The Dolores star., 1924-02-15

no account at. all, but picked her up
bodily, carried her to his special big
chair, and sat down in it with her in
his lap.
Put your head down." he said. in
his vibrant voice. "and cry rs long as
you like. And then. when you're ready.
tell me all about It."
She didn't want to cry any more
Indeed. surprised at being taken up
like that had checked her tears-but
neither did she want To talk. She had,
for Just that moment. no sense Of
grievance. against him or against the
world. Everything else was swallowed
up In the sensation OF his comprehen-
slve embrace: nothing even remotely
like that had. in the whole length of
her memory. happened 10 her before.
This didn't Inst long. Her conscious
ness, so deeply submerged in this new
element, came floating 10 the surface
again. She was aware of the prlclile
of his beard upon her wet face; she
wondered II he was smiling.
Il expect IT'S Just lonesomencss
that made you feel that way" he said,
and she noted, even then, something
forced in his tone of reinsurance, rs
II he We're managing a small child.
You've been sitting around by your
self all day. with nothing to do and
nobody TO talk to. Well have to tackle
that problem somehow"
She told him. without raising her
head, that this was bad guess. 1t
hadn't been an unoccupied day at all.
Shed gone to party.
Margaret Crayens lunch" he said.
81 know" (She was sure, though,
that he'd forgotten all about it, But
l guess you can feel lonesomer at n
party than anywhere else. II things
don't 20 Just right. What went wrong
this time?"
"Oh. nothing much" she said. over
a catch that had come back Into her
breathing. She wished he wouldn't
ask her questions; Just 20 on. holding
her STILL She felt. from the move
Did you wear the wrong sort Of
hat?" he asked
Il guess So" she agreed. DULY.
"She as good as told me So
"Oh. d-n" she heard Joe murmur.
Then, with an edge in his voiS. You
don't mean she was really-impolite
TO you. unfriendlyF'
"Oh. no: She was all right" Beatrice
told him. "She offered to take me
shopping with her Show me where
could get the right sort OF things as
If she could see plain enough mine
weren't. suppose that's what you
think. TOO | wish you would go
shopping with me-"
what makes you think l know any
thing about women's clothes?" he de-
manded, but In tone she recognized
as not serious. 1t had joke in 1t for
his private enjoyment. OF course,
he'd probably bought clothes for all
sorts of women, but that wasn't the
sort of thing he'd expect her TO guess.
you want to take up that offer of
hers" he said, after n silence. "She's
n mighty well-dressed woman herself.
and she hasn't had much to do 1t on.
| guess. I'm sure she meant II in n
friendly way. And she could give you
the right dope about lots of things"
II don't care whether it's the right
dope or not" she persisted. 81 don't
want her telling me what TO wear. l
want you to-" She slipped her free
arm round his massive shoulder "Will
you go shopping with me, Dad:' she
said You'll know. what you like any
how, and that's all care about"
He husged her up tighter at that.
"All right" he said, IFS a bargain.
Well go some day. the first chance
we GET There was silence for a
while after that, but he hadn't. as she
hoped, done with the luncheon. did
she have anything else to sin?" he
asked, and the girl perverseIy asked
"Who?"
why, Margaret Craven"
She thought he'd hesitated a little
over the use of the name. "Oh. moth
ing much" she told him.
He waited for more; then he asked
who else was at the party.
1t wasn't real party, she said
There were only two other girls be-
sides herself one OF them was named
Stannard-Sylvla Stannard; she pre-
tended to be crazy about farming. And
the other was Dorothy Williamson.
whats she likeT The question
was asked on so different note with
such an appearance of personal con-
cern, that Beatrice sat erect and
looked at him. why" he explained,
shes Williamson's daughter, that's
gone into business with me. He. got
picture of her, chalk, on the wall
of his office. Very pretty girl, I'd have
said from that. Anyhow. I'd like you
to make friends with her"
"Well. I'm not likely to-" she said.
she's little up-stage snip; that's
what she is. And she isn't pretty
that Is, not very. got enough Of her
today to last me long time" She
rose from his knees at that, and
walked away, noting that he had made
no effort to detafn her.
Trt- l.