Evening star., 1926-04-11

~ ACTUS CARRIE came IN
across the line. Where she
hailed from nobody knew
~ or cared. She was gaunt
and agile. Her high-boned
cheeks were brown. These and her
Opaque. direct black eyes limited at
Indian blood. But there all likeness
to the civilized" Indian ended. for
the woman was filed with energy
and, in her starched, white linen
dress, was always Immediately
clean.
She had landed in the little desert
town late one afternoon and "a hours
afterward became an adjunct behind
the lunch counter of the Harvey Eat
ing House. The Harvey Eating
House flourished so greatly that the
fiat. hot cluster of adobe huts. the
general store and even the little
depot-butlt after the fashion of the
Southwest, with Mission lines-the
few houses and the slatternly quar-
ters of the Mexican section hands,
all seemed to have but the single
object of being near it. For the rest
there were only illimitable plains and
soft, hlue-haZed, majestic space
silent as death itself, and beautiful.
The Arizona dawns and the twi-
lights were awe-inspiring spectacles.
Cactus Carrie found them so-gazing
from the window of her cubby-hole
room in the gaunt barracks of a
rooning house where the five
mattresses lived: but she never be-
trayed it. None would have guessed
The hushed peace which the colorfM
pageant put within her.
Great Jehosaphat" said Miss Sadie
Eppel, ALPHABETICALLY fat-natural-
Y,r nd dol svb&
hot. II It would only rain once in a
blue moon in this country! Some
times I wish I'd stayed at home"
'At home wages?" asked little
Yvonne Kelly, AN with 10 women to
every man? Good night! Not for
mine. I come from the East, too, an
any square mile of Arizona's worth
the whole kit-an' doodle of it,
"Some little booster, amt you
kid?" said Sadie, laughing. Go to
1t. l like to see a guy stick up for
his bread and butter"
Did YOU get that man-stuff
Sadie?" called black haired Annie
Bruce, as she wiped the polished
counter with an expert hand. Our
little Ye-vonne amt sleepin' on tn
job. She's got a weather eye out for
q permanent meal ticket, I'll say"
For Pete's sake" cried the owner
of the name, don't call me Ye-
Vonne'" She thrust her hand with
an angry gesture up the back of the
head, tiuffing her curly brown bob"
unt3l it stuck out wildly.
Calm Yourself, kid" advised Miss
Eppel. in her capacity as head
waitress. There's a customer
Ivonne became outwardly calm but
Gae had il in" for Annie. And, in
further proof of her historionic ability,
she turned a pleasant face to the man
on the high stool and asked: What IL
yuh have, mister?' in a sweet, soft
voice.
These kids" complained Miss Ep-
pei to Cactus Carrie, who was shining
the coffee machine. ARE hard to
handle. If they'd only learn to hold
their tongues-they might take a few
lessons from you. Carrie. You don't
give no one any lip"
AS she spoke she passed Carrie. who
glanced sidewise after her. 1t was q
swift look that said many things-had
there been one to read-patience,
obedience were in it-and-a strong
contempt.
CARRIE was the only woman in
~ the place who had kept her nat
ural color ana full amount or hair. Two
long, straight blue-black braids en-
circled her head and were pinned
prinly. She was fiat and straight Of
body, her hips narrow. her back like
a totem pole, shoulders square.
She had been working three months,
and Mr.. Hinton, the manager-watch-
ing her sharply-knew that she would
make a hatter head waitress than
Sadie Eppel. But Sadie had done