The Benson signal., 1917-12-08

happened IN June, just before the
wedding )and talked the matter over
with Violet Williamson on the way
home, afterward.
"John said once," observed Violet,
"that if we had to live in that house,
he'd either go out and buy a plush
Morris-chair from feather-your-nest
Saltzman's, and a golden-oak side
board, or else run amuck."
Frederick grinned, but was sure it
wouldn't affect Rodney that way.
AS for Rose, she thought Rose would
like it-fOr a while, anyway. But this
wasn't the point. ''I'm so-foolish
about old Rodney, that can't be sure
I haven't-well, caught being mad
about Rose from him. It all depends,
you see, on whether Rose is going to
be a hit this winter or not. If she
doesnt-go (and it all depends on her;
Rodney won't be much help, why, hav-
ing a house like that might be pretty
sad. So, if you're a true friend, you'll
tell me what you think"
"What really Think" said Violet
"of course I 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 Frederick. "We've been
shopping. Well, then, I'm going to tell
Rodney to go 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.
It 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 a half or 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 Frederica 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
Thursday club and the Whiffiers (this
was the smallest and smartest Organi-
zation Of the lot), fifteen or twenty
young women supposed to combine and
reconcile social and intellectual bril-
liancy 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 and
paid fabulous prices to queer profess
sionals, to keep themselves abreast
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. And
it was also true that her mother, and
for that matter, POrtia herself, had
spoiled her a lot-had run about do
ing little things for her, come in
and shut down her windows in the
morning, and opened the register, and,
on any sort of excuse, on Saturday
morning, for example, had brought her
her breakfast on a tray.
But these things had been favOrs,
not services-never to be asked for,
of course, and always to be accepted
little apologetically. She had never
before known what it was really to be
served.
81 haven't" Rose told Rodney one
morning, "a single, blessed mortal
thing to do all day." Some fixture
scheduled for that morning had been
moved, she went on to explain, and
Eleanor Randolph was feeling seedy
and had called off a little luncheon
nx.t0y