The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-26
A GRADUAL CHANGE
CkA 90


Pan will always be liked" George
said once, because she's SO adaptable
She's always ready to believe the other
person is as wonderful as he thinks
himself"
You're quite wrong" Gloria contra.
dicted She doesn't say much, but she
sees pretty clearly into the other fel-
lows faults, only she fvrgives him for
them In advance
So Pan, who had never trusted her
judgment before, now felt little sure
of herself in estimating people when
she met them. She liked the five other
guests that Mrs. Clarke had invited.
Pan, the neglected and snubbed, was
guest of honor Moreover, these five
nice young people considered it quite
special privilege to meet her-she
found that out as soon as the first girl
great, awkward, blonde creature with
a skin like cream and roses, told her
Aunt Belle had done nothing but
talk about you since she's met you.
thinks you're the lovliest thing she's
met. We've been jolly anxious to see
you, too"
Pan blusheG a little at the broad
compliment. murmured something
about disappointment always follows
great expectations, which she vaguely
remembered hearing Gloria say once
and turned to meet the next guest
Both girls were good looking, in
spite of thick waists and badly dressed
hair. Pan, who had acquired a sense
Of clothes from Gloria, longed to put
them into suitable frocks She ad.
mired Mrs. Clarke and all Mrs
Clarke's type. for that supreme dis
regard of fashion, or even of becom-
ingness in clothing. But these girls
evidently were trying to look smart
and didn't know how
You Americans always dress so
beautifully" one girl said little wist-
fully, glancjng from her much too vol
luminous satin to the airy fluff of tulle
and silver braid that emphasized Pans
slimness. you look like Queen I'll
tania in that dress, or some little elf
full of dewdrops"
That's the sort of thing / should
have said" large voice doomed over
her shoulder, and she turned to meet
Mr. Clarke, a man of so odd with
gray 'walrus" moustache and a long
chin, ruddy cheeks and lot of gray
hair. Mr.. Clarke had been bred
country squire, he knew a lot about
hunting, fishing and managing an es-
tate When an accident prevented
him from riding, he took to books. and
these days he spent most of his life be.
tween what his wife called his study
and the front window of his club.
There were the three young men too,
one was captain in some regiment OF
Guards" and was looked up to by the
others; one was back from India and
tanned dark from the sun; the third
was running in some small district for
NJ. p and was teased about the coming
election.
They'll talk politics-for the bene-
fit of the Member of Pertinent and the
colonies because of that brown one,
and the army on account of the cap
tain-dear me, what shall | do?
don't know thing about any of those
subjects!" Pan thought with distress
And for a moment she felt as badly
as when she was about to enter the
"Parlor" at the farm house in Norris
City, where Gladys held court and the
talk was personalities about people she
scarcely knew OF saw.
But these people, like Gloria's
friends, included her tactfully in the
talk, sensing her excusable ignorance
of some subjects and explaining as
they went along. So at no time was
she out of it, and her selfconscious-
ness and shyness vanished.
Now | want to hear about America