The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-12-07

- ~ :
bacon. demanded. Have you heard
the scandal about this Miss Mullins
and Cy BogartT"
-lm sure IFS a lie
'>oh. probably Is Maud's man.
ner Indicated that the falsity of the
story was an insignificant flaw In
lis general deiightfulneas.
Carol cropt TO her room. sat with
hands curied tight together az she
listened to a plague OF voices. She
could hear the town yeiping with u.
every soul OF them. gteefui at new
details. painting 90 win Importance
by having details OF their own 10
add How wen they would make up
for what they had been afraid TO do
by ina ginning u In another, They
who had not been entirely afraid
fbut merely careful and sneakyl all
the barber shop rours and millinery.
parior rnondaines. how archiy they
were riwgling this second-ahe could
hear them az ~: with what self
mendatiou they we're cackling their
~WI FNEt VII tVU tAAi I &ttA NV Nft'
ain, a gay bird. I'm wise'-
And not ono man in town 10 esrry
out their pioneer tradition Of superb
and contempsuous cursinr. not one
70 verify the myth that their trough
chivalry" and rugged virtues- were
moro generous than the petty scan
dai- picking OF older lands. not ono
dramatic frontierrman 10 thunder.
with fantastic and fictionai cathn.
what are you limiting att What
arc you snickering att what farfr
have your what are these unheari.
Of sins you condemn 90 much-and
like 80 weil7-
No one 10 say r. Not Kennicots
nor Guy Pollock nor Champ Perry.
Erik7 Possibly. He would sputter
uneasy protest.
She suddenly wondered what sub
serranean connection her interest In
Erik had with this affair. wasn't
Il because they had been prevented
by her caste from bounding on her
own trail that they were bowling at
Ferng
Before supper sh. found. ~ half q
dozen telephone calls. that Fern had
fled 70 the Minniemashle House. She
fastened there. trying not 20 be self.
conscious about the people who
looked ~ her on the street The
clerk said indiffercntiy that he
guessed Miss Mullins was up In
Room ~. and left Carol to fInd the
way. She hunted along the stale
smelling corridors with their wall
paper OF ccrise daisies and poison.
green rosettcs, strcaked In white
spots from spilled water. their fraycd
red and yellow mating. and rows
OF pine doors painted a sickiy blue.
She could not find the number. IN
the darkness at the end Of q corridor
she had 10 feel the aluminium figures
on the door.paneis. She was startled
once BY a mans voice: "Ycp7
whadyuh want7" and fled. when
she reached the right door she stood
listening. She made out a long sob
bling. There was no answer till her
third knock: then an alarmed who
Is III Go away
Her hatred OF the town turned res
oluto as she pushed open the door.
Yesterday she had seen Fern Mui.
Inns in boots and tweed skirt and
canary.yellow sweater. fleet and self
possessed Now she lay across the
bed, In crumpled lavender cotton and
shabby pumps. very feminine. utterly
cowed. She lifted her head in stupid
terror. Her hair was in tousled
strings and her face was saliow.
creased. Her eyes were a blur from
weeping.
II didn't didntr' was All she
would say at first, and she repeated
II while Carol kissed her cheek.
stroked her hair. bathed her fore
head. She rested then. while Carol
looked about the room-the welcome
to strangers. the sanctuary OF hos
pitable Main Street. the lucrative
property Of Kcnnlcott's friend, Jack.
son Elder. II smelled OF old linen
and decaying carpet and ancient to-
bacco smoke. The bed was rickety,
with a thin knotty mattress: the
SAND colored walls were scratched
and gouged: in every corner. under
everything, were fluffy dust and ci-
gar ashes; on tho tilted wash-stand
was a nickcd and sauatty pitcher;
the only chair was a grim straight
object OF spotty varnish; but there
was an altogether splendid gilt and
rose cuspidor.
She did not try TO draw out Ferns
story; Fern insisted on telling II.
She had gone TO the party, not
quite liking Cy but wiIIinS. TO endure
him for the sake OF dancing. OF est
Gaping from Mrs. Bogarts flow OF
moral comments. OF reL~xing after
the first strained weeks OF teaching.
O. promised to be good" He was.
on the way out There were a few
workmen from Gopher Prairie at the
dance. with many young farm.peoplc.
Half dozen squatters from a de-
generate colony In brush.hidden
hollow, planters Of potatoes. sus.
pected thieves. came In noisily drunk.
They all pounded the floor Of the
| barn in old.fasbioned square dances.
swinging their partners, skipping,
| laughing. under the Nominations of