New Britain herald., 1923-02-09
What Dki Airs, nuFkee see in the
 Neal MOior Cars

NeNl MOlnr Cars
 sRess nean .n l repeated iReFedn
 lonsly, and, indeed, for hewildeFea
 second or two l had hard work e
 summon the girls image t0 my men, tai Fetina. filled with perturhed visions
 Of Claire Foster and Edith Fairfax,
 With her departure from the Cat skill home of Robert sayarin's slstef
 Mrs, G0sErase, where her attempts te chain nieky ta the chariot wheels ai her vanity had met with such igns- minians defeat, bess Dean had Nan' ished so completely out of my fer memhFanee -I suppose because nicky's indifference 10 her was So pateni-lhat little Mrs, DnFkee's Fef- ernee 10 her startled me,
 "yes, Bess Dean, drat her 70 my litr tie neighhor said Siniietively, 'I never saw anybody with such pure un' adulteratch gall in my life"
 "she has a good deal Of effrontery' I'll admit" l said slowly, many inc stances Of this particular eharaeteris- tic Of Bess Deans creeping hack into my mind, "iint don't think there's any real hhfm ih hcf'
 "Madge Graham. m turn you over my knee in another minute" Her Fluff iiness sputtered. As l top her by over a foot. she Giggled at her own words ns soon as they had left her lips. but went on pottishly;
 Mr.. Durkee is Worried.
 T don't know whether it's that aF atNss 70 plain cusscdness that makes you nl- ways defend another woman," she stormed. 'I thank goodness I'm not go scrupuloiIs. l can see plenty Of harm in a pert piece like Bess Dean. but Leila's got that southern hospitai- ity stuff SO deep in her that she's as big fool as you are. Besides. she wouldn't see or believe any evil Of anybody till it came and hit her right on the end Of her nose like a humble | bee. But can tell you"
 l interrupted her ruthlessly, for knew she could talk on for another | half hour without my getting any real inkling Of her meaning.
 You ought 10 be ashamed 10 call | me names like fool" l said, smiling down on her. Don't you remember your Bible?"
 "of course I do. and feel like murderer right now she flashed back. T could string Bess Dean. Leila and you all up in row. Bess Dean for her cnssedness. and you other two for your dumbness''
 Suppose you tell me what she's al, you rig up the galows.'
 I'll bet you've had reason enough to, in your time" she retorted shrewd- ly, but I know the Dicky-bird. she isn't his style. it's only baked idiot like Ali, who would find any thing attractive about her.
 My lips quirked at the vision of little Mrs. Durkee's rage should she hear anybody else apply the epitliet half baked idiot to her beloved only son. But I wisely made no comment upon her choice of words. I simply reiterated with pretended impatience:
 Tell me what she's done, woman, or you'll drive me mad
 She's making dead set at Ali, that's what she's doing" Her Fluff finess said with a vicious little climp- ing together of her lips. Oh I don't mean any vamp stuff, Bess Deans too; cold-blooded and too clever for any thing of that kind. But she's the kind who can't stand it unless she has j some man dangling in her train, and you know what kind of single men are loose in these suburban towns around here. She's clever about it. too, t tell you. She always pretends to I come to see me--oh, she's simply daffy about me-to hear her tell it. ( And I can't get rid of her to save my Y life. How can you when a girl is f always coddling you and bringing you V little things? You cant say, Now, | I'm onto your little game can you?" | I laughed tenderly at her perturbed face. e T can't imagine your doing it." e said, but perhaps you really are the a attraction" z
 "Oh. Madge Look-There-
 Fine chance" she scoffed. Mind a you, she always times her visit to me 0 when Ali is home, and every Satur- o lay morning she takes the same train t le does to the city--says she has n classes at Columbia. I'll bet they're a 'lasses in plain and fancy vamping." a But, surely Ali doesn't pay any attention to her." I said, honestly per- 0 urbed at this revelation of Bess e 0ean's effrontery, with it's possible cf- r ect upon gentle Leila Durkee's hap s ,iness. t Not yet" she answered. If he lid, I'd take a hickory gad to him if n [ was the last thing I ever did. Bts a ,ou never can tell how campaign V ike that will turn out. Oh, Madge. ook--there-" c