The Washington times., 1922-10-29


sight, Ethel? I do"
CHAPTER XXIII.
r IPoN a morning Of mid
March, rain-washed under
~ breaking sunlight, and redo
lent of primroses and wet earth,
Sally Hicks, tweed-clad and gaunt-
leted, sauntered leisurely along
one Of the mes in the immediate
neighborhood Of Thurston Cottage,
under the picturesque roof Of
which she had spent the last six
weeks or so. .v.-'.
Those six weeks had wrought a
very considerable and rather start
ling change in her. Her coat and
skirt were Severely plain and ir-
reproachably cut; her tam O. shan
ter was set at just the right angle,
her aeat feet were perfectly shod.
She walked with a new, easy
swing, and she wore her clothes
naturally and gracefully.
Her bright hair was fashionably
yet simply dressed, obviously by
the hands of skilful maid. Much
brushing, careful washing, and
nightly applications of a silken
handkerchief had FURNISHED and
frightened it almost out of recog-
nition.
Already the throat revealed by
her open blouse was wonderfully
white. Already her naturally good
skin had become almost brilliant.
Good food, plenty of exercise, and
jealous attention had improved its
texture and richened its coloring.
Her rather strange eyes-eyes that
were gold in some lights and am
Der in others, and which hitherto
had lost effect by reason Of their
thick fringe of pale red gold lashes
were now arresting.
With consummate skill those
lashes lad been darkened, the pale
brows ever so slightly accentuated.
Gradually, but very surely, Sally
had been initiated into the not al
together simple or common art Of
making the best Of herself.
Not only had she learned to put
on her clothes, but how to wear
them. She had filled out little,
she walked we'll, and she was very
graceful. If she could not lay
claim to prettiness, she was already
becoming decidedly attractive.
And not only in h"r person was
the Transformation noticeable. The
influence of her surroundings and
Of the people with whom she had
come in contact, had already made
itself felt. She was not only quick
to learn, but ready and eager.
She could lay claim to a certain
amount of inherent good breeding.
If the environment of the past had
been seemingly unacceptable it had
not dulled her perceptions. She
knew much that was right as far
as social matters were concerned
by instinct.
Nat lrally, she made mistakes,
sometimes simple, sometimes bad
ones. But she always profited by
them. She never needed to learn
lesson twice.
She had character. She was
shrewd, far-seeing, and warm
hearted. In Fancy's skilful hands
she was rapidly acquiring the
veneer of the world in which she
found herself. She was an apt
and willing pupil; but there were
moments when she voice. crudely
her thoughts with regard. to per-
sons and things.
She possessed a rare sense of
humor and it helped her a lot.
She coulf see her own shortcom-
ings, and that helped her more.
She was ambitious. She desired to
be, not merely to seem, a woman
of refinement. And to this end
she worked very hard to improve
herself
Fancy, who had in a freakish
mood undertaken to look after her
and play hostess to her, and who
had, as soon as that moment was
past, dreaded regretting it, was
agreeably surprised. She found
that Sally Hicks could prove very
amusing companion. Her chatter
was often droll and never dull.
She was warm hearted, good
natured, and grateful for favor
though never gushing.
To her own amazement Fancy
found that she did no. dislike her,