The Holly chieftain., 1922-12-07
MISS LULU BETT
vl-Continued.

In crossing the lobby in the hotel
at Savannah, Georgia, Lulu's most
pressing problem had been to know
where to look. But now the idlers in
the Hess house lobby did not exist. In
time she found the door of the in
tensely rose-colored reception room.
There, in fat, rose-coIored chair, be-
side cataract of lace curtain, sat Di.
alone.
Lulu entered She had no idea what
to say. When Di looked up. started
up. frowned. Lulu felt as II she herself
were the culprlt. She said the first
thing that occurred to her:
81 don't believe mammaIl like your
taking her nice satchel."
WELL" said Di, exactly as If she
had been at home. And superadded:
MY goodness!" And then cried rude
ly: what are you here for?"
"For you." said Lulu. "You-you-
you'd ought not to be here, Di"
"What's that to you2" Di cried.
why, Di. you're just a little girl"
Lulu saw that this was all wrong,
and stopped miserably. How was she
to go on? "Di," she said, ''if you and
Bobby want to get married, why not
let us get you up nice wedding at
homer And she saw that this sound
ed as II she we're talking about tea
party.
"Who said we wanted to be mar
ried2"
swell. he's here"
"Who said he's here?"
Isn't he?"
Di sprang up. "Aunt Lulu" she said,
"you're a funny person to be telling
me what to do"
Lulu said, flushing: II love you just
the same as II was married happy,
In home"
"Well. you arent!'' cried Di cruelty,
"and I'm going to do just as / think
best"
Lulu thought this over, her look
grave and sad. She tried to find some
thing to say. "What do people say to
people," she wondered, "when it's like
this?"
Getting married is for your whole
life." was all that came to her.
"Yours wasn't" Di flashed at her.
Lulu's color deepened, but there
seemed to be no resentment In her.
She must deal with this right-that
was what her manner seemed to say.
And how should she deal?
"Di," she cried, "come back with
me-and walt till mamma and papa
get home"
That's likely. They say I'm not to
be married till I'm twenty-one."
swell, but how young that Isl"
ut is to you"
"Di! This Ia wrong-it Is wrong"
"There's nothing wrong about get
ting married-if you stay married."
swell, then It can't be wrong to let
them know"
at Isn't. But they'd treat me
wrong. They'd make me stay at
home. And I won't stay at home-I
won't stay there. They act as II l
was ten years old"
Abruptly In Lulu's face there came
light of understanding.
"Why, d." she said, "do you feel
that way, too7"
Di missed this. She went on:
'Tm grown up. feel just as
grown up as they do. And I'm not al
lowed to do thing feel. 1 want to
be away-I will be away"
II know about that part" Lulu said.
She now looked at Di with atten-
tion. Was It possible that Di was
suffering in the air of that home as
she herself suffered7 She had not
thought of that. There Di had seemed
so young, so dependent, so-asquirm.
Here, by herself, waiting for Bobby,
in the Hess house at Milton, she was
curlously adult. Would she be adult
If she were let alone?
"You don't know what it's like" Di
cried, ito be hushed up an laughed at
and paid no attention to everything
you say"
Don't II" said Lulu. Don't II?
She was breathing quickly and look
ing at Di. II this was why Di was
leaving home.
outs LII ohC SAlCus uO YOU lOt6
Bobby Larkin?"
By this Di was embarrassed. 1--WE
got to marry somebody" she said,
"and 1t might as well be him."
But is 1t him7"
"Yes, 1t is," said Di. "But," she
added, II know l could love almost
anybody real nice that was nice to
me-" And this she said, not in her
own right, but either she had picked
It up somewhere and adopted 1t, or
else the terrible modernity and hon.
esty Of her day somehow spoke
through her. for its own. But to Lulu
1t was as If something familiar turned
Its face to be recognized.
"Di!" she cried.
"It's true. You ought to know
that" She waited for moment.
"Yu did It," she added. Mamma
said So"
At this onslaught Lulu was stupe-
= ~ II