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Show I AT EVENING a M , .. ff Madeline A. Chaffee TIME C McClure Newspaper Syndicate. I WNU Service. The "Briny Toyshop" was closed for the day. Its tiny show window win-dow still displayed an enticing array ar-ray of delightful playthings, but the latch was hard down on the door, and its little lady proprietress propri-etress had retired to her favorite low rocker by a rear window facing fac-ing the sea. The most persistent youth in the small sea-faring village rattled the door, but in vain. Miss Matilda Ma-tilda Bell did not even hear. There seemed more than ordinary ordi-nary magic in the glowing spell cast by the sun at this close of day. The old-fashioned garden sloping to the rocky shore seemed a fairy place. The sea was many-hued, many-hued, dusky, wondrous, and its melody came pleasantly to Miss Matilda. There were dreams in Miss Matilda's eyes as she watched; not the happy, hopeful dreams of youth, but the deeper, sadder dreams of one who has lived long. Miss Matilda was so much a part of her surroundings that she had ceased to notice them in detail. de-tail. Her mind had flown back nearly 50 years, to the time when she had not the faintest thought of ever being a little, elderly, sweet-faced lady sitting by herself her-self in the twilight. To the time when she was a young, adventurous girl pledging her troth to a dashing young naval officer. Even now her eyes grew dim as the memories came drifting drift-ing in on the breeze. Dream pic tures blotted out the garden, the rocks, the sea itself, and Miss Matilda felt herself in the arms of her young lover, so tender, so dear And he had sailed away, full of hope and happy anticipations of the day when he should return to make her his wife. Miss Matilda's eyes blurred. That day had never come. There had been a fire aboard the ship and the young officer, who belonged heart and soul to Matilda Bell, had given his life for another. Years had taken away that first tragic grief, but Miss Matilda had loved too deeply to forget. How she wished she had been with him! Sometimes he seemed to speak to her in the voice of the sea, and she would say that she was coming some day soon, very soon coming to be with him. On the rocks below Miss Matilda's Ma-tilda's cottage two figures were silhouetted against the dull red sky. "But, dear girl" the man's voice was tender, serious "you don't know what the life is. I do and I wouldn't condemn any woman to it, least of all you. It will be a torture without you but it wouldn't be fair to take you." The girl's straight, sweet gaze held his steadily. "But, Tom, don't you see I want to go? It may be years before you come back. Our mar-riage-that-is-to-be is going to be true partnership, Tommy boy, and it must begin by my going to South America with you now. I can face anything with you!" The two silhouettes suddenly converged into one as Tom said huskily: "Bless you, sweetheart, you're coming with me. We'll play the game of life squarely together." And up in the little dusky window win-dow above the garden, with the sea still crooning a low love song, Miss Matilda had come into her own. |