Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-14

And Instead OF Going to the Psrlor
She Sat Down by the Kitchen Win
dow
"Everybody's got somebody to be
nice to them." she thought now. sit
ting by the kitchen window, adult yet
Cinderella.
She thought that some one would
come for her-her mother or even
Ina. Perhaps they would send Mo-
mona. She waited at first hopefully,
then resentfully. The gray rain
wrapped the air.
Nobody cares what becomes Of me
after they're fed" she thought, and
derived an obscure satisfaction from
her phrasing. and thought II again.
Nlnian Deacon came into the
kitchen.
Her first impression was that he
had come TO see whether the dog had
been fed.
81 fed him." she said, and wished
that she had been busy when Ninian
entered.
"Who, me?" he asked. you did
that all right. Say. why in time don't
you come In the other room"
''Oh, l don't know"
"Well, neither do I. I've kept think
Ing, why don't she come along Then
about. 81 come to help wipe dishes"
"Oh!" she laughed so delicately, so
delightfully."-, one wondered where she
got Ii. They're washed" she caught
herself at ''long ago"
'Well then. what are yon doing
here?"
Resting"
REST In there He bowed, crooked
his arm. "Senora," he said-his Span
ish matched his other asslmilations OF
travel-"Senora, allow me-"
Lulu rose. On his arm she entered
the parlor. Dwight was narrating and
did not observe that entrance. To the
Flows II was sufficiently normal. But
Ina looked up and said:
"Well l"--in two notes, descending,
curvlng.
Lulu did not look at her. Lulu sat
In low rocker. Her starched white
skirt, throwing her chally in ugly
lines, revealed a peeping rim of white
embroidery. Her lace front wrinkled
when she sat, and perpetually she adj
| justed IT, She curled her feet side
wise beneath her chair, her long
wrists and velned hands lay along her
lap in no relation to her. She was
tense. She rocked.
When Dwight had finished his mar
ration. there was a pause, broken nj
last by Mrs. Bett:
you tell that better than you used
to when you started in telling It," she
observed. you got in some things |
guess you used TO clean forget about
Monona, get off my rocker"
Monona made little whimpering
sound, In pretense to tears. Ina said
"Darllng-quiet chin a little lifted
lower lip revealing lower teeth for
the words completion; and she held
IL.
The Plows were asking something
about Mexico. Dwight was wondering
IL 1t would let up raining at all. hi
and Jenny came whispering into the
room. But all these distractions Min.
Ian Deacon swept aside.
Miss Lulu" he said, 81 wanted you
10 hear about my trip up the Amazon
because / knew how Interested you
are In travels"
He talked, according TO his lights
about the Amazon. But the person
who most enjoyed the recital could
not afterward have told two words
that he said Lulu kept the position
which she had taken at first, and she
dare not change She saw the blood
IN The veins Of her hands and wanted
- hide them. She wondered IL she
might fold her arms. or have one hand
to support her chin. gave IL all up and
sat motionless, save for the rocking.
Then she forgot everything. Fol
the first time in years some one wa,
talking and looking not only at Ina
and Dwight and their guests, but al
her.
CONTINUED next week.
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