The Jasper news., 1922-11-30
MISS LULU BETT

Bdu. llluh yOu ho'O ~ phShty hdNN
around here"
"I?" Lulu was genuinely aston
ished.
"Yes, sir Do you have to work
like this all the time? 1 guess you
won't mind my asking"
"well, l ought to work. have a
home with them. Mother, too"
eyes, but gloryi You ought to have
some kind of life Of your own. You
want 1t, too. You told me you did
that first day"
She was silent. Again he was In
vesting her with longing which she
had never really had, until he had
planted that longing. She had wanted
she knew not what. Now she accept
ed the dim, the romantic interest of
this role.
II guess you don't see how It.
seems" he said, "to me, coming along
"A stranger so. l don't like It,"
He frowned, regarded the river,
fiicked away ashes, his diamond obedi-
emily shining. Lulus look, her head
dropping, had the liquid air of the
look of a young girl. For the first
time in her life she was feeling her
helplessness. 1t intoxicated her.
They're very good 70 me-" she said.
He turned. do you know why you
think that? Because you've never had
anybody really good to you. That's
why"
But they treat me good"
ell 30
lar slave" He puffed, frowning.
"D-d shame, l call it," he said.
Her loyalty stirred Lulu. "We have
our whole living"
"And you earn 1t. / been watching
you since been here. Don't you ever
go anywheres"
She said: "This is the first place
in-in years."
"Lordl Don't you want TOT OF
course you do"
"Not so much places like this"
II see. What you want is to get
away-like you'd ought to-" He re-
garded her. you've been a blamed
fne-looking woman" he said.
She did not flush, but the faint, un-
suspected Lulu spoke for her:
"You must have been a good-look-
ing man once yourself"
His laugh went ringing across the
water. You're pretty good" he said.
He regarded her approvingly. II don't
see how you do It," he mused. blamed
If 1 do"
How do whatf
"Why come back, quick like that,
with what you say"
| Lulu's heart WIS beating painfully.
The effort to hold her own in talk like
this was terrifying. She had never
talked In this fashion to anyone. 1t was
as if some matter of life or death
hung on her ability to speak an alien
tongue. And yet, when she was most
at loss, that other Lulu, whom she
had never known anything about.
seemed suddenly to speak for her. AS
now:
Its my grand education" she said.
| She sat bumped on the log, her
beautiful hair shining in the light of
the warm sky. She had thrown off
her hat and the linen duster and was
In her blue gingham gown against the
sky and leaves. But she sat stifly.
her feet carefully covered, her hands
i'll at ease, her eyes rather piteOus
in their hope somehow to hold her
vague own. Yet from her came these
sufficient, insouciant replies.
Education" he said laughing heart
lily. THAT'S mine, too" He spoke a
creed. II amt never had 1t and !
amt never missed It,"
"Most folks are happy without an
education" said Lulu.
you're not very happy. though"
"Oh, no." she said.
"Well, sir" said Ninian, "Tn tell
you what Wen do. While I'm here
I'm going to take you and Ina and
Dwight up to the CITY,"
ITO the city"
''To a show. Dinner and a show.
I'll give you one good time"
"Oh" Lulu leaned forward. Una
and Dwight go sometimes. I never
been"
'Wer, just you come with me. I'll
look up what's good. You tell me just
what you like to eat, and Wen gel
it"
II haven't had anything to eat II
years that l haven't cooked myself"
He planned for that time to come
and Lulu listened as one intensely ex
periencing every word that he uttered
Yet 1t was not in that future merry
making that she found her Joy. but II
the consciousness that he-some one
anyone-was planning like this fol
her