The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-01-12

~ uICu Cu1iuIGn Praying way W Oh u
" in a puddle at the mouth of a
muddy alley; and at sight Of her
they gave over their pastime to stare.
'le smiled brilliantly upon them, but
they We're too struck with wonder to
comprehend that the manifestation
was friendly; and as Alice picked her
way IN a little detour to keep from
the mud. she heard one Of them say,
Lady got camel Jeez'P'
She knew that many colored chill
dren use impleties Familiarity, and she
was not startled. She was disturbed,
however. by an unfavorable Int in
the speakers tone. He was six. prob
ably, but the sting of a criticism IS
mot necessarily sIIayed by knowledge
of its ignoble source. and Alice had
already begun to feel a slight I'M
casiness about her cane. Mrs
nowlinG's stare had been strikingIy
projected at It; other women more
than merely glanced. their brows and
lips contracting impulsively; and
Alice was aware that one or two of
them frankly halted as soon as she
had passed.
She had seen in several magazines
pictures of ladies with canes, and on
that account she had bought this one.
never questioning that fashion is
iecognized, even in the provinces, as
soon as beheld. On the contrary, these
staring women obviously failed to
realize that what they were being
shown was not an eccentric outburst,
but the bright harbinger Of an illus
trlous mode. Alice had applied a bit
of artificial pigment to her lips and
cheeks before she set forth this morn
ing; she did not need it. having a
ready color of her own. which now
mounted high with annoyance.
Then a splendidly shining closed
black automobile, with windows of
polished glass, came silently down the
street toward her. Within it, as in a
luxurious little apartment, three
comely ladies' in mourning sat and
gossiped; but when tn, saw Alice
they clutched one another. They in
stantly recovered. bowling to her sol
EMMY as they were borne by, yet were
not gone from her sight so swiftly
but the edge Of her side glance caught
flash Of teeth in mouths suddenly
opened, and the dark gIisten of black
gloves again clutchfng to share mirth.
The color that oUtdid the rouge on
Alice's cheek extended its area and
grew warmer as she realized how all
too cordial had been her nod and
smile to these humorous ladies'. But
In their identity lay a significance
causing her n sharper smart, for they
were Of the family Of that Lamb. chief
OF Lamb & Company, who had en-
plOyed her father since before she was
born.
And know his salary, They'd be
sure TO find out about that"' was her
thought, coupled with another bitter
one to the effect that they had prob
ably made instantaneous financial es-
Inmates of what she wore-though GER
tainly her walking-stick had most fed
their hilarity.
She tucked it under her arm. not
swinging it again; and her breath
became quick and irregular as emo
ton beset her. She had been enjoy
ing her walk. but within the space
Of the few blocks she had gone since
she met the substantial gentleman.
she found that more than the walk
was spoiled; suddenly her life seemed
n be spoiled. too: though she did
not view the ruin with cOmplaisance
These Lamb women thought her and
her cane ridiculous. did they, she said
TO herself. That was their parvenu
blood: to think because a girls father
worked for their grandfather she had
no right to be rather striking in
style, especially when the striking
was her style. Probably all the other
girls and women would agree with
them and would laugh at her when
they got together. and, what might
be fatal. would try to make all the
men think her a silly pretender. Men
were just like sheep, and nothing was
easier than for women to set up az
shepherds and pen them in a fold.
To keep out outsiders" Alice
thought. And make 'em believe l
am an outsider. What's the use of
living?"
All seemed lost when a trim young
man appeared, striding out Of a cross
street not far before her. and, turn
ing at the corner, came toward her.
Nisibly, he slackened his gait TO
lengthen the time Of his approach,
and. as he was a stranger to her, no
motive could be ascribed to him other
than a wish to have a longer time
70 look at her.
She lifted a pretty hand to a pin at
her throat, bit her np-not with the
smile. but mysteriously-an at last
instant before her shadow touched
the stranger, let her eyes gravely meet
his. A moment later. having arrived
before the house which was her dis
tlnation, she halted at the entrance
TO a driveway leading through fine
lawns to the Intentionally Important
mansion. It was a pleasant and i'm
pressive place to Sc seen entering, but
Alice did not enter at once. She
paused, examining a tiny bit OF mortar
which the masons had forgotten to
scrape from brick in one OF the mass
I've gate-posts. She frowned at this
tiny DETACHMENT. and with an air of
annoyance scraped It away. using the
ferrule of her cane-an act Of fas-
ddious propr1et9rship. If any one
had looked back over his shoulder he
would not have doubted that she lived
there.
Alice did not turn to see whether
anything Of the sort happened or not.
but she may have surTnised that It did.
At all events, it was with an invig-
GRATED step that she left the gateway
behind her and went cheerfuIly up
the drive to the house OF her friend
Mildred.