The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-10-27

"
Vida Sherwin ran In after school
dozen times. SHE was tactfui. tor.
rcntially aneodotai She had rcut.
tied about town ana plucked com.
piiment1 Mrs. DIR. westlake had
pronounced Carol a very sweet
bright. cultured young woman" and
Brad Bemis. the tinsmith NJ ciark's
Hardware Store. had declared that
she was easy 10 work for and awful
easy To look at
But Carol could not yet take her
In. She resented this outsiders
not too long tolerant she limited.
You're great broodcr. child. Buck
up now. The towns quit criucixing
you. almost entirely. Come with me
to the Thanatopsis club. They have
some OF the best papers. and cur
rontevcnts discussicns-so interest
ing"
In vida's demands Carol felt q
compulsion. but she was too listlcss
to obey.
II was Bea Sorcnson who was
rcAily hcr confidantc-
However charitable toward the
lower classes she may have thought
herself. Carol had been reared to
assume that servants belong TO q
distinct and inferior species. But
she discovered that Bea was cxtnor.
dinariiy like girls she had loved In
college. and as a companion alto
g..
irons OF the jolly scvent~n. Daily
they became more frankly two girls
playing at homework. Bea articssiy
considered Carol the most beautiful
and accomplished lady In the coun.
try: she was always shrieking. My.
dots a swell hat" or. "Ay Fink all
desc ladies' yoost die whet dey see
how elegant you do your hairr' But
Il was not the humbleness Of n serv.
ant. nor the hypocrisy OF a slave;
II was the admiration Of Freshman
for Junior.
They made out the days menus
together. Tho they began with pro
priety. Carol sitting by the kitchen
table and Bea at the sink or black
ing the stove. the conference was
likely TO end with both OF them by
the table. while Bea gurgled over
the icemsn's attempt to kiss her. or
Carol admitted. Everybody knows
that the doctor IL lots more clever
than DIR. McGanum." when Carol
came In from marketing. Bea
plunged into the hail 10 take of her
coat, rub her frosted hands. and
ask. "vos dere lots Of folks up.
town today"
This was the welcome upon which
Carol depended
VI
Thru her weeks OF covering there
vas no change In her surface life.
No one save Vida was aware Of her
agonizing. On her most dcspairing
days she chatted to women on the
street. in stores. But without the
protection Of Kcnnicotf's presence
she did not so 90 the Jolly Seven
teen: she delivered herself to the
Judgment Of the town only when
she went shopping and on the nit
noon calls. when Mrs. Lyman Cass
or Mrs George Edwin Mott. with
clean gloves and minute handler
chiefs and seaiskin card-cases and
countrnances OF frozen appreciation.
sat on the edges Of chairs and In
quircd. DO you find Gopher Prairie
pleasing?" when they spent even
fngs OF social profit-and- ioss at the
Haydocks' or the Dyers' she hid be.
hind kcnnicott. playing the simple
bride.
Now she was unprotected Ken
nicott had taken a patient TO Roches-
ter for an operation He would be
away for two or three days She
had not minded: she would loosen
the matrimonial tension and be
fanctful girl for a time. But now
that he was gone the house was
iisteningiy empty. Bea vas out this
affernoou--prcsumably drinking cof-
fee and talking about -feIlows- with
her cousin Tina II was the day
for the monthly supper and evening
bridge OF the Jolly Seventeen, but
Carol dared not 60.
She sat alone.