Evening Star Newspaper, December 8, 1936, Page 34

DECEMBER 8, 1936, DAILY SHORT STOR PRETEXT By Charlotte Goodman. WOODWARD WARD_& LOTHROP "8 srandmoth- er was playing chess with the steut old woman ‘who owned the re- sort. All the others had gone down to the ball room at the edge of the beach, for it was nearing 8 o'clock and the young peo- ple did not want to miss a single pre- clous minute of their fun. While his grand- mother studied, the stout old woman looked up from the chessboard and - said to him: “Why haven't you gone out with the oth- ers to dance? A fine, handsome young man like pid not dare go you! Therell be time enough to read a book, lots of books, later on.” His grandmother glanced up and peered at him for a moment with that strange way she had, as though not only her eyes but all her face looked with kindness. “Yes, Warton,” she said, “it doesn’t do to sit there reading all the time. You didn't come to the eountry with me for that. You do enough of that at home. Go out for & little while.” He smiled, his upper lip running a little jagged with a strange unjustifi- sble nervousness, for there was noth- ing to bother him. “It's a good book, and I—" he began, and then changing his mind added, “I guess you're right. I can read any time. I'll go over there.” That name Warton annoyed him 8s often as he thought about it, and it was often enough; it wasn't a regu- lar name like Bill; or Jim or Joe. However, he went into the cool, blue | night, the air carrying the fresh, ex- citing smell of the lake. '‘HERE was that intimate darkness about the place; that strange quality of immediacy nights have in country places away from home; the only lights were those coming from the cottages, irregularly placed. The path led out to a road that led to the highway, and then one walked along the highway that sloped down a hill to the dance hall. There were trees, rich with leaves and shadows, | all about. There was a noise like fear that he suspected was made by an owl. Warton walked toward the ball room. He could see its light now as he came down the slope, he could hear the music and young people were hurrying by him to get there, going in groups, laughing and happy because the night was beautiful and they were going to dance, be held in one another's arms. He might have remained at the resort and read his book, even though he had been finding it difficult to keep his mind upon the story; that would have been better. It would have saved him this feeling of discomfort, this annoying disturbance. He wondered why even those who best loved him and seemed to know him, as his grandmother, did not leave him alone to himself and his own kind of joy and own kind of misery. They, his grandmother particularly, might have seen well enough that the ball room was no place for him; it was the place for those who knew how to laugh together, and he did not know. * ok % % THE -others staying at the resort had been just as strange to one enother as they were to him when they met for the first time during the day, but how quickly they had all become friendly, those other girls and youths and had been glad to know one another. He was still a stranger among them; one or two of the fellows had paused to nod to him, It had gone no farther than that; they were friends, all of them to- gether, and he was still a stranger among them. He wondered as he came now to the 2 ball room why it always had been that way, why he did not know how to take part in the gladness of others and share with them his own joy and talk with them about the lit- tle things they liked to talk about. sese HE CAME to the window of the dance hall, paid for his admission and went in where the lights were soft blue, and the young people standing about in their bright clothes and with their bright eyes had an aura of muted glee, of being happier within themselves than it seemed possible mere humans might be and yet showing this tre- mendous feeling only with soft smiles as they looked at one another. When the orchestra from its plat- form began to play, these happy peo= ple began to dance; he stood off to one side and watched them. Here and there were a few stray girls and a few stray boys, evidently with- out partners, and once in a while a stray boy and a stray girl would meet with one another, their faces brightened as they made their sweet, romantic acquaintance, and they danced. He might have gone up to one of them, for he could dance. A cousin said he did unusually well, having a fine feeling for rhythm and grace to his movements. But he remained by the wall, for though a stray boy and girl meet here for the first time they really have known one another in the depth of their hearts. He was a stranger to any of them, and they all were strangers to him. He did not dare to go up to a stranger and offer his friendship. He felt a loneliness and regret grow upon him as he watched therg, a despair at being not one with them and inability to endure it longer. E WENT out then, and instead of taking the road that led to the ;resorc, went the other way, down to | shore, to the very edge of the lake, where the sand was firm. He walked slowly, and the water washing at his feet mingled with the strains of the music from the orchestra till at length there was only the sound of the water. He would tell them when he got back, the stout old woman and his grandmother, who were playing chess, that he had been to the dance. He would tell them he had had a fine time; it was a needed pretext to hide himself from them, for they would never know, nor would any one, how lonely it was, while others danced, to walk by the lake listen- ing to it come in with hushful sound upon the shore. He came around & bend and sud- denly there was & man walking rap- idly toward him swinging a lantern. He was some sort of policeman or guard. The man walked by him without a word and then he turned and watched the light till it disap- peared in the darkness. And as it did it seemed that he was poised at some point above them, all those young people dancing; he saw them vividly and there in the darkmess he took from his pocketbook a note | book and a pencil he always. car- | ried with him and began to put itno words what he saw. (Copyright, 1936,) up to a stranger. $2,784 CLAIM WON BY NAVAL OFFICER Lieut. Foley Asked Sum in Com- pensation for Support of Dependent Mother. Payment of $2,784.65 by the Gov- ernment to Lieut. John Dyer Foley, U. 8. N, in compensation for funds he contributed to the support of his dependent mother, was directed yes- terday by the Court of Claims of the United States. According to the findings of fact, Lieut. Foley's mother lived in Wash- ington with other children between June 26, 1929, and October 24, 1933, the period affected by the claim. During that time he contributed from $40 to $60 per month to the support of his mother, Four times in that period he sub- mitted claims to the General Ac- counting Office for increased rental and subsistence allowance for a de- pendent mother, but each claim was denied. In October, 1933, Lieut. Foley was married and his claims as a bachelor officer were terminated. Finding that the mother, Mrs, Thomas William Foley, was dependent ‘on her son for chief support during the period named, the court ordered yecovery of the stated sum, National Hotels. Venezuela is opening national ho- tels to induce tourists to stay longer. JUST PUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM St N The COMPLETE Life Story of Mrs. SIMPSON® @Hereinbook form is the suthentic and com- plete life story of the world’s most about woman. Written by an intimate friend, one who has known her since childhood and has been present ost all of the important occasions that h: iped her life. 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