The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-09-21
The Turquoise
Frame
By JESSIE DOUGLAS

last meeting HIN on the folrth ihnu
Ing. be said Good morning i and
/ passed on down the stairs That wal
shat be always did. pass
Nellie shook her bead pertly and
said. wen see But the strange
part Of IL was the man on the floor be
low continued to speak when he saw
her. and continued 10 pass her by.
IL was puzzling She was the pref
test girl that worked In Johnson 4
Hughes Offices And she knew IL.
Almost without exception every clerk
had made some kind Of advance TO her.
She could 90 out every night IL she
chose, and even old Mr. Johnson him
self had given her thester tickets.
The girls in the Office enyied her In
their quiet way She had the palest
nufiiest hair. and she did Il In the
most elaborate style. so that any one
would have stopped to admire Its In
tricscies alone. She rouged. Of course
Perhaps q little too much, but habit
dulls perception Her light blue eyes
were the color Of forget-me-n0ts, her
lashes gold-tipped. but Nellie Dwight
saw that they came out jetty black.
Her lips were pretty and soft, II
slightly aided by art. She Was pretty,
startllngly pretty, and she would have
been foolish virgin II she had not
known a. There was never the slight
est doubt in Nellie's mind about her
Cham and oh. niay.d an - 10 av.ry
second Of her life. Her blouses were
the most elaborate, her stockings the
sheerest she could buy.
So II was no Kpnder that she lifted
one plucked eyebrow a trine and eyed
sskance the girl who had just Knocked
at her bedroom door.
According to Nellie's standards. she
was worse than plain, a regular old
maid, not bit Of makeup, and her
blouse, OF irreproachable cut, was
beautiful luster, but II was arranged
so simply that anyone could have done
lift she had time and patience.
II beg your pardon" the girl at the
door said, II realize It's rather queer
Of me. but my brother and have seen
you SO often on the stairs that almost
feel know you! I'm going away for
two weeks and I'd be grateful II you'd
keep this picture for me"
She held out picture I'm turquoise
frame and Nellie, without looking at
It, laid IL on her bureau and answered
Glad 10, I'm sure" and then CON
tinued TO rouge her other cheek with
the greatest nonchalance.
Nellie did not really bother to look
at the picture until she came In from
the movies that night. She saw that
II was photograph Of a low stone
house, ivy-girdled with a charming
view of garden and woodland behind,
and she guessed shrewdly that II was
the girls home The little frame OF |
oddly cut fiat turquoise was fascinat-
ing in itself; and then she realized |
with a shock the girl had said, "Her |
brother" Why, that must mean the |
man on the stairs
Nellie put the frame in the center Of /
her bureau and eyed II with fresh in.
terest. But something was the matter I
II didn't seem somehow to 90 with her I
bright pink bureau set nor with the
artificial geranum that she had stuck
In her hatpin holder.
Slowly she removed the geranium
and still studied the effect Some
thing was still wrong
she had decided TO buy herself one
Of those new green hair ornaments,
but that noon she found herself in
stead at the toilet goods counter. That
ivory set would 20 well with the tur-
quoise frame-she hesitated and then
she found herself wait.
Ing for the five O'Clock whistle.
It did go wen Somehow the tur-
luoise frame seemed 10 rest against
that creamy background, and Nellie,
cycling the bureau critically realized
that something still was the matter.
The imitation lace cover. with the
pink sateen underbody. struck 2 wrong
note
II was queer what happened in the
next VIVA AAt ~ ACME hatA ~ ~EA r.
linen cover 10 suit her bureau, instead
u the green slipper buckles she bad
been counting on Then her. keen eye F
saw the bureau stood out ike an
STAND In her tswdry room. The pie
ures on the wall somehow did not
81; that calendar with the blackeyed
,herub that advertised John and
Hughes the chrome ~ roses and pan
lies that was 50 eaily colored. seemed
% hurt the quiet bureau She took
Town her pictures BUT now the roo5H
gas too quiet
Another noon found her purchasing
.hintz with quaint pink blossoms o. q
ream ground and when she had made
curtain Tor her window ard some
cushions FOR her coach even back
Or her wicker chair she Glanced bur
lcdy over al tie turquoise frame
ne right keynote tad been strugE
Sow 4 looked A. though Il belonged
here
She gave pleased sch n sell
ausf elton and weHt over q the
ureau rs look in So her pretty face
sbe could see reelected as well aer