Middletown transcript., 1917-04-28

| havon't-Well, caught being mad
about Rose from him. 1t all depends
you see, on whether Rose is going to
be Il hit this winter or not. If she
doesn't-gO (and it all depends on her;
Rodney won't be much help, why, hav-
ing 4 house like that might be pretty
sad. SO, if you're a true friend, you'll
tell me what you think"
what I really think" said Violet
''of course 1 suppose I'd say this any
way, but I do honestly mean it's
that she'll be what John calls a
Knockout She's SO perfectly simple.
She's never-don't you know-being
anything. She just is. And she
thinks we're all so wonderful that she'll
make everybody feel warm and nice
inside, and they'll be sure to like her."
"She's got a real eye for clothes,
too," said Frederica. "We've been
shopping. Well, then, I'm going to tell
Rodney to 60 ahead and take the
house."
Rose was consulted about it, of
course, though consulted is perhaps
not the right word to use. She was
taken to see it, anyway, and asked if
she liked it-a question in the nature
Of the superfluous. One might as well
have asked Cinderella if she liked the
gown the fairy godmother had pro-
vided her with for the princes ball.
1t didn't occur to her to ask how
much the rent would be, nor would
the fact have had any value for her
as an illuminant, because she would
have had no idea whether six thou
sand dollars WAS half or a hun
dredth of her future husbands income.
The new house was just a part, as
so many of the other things that had
happened to her since that night when
Rodney had sent her flowers and taken
her to the theater and two restaurants
in Martins biggest limousine had been
parts, of a breath-arresting fairy story.
The conclusion Frederick and Violet
had come to about her chance for
social success, was amply justified by
the event, and it is probable that
Violet had put her finger upon the
handspring of it. SO it fell out that
what with the Junior league, the wom-
ems auxiliary boards of one or two of
the more respectable charities, the
was the smallest and smartest organi-
Zation of the lot), fifteen or twenty
young women supposed to combine and
reconcile social and intellectual bril-
lancy on even terms. What with all
this, her days were quite as full as
the evenings were, when she and Rod
ney dined and went to the opera anC
paid fabulous prices to queer prOfes
sionals, to keep themselves abreas
of the minute in all the new dances.
Portia had been quite right in say
ing that she never had to do anything
the rallying Of all her forces under
the spur Of necessity was an expert
ence she had never undergone. AnC
) it was also true that her mother, anc
for that matter, Portia herself, haC
spoiled her a lOt-had run about do
ing little things for her, come il
and shut down her windows in the
morning, and opened the register, and
on any sort Of excuse, on a Saturday
morning, for example, had brought hel
her breakfast on tray.
: But these things had been favOrS
: not services-never to be asked for
of course, and always to be accepted
a little apologetically. She had neve
before known what it was really to b.
. served.
81 haven't" Rose told Rodney on
morning, "a single, blessed morta
: thing to do all day. Some tixtur
scheduled for that morning had beel
;. moved, she went on to explain, AMI
u Eleanor Randolph was feeling seed,
T. and had called off little luncheon
II and matinee party.
: ooh, that's too bad" he said witt
y concern. "Can't you manage some
L thing 2"
'Too bad!' said Rose in lively dis
q sent. Its too heavenly! I've got
It whole day just to enjoy being myself
I. being" she reached for his han(
e and, getting it, stroked her cheek wit
e it being my new self. Portia use
IS to think I faxed pretty well. But
never was-don't you know?-righ
1t SO, you see, it's real adventure jus
t. to say-well, that 1 want the car a
L a quarter to eleven and to tell OFT
st exactly where l want him to drive m
IS to. l always feel as if l ought to sa
le that if he'll just stop the car at tn
n corner of Diversey street can walk.
y He laughed out at that and aske
her how long she thought this blissfu
t, state of things would last.
e, Forever" she said.
III But presently she looked at hil
st rather thoughtfully. "Of course it
E. none of it new to you," she sait
mot the silly little things, nor tn
it things we do together-oh, the dinner
Y. and the dances, and the operas. D
Id YOU sort Of-wisf1 fd get tired eff II
is Is it dreadful bore to you?"
sh $50 long as it doesn't bore you," h
re said; $50 long as you go on-shinin