New Britain herald., 1926-07-02

l threw all lNE CDlpS rlgNL Slap-haDE into his face. So he ankled off home without her, and she had to stay at our house all night. Bowie! but she sure was peeycd at him.
 Mother Phelps buttcrcd a piece of roll, in disgusted silence. Her eyes studied Lolly's little painted face as she stuck q long ivory cigaret hold- CT between her lips and fitted a cig- aret into it.
 Nice crowd you run around with LoIly. Having rows in public" she remarked
 Lolly laughed. "On, they wouldn't have done it, but they were spiffy." she explained with q gigglc. sally never could hold her liquor"
 Mother Phelps black eyes nidrn- ed 10 twice their natural size. it seemed 10 Sylvia
 "Lolly, you don't drink. do you?" she asked horrifod.
 Does a fish swim when you throw it ilto watero" Lolly asked. looking at hsr mother with ccr- tain boyish frankucss. "Mothor. ] cannot tell Iic-Im your own little l Georgia Washington. and do drink. Not much, but some-eyerybody does"
 Her mother turned 10 Sylvia.
 Do you?' she asked. 1 Sylvia shook her head.
 Never" she answered. quietly.
 "Sylvia's an angel" Lolly said suddenly sober Ideally. she is . Shes million times too good for Fanny and he knows if. If he really has left her he ought to have lis neck wrung."
 And with that murjerous remark she got up from the table and went away { O keep q beauty shop appoint ment, leaving the room behind her sweet with the fragrance Of her two perfumes.
 When she had gone, Mother. Phelps seemed to sag lower and low CT into her chair, until her chin was sunk down into tho collar of her black satin dress. Her jeweled hands covered her eyes.
 T seem to have been very poor mother, Sylvia,' she said at last in nuffled voice.
 "1ou.' Sylvia exclaimed, aston ishci. She always thought of Moth- CT Phelps as a perfect home maker, and the real head of her family
 Yes, |" her mother-in-laW an- swered. "Eanny is surely nothing 10 he proud Of. And when l look att l-oliy l would cry. There she is, painted and rerfumcd, thinking of nothing but a good lime, Drinking. SmokinE.'
 ',Sha's q wonderful little house. keeper" Sylvia reminded her, "gnd she's so young. Give her time and she'll settle down. Youth sec" But Mother Phelps was not 10 he comfOrtud.
 However, after q time she came ont Of her brown study and decided 10 settle the Fanny affair, as it. should hc settled, She put in call for him at the hotel, but lie Was not there.
 'I'u get hold or him tonight, If have to keep calling until midnight," she said determinadly, to Sylvia when she was leaving.
 T wish she wouldn't" Sylvia said to herself. as she started home uu- der inc gray sky, "I wish shed let ue settle this thing in my own way"
 She stopped in a drug store On the way home and telcphOned Peter Wilk at his office.
 Have you found me a good law yer" sho asked him, and instead of auskcring her. he asked her a quos- tion.
 "Where are you?" was what he said, "where are you talking from?'
 Prom drug store at the corner Of Vine and Olive streets" she told him. wondering why in the world he wanted to know.
 Well. wait there for me" he said to her. He sounded excited. Wait there in the store for me. Don't leave it. I'll be there inside of 15 minutes"
 After she had hung up she began 10 wonder why he had told her 10 wait for him and why she said she would.
 "Why. I just won't do it." she made up her mind when she had time 10 think it over, I'm not going to ride home with him."
 Not after last night She knew now. beyond all doubt, that Peter was in love with her, and it wasn't fair to Fanny sce him any more.
 What was it that Lolly had said. "You can tell he's wild about her by , the way he looks at her. He never takes his eyes off her face" | It was true, too. She had never thought of it before, but she rencm- bored now how Peter watched her whenever she was within his range os vision. An unexpected pang Of pity for him stirred in her breast. Rut she wouldn't wait for him.
 She got mp rom her stool in front of the soda fountain and walked out of inc store.
 The ncwsboys out in Vine street were yelling ahout a train wreck somewhere. l. made Sylvia think of ! the Union station al noon today when she had gone hunting through the crowds for Fanny. She couldn't 1 get ii out Of her mind that he had ] left town.
 But. of course. that was silly. Hadn't Mother Phelps told her that he was still registered at his hotel? She would go there in the morning and tell him she would do anything about giving him his freedom that he wanted her to do. She wouldn't waste any more time about ii. She should have gotten word to him to- day.
 .ru do it now" she thought, and went into another drug store along her way and telephoned his hotel