The Topeka state journal., 1921-10-07
THE NEW
GENERATION
THE ROSE GOWN AGAIN.
By JANE PHELPS
Chapter IS.

Chapter 35.
A night or two after Forrester's ap-
pearance at the hotel ball was given.
81 think the management is horrid!"
Joan grumbled. It had been distinctly
given out that children under 16 were
neither expected nor wanted. I'D
just love to 60"
'Tn tell you all about it," her
mother quietly returned.
Are you going?"
But it will be horrid to go alone"
Joan paused. Her words hung in the
air. Margaret read her thought.
Il shall not be alone. Mr.. Forester
has asked me to go with him"
Il hate that mani"
One could not believe so much We
nom could be put into four words;
especially>by a girl who looked like
blonde angel.
'Why do you hate him, Joan? We
do not hate people without a reason" ="
Hes trying to get you away from
me. and hate him.
Don't talk that way, Joan. No one
on earth can get me away from you.
If we are separated it will be you who
leave me. In few years 1 shall be-
gin to worry about that. l wish /
could keep you little girl always"
Margaret was begging the question,
and Joan knew it.
You mean that will get married" !"
"Yes, sometime I hope-yet I dread
to see you crow up"
ut wouldn't make any difference to
you If did get married, you would
live with me always. But if you got
married, took a strange man in the
house with me. I'd run away. couldn't
bear to be laughed at by the boys and
girls because my mother was SO silly" :"
ut isn't silly, dear, to want society,
OY long for enfarfainna0Ot You
aren't naturally selfish, joan" she
added very seriously, but with me
you are very selfish. You begrudge
me any sort of pleasure that is apart
think, dear, that you have many pleas
ures do not, cannot share? Why, if
adopted your tactics I would be cross
and envious every time you have a
pleasure 1 did not participate in. I
enjoyed seeing you bathe the other
day. enjoyed your fun with that good
| looking, dark haired boy just as much
as you did. But because Mr.. Forester
talked to me for half an hour you re-
sented, it. I thought you were fair,
always, dear"
"It isn't fair in you to have him
around when you know I hate him!
Joan exploded.
"If I should dislike one of your
playmates You would resent it if said
hated him cor her, and that 1t was
unfair for you to have them around"
ITS different! They don't want to
marry me and make you miserable for
always
Margaret laughed, she couldn't help
it. She would stop discussing things
of the sort with Joan. She would go
ahead. assert herself gradually as she
thought best, and say nothing. The
few times she had done so had worked
out far better than when she had
talked things over with Joan.
The night Of the ball; Joan-evi-
IDENTIFY she had forgotten that her
mother was going-said she was going
down to the beach. Some of the chill
dren were going to have beach fire
and had invited her.
THAT will be nice" Margaret said
rather absently She had been think
Craig Forester not been there, she
would have donned one of her simple
white or black gowns. But the thought
of his admiration when he saw her
in the rose and gray intrigued her, and
she decided to wear it in spite OF
Joan's dislike to her dressing in
colors. She always felt a bit ashamed
of herself when she thought OF how
Joan dominated her.
rs any older person going with
you ?" Margaret asked as she buttoned
a warmer gown Joan was to wear.
"Of course! I wouldn't go If there
wasn'tI'
Margaret said nothing. but thought
happily, "She is full of right impulses.
Some day she will understand"
(Tomorrow-Joan compliments her
mpther)