a dog. A very young dog which ap peared to be large for whatever his ag was. “Darn you!” remarked Niles, not un kindly. The dog wagged its tail and wiped 4 muddy foot affectionately doewn Niles trouser leg. Niles inspected him closel: and saw that it was a long time since h had had a square meal. He wore ng collar. Niles patted him kindly. “Poor old fellow,” he said. The dog rose, wagged again and pre pared to accompany Niles. Niles fel keenly that here was not a dog in whos company he cared to be seen. He con sulted a policeman who was strolling by