Evening star., 1925-06-21

But who We're all those people
downstairs"
"Oh, just a job lot for the week
end"
But who?"
He mentioned some names.
We'll, I'm not going down to have
my tea with them folk. and so you
needn't think it. Ralph Furber.''
''All right, silly. All right" he
agreed testify.
In spite of his unique and disconcert
ing manners to friends. Ralph thought
he had cast off most of his old Five
Towns peculiarities. Perhaps he had
But in the presence of Maidie they all
seemed to come back again. There she
sat. the very symbol of the Five
Towns. with her red hair. her freckled
face, her snub nose and her no-non-
sense attitude. Dowdy, constrained.
nervous, utterly provincial. she was
yet sturdy enough In her mind to re-
pudiate all them folk" downstairs.
So much so that Ralph actually felt
somewhat ashamed of knowing them
and having them in his house. He
felt apologetic even for the house it.
self He felt that in putting on gran.
deur he had somehow betrayed the
rugged ideals of the Five Towns.
And she had only come because she
The stuff, That was what she was,
the vixen. Being a realist. he ad.
mitted TO himself that if he persuaded
her To go to the dra wing room and be
introduced TO his job lot, he should be
asha med of her-do what he would
And yet he admired the girl. confound
her, Miss Hummel appeared. and.
worried. he left the two young women
to make acquaintance.
hopes you'il begin dinner without him.
as he has just had very urgent
message from town which must be
attended to Immediately"
Thus the butler 10 the assembled
drawing room when the dinner gong
had sounded.
A Nd upstairs in a little sitting room
which had somehow got mislaid
among the bedrooms, Maidie and Miss
Hunmel We're lowering expectantly
around table laid for two. when
Ralph, whom they were certainly not
expecting. seemed TO Dounce tiger
ishly upon them. and at hardly per
ceptib,e sign from him Miss Hummel
departed in search OF another dinner
elsewhere in the house.
But what about the people down
stairs"
Hang EN-. I've got TO talk to YOU"
said Ralph
Dye always have dinner at this
time"
Yes. Usual time
"Ye know very we'll it isn't And
do We ALWAYS put on evening dress
We'll. it's evening. isn't it,
He winked as he examined her
anew. Ii seemed to him that she pos
itively had not changed. The same
slimness. the anne fresh if freckIed
complexion. the same bright. girlish.
bold. fighting and vet innocent glance.
Difficult to believe that she was past
so. How different she was from the
women downstairs, He thought in his
instructive Partially for the place of
his ori"in:
There's something in her that the
others haven't got"
Before the parlor maid who served
them could bring the finger bowls he
abruptly told her 10 go, partly because
he feared that Maidie might silently
and witheringly sneer a. the notion Of
him. Ralph Furber. employing finger
bowls. He thought of the old suppers
in the parlor of the cottage by the
municipal park.
so We think I ought to be down.
right ashamed of myself" said Ralph.
quoting suddenly from her letter to
him.
Mary was most frightfully hurt.
and ashamed. too. AS If you despised
her. Too grand now to come to YOUR
own sisters wedding. And crying off
at the last moment, too" Maidie's
voice was hard and the CLINT of her
eyes was hard. None of the ladies
downstairs would have dared to stand
up TO him as Maidie was doing. Not
one. They all. whatever their lineage.
kowtowed to him when il came to the
point He saw that Maidie would
need handling.
Listen here" he said. subduinc his
natural harshness of tone II sent
for We beca use | was very anxious for
We not 10 think wrong about me.
/"
Yes" she interrupted him in quite