The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-10
THE NEW
GENERATION
BIZ JANE PHELPS
A BEACH PARTY ON JOAN'S
BIRTHDAY.
BIZ JANE PHELPS
Chapter IL.

OAdpISA
On Joan's fourteenth birthday Mar
garet gave her quite a party. They
had taken a cottage at the shore, and
many of the people with whom they
were acquainted had done likewise.
For days Margaret planned, far
more excited than Joan, who took
things as so much a matter of course
when they concerned herself.
Sandwiches. cold eggs, ice cream
and a big birthday cake were planned
by Margaret and Hannah.
1--WE must have marshmallows to
toast, and a beach fire." Joan de-
clared, and so it was arranged.
Margaret had bought a smart sport
suit for Joan, and the young girls all
looked so sweet in the bright colors
which were so popular that summer
that Margaret felt very much like
brown wren among a flock of robins.
Before they left the cottage she
slipped up to her room and put one
of Joan's gay sweaters over her dark
dress.
How nice you look. Mrs. Hayden:
You should wear rose color lot"
Gloria Freeman exclaimed, so draw
ing attention to Margaret.
you do look Rwfully nice. Mrs.
Hayden" Malcolm Frost agreed, but
1 think you always do"
Thank you, Malcolm"
Joan had said nothing, so Margaret
was IlOl sur Z IL SIl0 1ldQ nSdIQ the Ie-
marks about her appearance. A little
later, however, when they were toast
ing marshmallows, Joan said:
Whatever possessed you, Mumsie,
to try to look like a girl? 1t just
seems as if we didn't have you here at
all, that it was some one else
That she had paid her mother a
compliment. Joan had no idea. Mar
garet slipped off the sweater.
II was too warm" she told Nal
colin Frost, who noticed. Joan made
no remark.
But you looked so pretty, Mrs.
Hayden" Malcolm said.
Thank you'll Malcolm" Margaret
flushed like a girl who received her
first compliment. ct am not accus-
toned to being told am pretty
IT don't see why" Malcolm stub
bornly refused to be quieted. Ever
since the night Margaret had found
him swinging in the hammock with
Joan. he had been her champion.
Now Joan called him away, to Mar
garet's relief. She was beginning to
feel embarrassed before all those
hearts. thought her "old!''
Tonight she did not feel old, not in
the least. She envied every one of
them their fun. She longed to MUNICH
sandwiches, eat ice cream and drink
lemonade with them, sitting cross
legged about the cloth spread on the
sand instead of sedately helping Han
nah to wait upon them. More than
all did she want to join the group
later when they sat around the blaz-
ing beach fire toasting marshmallows.
But they had formed a close circle.
There was no room for her.
Ashamed of herself for her feeling,
yet unable to suppress it. Margaret
walked away a little distance and pro-
ceeded to take herself to task for her
-, It'll, -
mother of that lovely golden haired
girl, to want to be more than she was
"a woman who had lived her life,
, and now only lived for her daughter?
But she could not repress the long
ing to be with them, one of them. She
fingered the rose colored sweater,
folding her hands in its soft warmth.
Malcolm had said she looked
pretty in it. 1t was nice of the boy
to notice her when all those darling
girls were around. Yet the thought
of his admiring glance, and what little
Gloria had said, comforted her-altho
she would have been ashamed to ac-
knowledge that she needed comfort.
She recalled that before she was
married she used to wear rose often;
that it was her mothers favorite color
for her.
'It would be nice to wear it now
sho murmEred.
1t was 10 O'Clock when the gay
party was over and they left the
beach.
I'VE had a lovely time, Mrs Hay
DEM" they exclaimed almost in cho-
rus as, one by one, she left them at
their various homes.
1T waas nice party, Mumsie," said
Joan with a sprodigious yawn just be-
fore she went to sleep.
Alone, Margaret went to her room
and, locking the door, once more
donned the rose sweater. She had
turned on all the lights and as she
looked at her reflection in the ehevaI
glass she smiled and flushed girlishly
/. I'D love to wear rose again-some-
time" she said as she laid it aside
Then: What would Joan say if she
know"
(To be continued)