heart condition, and he came right home

He is a devoted boy, but then I always took the time to be a mother to him. I planned things we could do together. Little trips and picnics and things like that. While other young people were running the streets, I never had to worry about George..

No, he isn't, Lillie. He never got serious about any girls, and just between us, I was always a little bit relieved. You know how most young girls are. I told George, "There's time for that after you get settled in life."

I'd like nothing better than to see him married to a nice girl some day, but after all, he's only thirty-three, and there's plenty of time. It's always so much better when both parties have a mature outlook. There is a practical side to marriage..

Yes, all these books are his. Most of them are plays. He used to be interested in a theater group

It wasn't the Little Theater. They never put on any plays. George said it was a discussion group, but it always seemed to me more like a secret society. They wouldn't allow any outside visitors. I used to worry when he went out to the meetings, and I was awfully relieved when he gave it all up.

Oh, no, that isn't what I meant at all! I never felt the meetings were subversive... Yes, I know. But what I meant was-Well, he met that Walter there, and if any of the other members were like him!...

It's a long story, dear, and not a very pleasant one. You see, I was cleaning George's dresser-drawer one day and I found this man's picture. I asked George who it was, and he said it was Walter. So I said if he wanted to, he could bring Walter home to dinner-because he looked all right in the picture. George said he didn't suppose he could get him to come, and he never did, and now

8

I'm certainly glad of it.

Every now and then this Walter would phone for George. His other friends always talked to me a while first, when I answered, and we had a friendly little chat. But Walter would say, "I want to speak to George, please," as if he didn't even know who I was.

AnywayExcuse me. The water is boiling

It is a lovely teapot, isn't it? I wish I had the cups to match . . . . it was a gift ...

If you must know, it was from a gentleman friend. Someone you know, too... Edgar Neff . . . .

...

Oh, you must remember him. He visited around home the summer before I was married. Then we sort of kept in touch, through his sister Ada, until his wife passed on. After that, we wrote back and forth, and he sent me this teapot. . . . There's nothing very personal about a teapot. I didn't think anything about it until he asked me if I'd come East and meet his family.... That was three years ago I talked it over with George, and he thought I should go. He said I'd earned a vacation if anybody had.

·

So I went East and saw Edgar. His children were grown up and married, and they were lovely to me, and Edgar had the loveliest little home on a lake . . . .

Yes, he did, Lillie. Yes, he did. The second day I was there. I got George on long distance and asked him what to do, and George said he'd never stand in the way.

So I said yes

Wait till I tell you, dear . . . All the time I'd supposed George would be living with us, but Edgar said no. He said there wasn't room enough, and besides, he thought George was old enough to have a home of his

own

Sometimes I wish I could take back some of the things I said. He was a