Page 40 - 1923 Hartridge

1 had. Laura seemed to like the plan so we started off with me leading, as she was not so familiar with Iowa and its peculiarities. Waterloo is only forty-ffve minutes from New York, so in a very short time we were there. We landed and left our machines at the air station. Having just drawn my week’s salary, I was feeling very wealthy and we taxied to the theater.
On the way Laura told me all about herself and her work. She owned, and until recently had been running personally, a garage for air­ planes. Just now she is planning a chain of garages to extend all over the country. Her first one in Plainfield has shown what a success she can
make out of it.
When the taxi stopped at the Palace I got out quickly because I was eager for Laura to learn of the surprise awaiting her. For how should she know that India Pickett was the ticket-seller? I took Laura up and reacquainted them. India came rushing out of her little glass house and
threw her arms around us both and then rushed off to show us Jack, her small son, aged eight. We couldn’t stop to admire young Jack long a other people wanted to buy tickets and as we wanted to see the picture and incidentally do a little reminiscing.
When we sat down the news reel was just being run off. There was a picture of Annabel Lombard, the first woman president, playing with her pet Airedale before the White House. Of course we both knew about her, but this was the first picture of her either of us had seen since her
election. She looked much the same as usual, a little thinner and older. if anything, but there was scarcely any noticeable change. Jeannette
Strong was with her, more beautiful than ever. She is companion, confi­ dential adviser or something like that to Annabel.
Suddenly the lights went up and the program announced an overture by the orchestra. We took advantage of this to talk in low tones. The first thing Laura said was.
“What has happened to Elizabeth Embry and Mary Churchill?’’
Oh.” I answered, “They made their debuts in Eouisville the year after they graduated and were the season’s most popular debutantes. I went down to visit them for a couple of weeks that winter and I have never seen two girls more in demand. They both had to take three weeks off
to recuperate in the summer. The next winter they went abroad and were the belles of Europe. Churchill married a dashing Italian peer while she
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