The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1913-10-31
POLLYS PINK PARASOL
BY A. M. CRAWFORD.


Think Of a girls fate depending on
such trivial thing as the color of her
| parasol! Polly Moore had an engage
ment with young Phil Fuller and when
he rode UP in his big touring car to
take her out he was surprised to learn
that she was too i'll to 60. Yet as he
turned away, he distinctly saw a pink
parasol over the shoulder of a white
frock move slowly across the lawn
beside blue serge suit of unmis-
| takably good cut.
Want to take rider" In bitter
ness OF soul Phil hailed pretty Kath-
ryn Stevens just as he turned out of
Moore's driveway.
Delighted" laughed the girl and
climbed in beside him. She had al
ways cherished secret fondness for
Phil.
How about the Country club?" he
asked briefly.
Just the place." she agreed. Her
real name was Kathryn, but she was
frequently dubbed Kat" by unappre-
ciative ones to whom her social meth
DDS were not pleasant
I'm just crazy about motoring. I
am simply too happy for words" she
said
Phil hoped that she was telling the
truth, that she was too happy for
words, for he wanted to mediate. He
was already beginning to wonder if
he had allowed his suspicion of the
nf We {A oh
he talked to her mother on the porch.
Inside his pocket and seeming to press
hard on his heart was a flashing soli-
tarie that he had expected, and per-
haps not without reason, to slip on
Polly's left hand that very afternoon.
He gripped the wheel and steered the
car SO violently to one side that he
nearly precipitated his passenger in
ditch by the road.
For mercy's sake, Phil, what are
you trying to do? You fairly took my
breath away"
Don't worry" he retorted, savage
ly, nothing could do that. You have
enough in reserve to last a month"
He repented instantly after taking
sidewise glance at the girl and seeing
her flushed face. Forget it," Didn't
mean a thing. Honest to goodness,
girl"
So she smiled and as they drove up
before the club house, she was laugh
ing merrily, almost too merrily, over
one of Pills jokes.
1t seemed to Phil that everybody
was there. The two were stopped
many times as they made their way
to little table on the gallery over
looking the river. For the first time
in his life, people irritated him. While
he ordered everything on the menu
as a sort of apology for his previous
lack of courtesy, Kathryn took out her
gold vanity case and holding a di-
minutive mirror before her, proceeded
to put on as much complexion as the
wind had blown off on the way to the
club. Phil frowned. Polly never did
those distressingly vulgar things that
pretty girls seem to think they are
privileged to do everywhere In the
world-even at prayer.
why don't you eat something?
Aren't you hungry? If you don't take
some of these delicious things you
have ordered, I'll think that you are
grieving over Polly Moore" announc-
ed his merciless guest.
"Why-why should / be grieving
over herr" he stammered.
"She was desperately i'll this morn
ing. They had two doctors with her.
Appendicitis / think they said"
Il have an appointment at SIX" he
said, opening his watch. Are you
ready to go back to town."
On the way out to the machine, he
heard people everywhere asking about
Polly. She was so utterly dear! He ex-
ceeded the speed limit and hurried
Kathryn home. Then he went in
search of the nearest florist shop. The
little old German who sold flowers
be crazy.
Il want pink roses, dozens and doz-
ems of them" he ordered, land want |
them as quickly as you can get them
together, please"
His heart throbbed violently at !
sight of closed pink parasol by the |
side of a swing on the Moore's lawn. |
There was the same inhabited blue |
serge suit beside a white frock, but |
to his relief he saw that the girl was |
not Polly. Then he remembered |
about an expected visitor.
May see Polly for just minute, |
Mrs. Moore?" he begged at the door.
why, yes, Phil She is in my sit
ting room. She gave us quite a scare
this morning but she is better now"
Polly was very pale where she sat |
up by window. She wore
a lacy pink negligee and as Phil look
ed at her, sudden lump of terrible
swelled up in his throat
and prevented immediate speech.
ITS good of you to come to see
me-" Phil. Are all these lovely roses
mine? My. how extravagant you are!"
Il thought that you were just pre-
tending when / came for you this
afternoon, Polly, and your mother
said that you were ill. | saw a pink
parasol beside a good broad back so I