Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1917-07-13


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drank wine with him.
At this stage Of the proceedings her
brother came up to the table, and
seemed to wish to take her away. But
she did not listen to him. Sperry got
near enough to the table to overhear
the conversation without being seen.
The young mans conversation was as
vacuous and decadent as his looks.
Sperry wondered how she could stand
it. Jack Kemper seemed to be losing
his relish for the festivities, and re-
turned again to his sister. He asked
her to come and dance with him. She
refused, saying:
"I'm already engaged for two more
dances to-to-well I don't know his
name-the fat gentleman with the bald
head. And this gentleman" pointing
to the man at the table, "has the next
dance"
Here she made an attempt to intro
duce her brother, and the weak eyed
young man gave his name as Letting.
Kemper made no attempt to disguise
his disgust and chagrin, but Dolly was
not to be moved. She laughed loudly
at her discounted brother, and cried
out: "Now run along fBuzzy!' Have
good time, and don't bother mel"
1t was plain to Sperry that the
friends" she was going to meet were
not in evidence. She had come there
alone to have her own "good time"
and had not expected to find her broth
err. AS the evening wore on she danced
with all kinds Of men, and drank wine
at the little tables more often than
was good for her. Sperry noticed that
the costume he had thought so ex-
quisite was, when the coat was re-
moved, ultra, freakish, even bizarre.
It drew the attention Of many eyes,
and seemed as much out of keeping
with the honest gray eyes, and the
charming feminine brow and mouth as
a parrots plumage on a dove. Sperry
almost laughed aloud when he thought
of his mothers face could she at that
moment see her model girl, Dolly
Kemper. It all seemed rather unreal
and uncanny to him like a queer night
mare.
Just then rather loud and excited
voices broke in on his musings.
Kemper was trying to induce his
sister to go home with him, and she
was quite as strenuously refusing to
go. He was unusually sober, and was
evidently shocked, mortified, and utter
ly miserable over her conduct.
"Come!" he urged. Tt's horrible!
It's disgraceful for you to be dancing
with all these strange men. don't
know one of them, and you don't!"
"Well you come here night after
night! Do these women know who
you are? Do you know one of themT
"That's different!"
"No it isn't!" she cried. "Whats.
good for you is good for mel"
DOLLY" he implored.
"Well if it isn't good why do you go
on doing it, drinking yourself into an
idiot, making me miserable, breaking
mothers heart? But may be it's all
right !" she laughed in a maudlin way.
"I'm going on anyway, having a good
time as long as you do. Come on!
Have something's"
For an instant he looked utterly
helpless, then his lips frightened. He
caught sight of Sperry, and beckoned
him to him. He went.
"Mr. Sperry," he said, ~ want my
sister to go home with me. Perhaps
you can persuade her."
She actually went pale at sight OF
him. Then she said: "We won't have
a scene. I'll 60"
Outside Kemper caught at her arm
imploringly. "Look here, sis! If you'll
never go in one of those places again,
I won't! I'll promise to try to be de-
cent-to amount to something. Sperry
here is witness"
GAIL right, Joe, I won't-if you'll keep
your promise. Do you think I enjoyed
that orgy? I loathe it!''
Then it dawned upon Sperry she had
done it all for a purpose. "By Jove!"
he said, you're brick!"
Some time after this when there had
come to be a very good understanding
between the two, she said: $50 you
liked me when you saw I could be
devilish."
mo" he answered, II liked you
when I saw you didn't enjoy being
devilish."
Dear tactless Mrs. Sperry still fond
ly believes she helped to make the