Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-02
CHAPTER V-Continued


and looked squarely in his direction
She could have answered the call :.
his sober eyes, gone softly to him.
touched his hand.
"Are you ready?" she said to Mimi,
drawing up the folds of her cloak as
the amorous youth placed it about her
shoulders.
Duane's eyes followed them as they
passed out. Jerry would not turn her
head, to look away from him, pretend
she did not see him. She would have
been ashamed of subterfuge She
looked at him frankly, and did not
know him.
Jerry, there's your friend" whis-
pered Mimi isn't he the best-looking
thing you ever saw"
She turned the effective lashes upon
him brightly, and Duane nodded 20
her. and smiled. Jerry said nothing.
On the following morning Theresa
went down to Jerry's room before the
usual time for the daily breakfast
tray. Tbs was an occurrence of such
infrequency that Jerry could not hide
fiutter of fiattered pleasure when
she appeared in the doorway. But
Theresa, even in her most formal mo-
ments, wasted no time in idle talk.
She came for purpose, and wen. !
1t with sturdy directness.
"See here, jerry, / thought of some
Ioc frxbf Oh II
Are you sure you want to give up
studying Art?"
Absolutely sure"
Sure you won't change your mind
after little, and begin again?"
Absolutely sure"
what are you going to do with the
lessons? You paid whole term in
advance. didn't you? Are you going
to get your money back7"
81 don't think / can. I'll just have
to let it CO."
"See here, Jerry, you shouldn't waste
such an opportunity. Now. poor old
Mcdowell needs the money; he
teaches for his bread and butter, you
know. But if you stop so soon, he
may feel he has to make a partial
refund anyhow. Why don't you trans
fer the lessons to some one who
would like them, but can't afford
them?"
ITO whom, for instance2 You have
someone n mind, haven't your"
Theresa admitted that she had, that
cba ha1 inst fbortghf nf II Vtho o,o
she had in mind was Greta Val, an I'M
prepossessing country girl, who had
appeared suddenly from somewhere,
and was earning a hard existence by
serving as chambermald at the old
Gf,tler studios on Ninth street Jerry
had seen her once when she went to
one of the studios with Mimi for lea,
and remembered her as a stiffiy rigid
young person, with whom one would
more likely associate scrub buckets
and brooms than delicate paints and
brushes.
"Um, she's ugly" said There's.
"But that kids genius, all the same.
She knows nothing, has never had q
lesson in her life-and God only knows
what she came here for, without
friends, witho.-s money. Oh. you know
how people are, Jerry. They think If
they ,an only squeeze into The Village
they'll just naturally absorb Art with
the air they breathe. Well, she
doesn't do so badly, for all that. The
fellows are all good to her, give her
scraps of paint and canvas, and tell
her little things that help her. Greta
Val may be ugly. she may be green,
but she's got 1t, Jerry, and i'm boil
over some time. you mark my words. :"
Jerry was almost chlldishly pleased
"Oh, Theresa, get her quics She
can have all my things-the easel, the
Aaint, everything Get her right
away, won't you? I'll feel so muca
better when it's all out of my sight,
And while Theresa went out TO The
telephone. Jerry. with her buoyan.
enthusiasm. set to work, pulling out
boxes Of paint and crayons. canvases.
h~tsrf.oe and hanre xHae al