Show I = c JOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOQQOQQ9OQOOOQCCO r BEATRICE AND BENEDICK f I I By Clayton Hamilton J cJrrrr r J C Y crJrcrrrr 1 9 r rrrrrroQICOrrJVro f Copyright 180C by Josnih It 1lou des Hal said Sloan merrily Im afraid that youre a failure You cant converse really you cant Of course since you prohibit cigarettes I ciga-rettes Theyie tasty things Indoors My I I hair mucus of smoke an hour afterwards after-wards Whats n fellow to do lather I i have to sit still mid fidget with my i hands or else pace the room and I that makes > ou nervous No wonder I I cant Converse Who could j I And you sit BtllTnpcked In nn uncomfortable I un-comfortable chair and soliloquize I about uuliitcrcHtliiK things What do I care about biiHlnoHS ventures wise I or otherwise Oh those eollloiiulcHl Your nnmo mlgbt ho llumlot Instead of Hal You aro impossible Co home Its 11 anyway Two hours since I smoked Uruto Goodnight then I Ho extended a formal hand I No I cant lot you go after all sho replied j not lllto that Why do wo always end up like Beatrice and Uendlck Wo dont retorted Hal They ended up by marrying each other Yet wo are fond of each other Mona aiont wo In a way Then she added suddenly sud-denly Hal I have an Idea 1 think that I could etand you bettor out of doors Tnlco mo for a walk Wlun Will Saturay do At three oclock All right Como for mo In old clothes and take mo out of tho Now York that bothers us Im good for a real tramp you know You wont get tired and wish that you were homo Do I look like that Tho question answered Itself Sho was tall well aado and strong How about tho Palisades said Hal Fine I Ive never been there And oh the Joy of IU she added Wo shant have to talk at all Mona met him at the door on Saturday Sat-urday She was dressed wisely In a short skirt a plain waist and a little comfortable Jacket I suppose Ill have to wear n bat and gloves she said until wo get across the river Hut once really out of doorR hclgho for comfort It was a great day for a tramp They crossed the Hudson on tho Fort Leo ferry boat The domes of Morn Ingsldo stood bright above the city they were leaving There were but I a few clouds gathered low along tho west otherwise the sky was clear and scarcely moist and It dwindled away In smoky mist far down the river Mona was lighthearted nnd light limbed when they reached tho other shore Sho scorned to climb the cliff by tho serpentine road and struck ut over a little pathway between locks Instead Sho was not tho sort of a girl whoso arm a man would take to help her over nothing at all llal followed mutely In delight at her agility It was ho who was breathless when they reached tho top he had grown a llttlo heavy since his football foot-ball da J Thero was n road or two In sight with a flagging of suburban sidewalk but they were seeking a cure for civilization and set out north and west athwart tho woods The sunlight sifted through tangled branches and splashed hero and thereupon there-upon tho ground There was a laco of slender trunks on every side At last these pedestrians broke out upon a falling valley with a little lay river far below They paused Mona sat upon tho ground with her head propped against a tree trunk while Hal sprawled cumbersome a yard awayLight Light your pipe Heally Between puffs a sentence camo from Hal This beats your drpwing room all out doesnt It Were really com fortablo at last Quite said Mona digging weed with a little stick I thought i should like you out of doors New York makes a deuced difference differ-ence doesnt It Yes wo dont live In town we go i through forms as In a mummery They didnt talk much after that but sat listening to things and seeing them After awhile they started up again eastward this time vaguely In search of the heights above tho Hudson Hud-son They had a pleasant sense of being lost and steering by the sun until It went under clouds and bereft them of all guidance but that of more instinct There was a low mutter of thunder out of the west It rolled nearer and nearer to them until It seemed about to break behind them They had just cached tho brow of the Palisades when tho stormclouds overtook them A few big drops pelted down upon the leaves then a windblown sheet of rain Hung Itself slantwise upon tho forest Are you very wet asked Hal Yes are you Soaking Do you mind Not a bit she bald I Youre n brick Mona any other girl would bother about her clothes And any other man would bo absurd and CUBByI guess were all right I3y tho time the olonn had spent its i i fury tho two wero as wet an they could booH I suppose wo ought to geL dry somehow IItil suggested His arm was around her now to keep her from stumbling Ami Mona who never stumbled loaned toward him and was glad The cliff footed tin n little meadow over which limo a homely gleam ol yellow light Theres n house lluV lemarked And now although thorn WMH no reason for It ho lay his aria around her shoulders and steered hoi for tho light A healthy I flatter on Ilho back porch brought n woman to tho door Tho lamplight fell outwatdt on the two dilpplng figures i o came over from Now York be uxplalupd Uo you happen to huvtf a kitchen Hie Of rounwl Come light In They stepped Into a cheery llttlt kitchen containing three chlldion nod six kittens It was wnrm lamplll i and homely We havent any visiting cauls Hal said drolly Hut my namoa Stuart Hal Stuart and this is my Im Mrs West the woman answered an-swered Dear me you are wet Ill get sumo more wood for tho range Da sit down Mrs Stuart lIalIl1l Hal shouted Donedlck and Ucntrlco at last Mona was Rr little confused and trIed hard to look angry but Hal burbled with raorrl icnt Do bo quiet Mona murmured when Mrs West had gone In search of wood Perhaps It will bo better tIt lot her think Now well Imvo a good fire tlies W Al 1 l f Lof f r i t jA Hal Followed Mutely woman promised returning to poko logs Into tho stove Soon there was a steady blaze You must bo cold said Mrs West Shant I make some tea Ill make It Mona volunteered While tho kettle was boiling Hal played with tho kittens and Mourn with tho children and turn by turn they told Mrs West tho talc of their adventure Youve been awfully good to us Mrs West said Hal finally I think our things nro almost dry Would jou mind telling us where wo nro Why this is Fort Leo Youre right by tho road And the ferry About threequarters of n mile Just a good walk Its clear now Isnt It He opened tho door on a heaven thick with stars Dully night Mona dont you think wed better go While Hal was kneeling down io > lace Mommas shoes she combed his hair and patted It smooth Then she twirled her own hair up gracefully upon her head Never mind collars she said Its dark now On the way homo they thought ot many things Isnt It all wonderful explained Hal when Mona stood beneath be-neath tho lamp In her own hall Wo know each other lots better now dont wo Lots And sho stood quietly looking look-Ing nt him Hal didnt know what to do with hit hands He looked upon her sadl Mona am I really Impossible ho asked very slowly No I dont bellevo I meant It Hal Dont you thllllchis voice bothered I both-ered hlmdont you think that your I could stand mo Indoors If you tried 1 Somehow I think 1 could now after nilIsnt it funny I i Hal bent down and kissed her |