Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 231, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1918 — The Blue Goddess [ARTICLE]

The Blue Goddess

By LOUISE OLIVER

(Copyright, 1818, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) Peggy lay awake at night listening to the rain. Oh, if it would only stop 1 She had planned so many things for the next day, the day Captain Pearson was to be in town and had asked her if he could come to- see her. Come to see her! Peggy’s heart had fluttered almost to suffocation when she read the few lines on the heavy white paper. Come to see her 1 She had closed her eyes and pressed the words to her heart in ecstacy. The tall, serious officer she had met at the Marstons, about whom all the girls had been completely mad, including herself 1 i. Then Peggy had done some officering herself, as Peggy could. Her little hands, which took only a five-and-a-half glove, could make Phil and little Chuckle step around more lively in one minute than father and mother combined could do in a week, and a word from her pretty red lips meant more to Susan in the kitchen than a whole regiment of orders from higher up. Lola, her twelve-year-old sister, adored her openly, as did Lola’s girl friends, who met after school every day for Peggy to instruct in knitting. JThe officering Peggy did, on receipt of Captain Pearsons’ letter, consisted of disposing of the family for the day, beginning with Philip and Charles, and had gone on down the line until no one was left but her mother and father and herself. Captain Pearson was to stop to dinner, and Susan was to achieve the most delectable meal Peggy’s busy brain could plan. In short, the program was to be as follows: Morning, house cleaned up, flowers arranged in bowls everywhere, best linen and silver hunted up, porches cleaned and everything in order. Afternoon —The boys tq go fishing after school and to Aunt Mary’s for supper and to stay all night; Lola and the club to go to Mabel Brown’s and Lola to stop for dinner and all night, as Mabel had so often coaxed.

Peggy planned to put on her new sport suit of army .blue jersey and with her own little car sparkling clean was to take the captain for a ride out to Bowling Rocks to see the view, stop at the club and introduce him to a few friends, then bring him home to a quiet, delicious candle-lit dinner for four, Peggy in her new pink dress; a whole delightful evening alone on the moonlit veranda (there was a moon, Peggy found from the calendar a whole week ahead), and then—Peggy never tried to look past that But—“ The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley.” It rained, and it rained and rained and rained. The flowers would be ruined, the tulips had been almost ready to drop, anyway. The road to Bowling Rocks was impassable now, even with a whole day’s sun, and the boys couldn’t go fishing. Mother wouldn’t let them when it was. damp. After a sleepless night Peggy was up at six. To her surprise, her mother was stirring In the hall. Peggy opened her door. “What is it, mother?” she asked. “It’s Susan; she’s sick. I’ve been up all night with her. I think she got overheated yesterday and then cooled off too quickly. Til send for Doctor Boyce soon, now, but I think she’ll be all right in a day or two.” “A day or two! But, mother, Captain Pearson’s coming to dinner and there’s so much to be done today.” *Tm sorry, dear, but we can’t help it. Pm almost too tired to get breakfast” Peggy’s face changed instantly. “Don’t you worry, momsy, dear. I’ll get breakfast. You telephone for the doctor, then go and lie down. I’ll get the kiddles off to school.” After that there was no rest for Peggy- The rain kept up and Susan got worse. The doctor came ,and stayed, and Peggy had to be everywhere at once —in the kitchen one minute, filling hot water bottles the next, answering the telephone, making beds, washing dishes, getting lunch, and a hundred other things. Lunch over, the boys had to be warned to come straight home from school, for it was the kind of day when mother worried about them. And, as the Browns lived too far away, Lola was told to come home also. Lola forgot about the company and at four o’clock the entire knitting club walked in. The boys had brought a few extra spirits along too. Never was there such a houseful.

Peggy by this time had accepted the inevitable, changed to a blue linen dress with white collar and cuffs and apron, and decided to make the best of It She was out sweeping some extra large chunks of mud off the front steps when Captain Pearson arrived. Peggy did not' run, nor bide the broom. She stood smiling down at him from the top of the steps —a blue goddess with the emblem of woman’s sphere in her hand. The humor of the situation lent an added sparkle to her smile. *Tm so glad to see you, captain,” she said, holding out her unoccupied hand to this splendidly caparisoned man. "It’s a dreadful day, isn’t it? I have some small brothers who won’t Wipe their feet, and they 1b turn have

a dozen or two friends who won’t wipe theirs. But just come in and see what I have on my hands today—a combination day nursery and a hospital. I’m two kinds of nurse.” “Lucky people!” said the captain, warmly holding her hand. “Also Pm not sure that you’re going to get any dinner. If Susan sleeps, I can cook it If not I can’t Mother has developed neuralgia, so the family may have *to eat crackers and cheese in the pantry.” “But I can’t stay anyway,” said the captain. “I just came to tell you I can’t come—that is, not till Thursday. Fm on my way to New York on business and stopped over a few minutes between trains." In fact, he did stay just long enough to meet the admiring friends of Lola and the boys. Then he had to go. ‘Til be baek on Thursday for all day, Miss Peggy, if it suits you,” he said as he left * Thursday it didn’t rain. Susan was better and able to cook the delectable meal. The boys went to Aunt Mary’s, Lola to Mabel Brown’s. The road to Bowling Rocks was good, the car perfect, and Peggy never prettier. More flowers had come out in the garden, and the house looked wonderfully sweet and attractive. n The moon was full now, and the veranda that night a fairyland of lacework shadows. Delicious scents came from the garden, and Peggy breathed a sigh of ecstacy. It had all worked out so satisfactory—just as she had planned. “Peggy, dear, I love you,” said the captain suddenly. “Why—why, captain!" said Peggy, breathlessly. “Yes I do, and I may as well tell you now. -Why wait? I’ve known it all along, but I’ll confess if I hadn’t seen you Monday I should probably have waited. I can hardly tell you why. It’s because, perhaps, I’ve always had a horror of useless women. I wish you could know how adorable you looked that day in your blue dress. Most girls would have been worried to death. Peggy, dear little Peggy, tell me you care a little, won’t you?” “Y-yes, I do,” said Peggy, happily. “I love you very much.” But, womanlike, she knew it wasn’t the blue dress and the broom at all that did it. It was the pink dress, and the shadows, and the garden scents, and the moon!