Evening star., 1926-11-21


fierce little gust of jealousy. She
Garner; she wasn't jealous of any
definite person or persons. She was
just jealous of girls who found the
right man; she was jealous of their
forever-and-ever plans.
You're the girl who wanted a
shining palace on the sand," she re-
minded herself, grimly. You got what
you asked for. didn't you? Well, then.
don't you let me hear you complaint"
Nobody heard her complain. IL
there were moments when she didn't
feel quite gay she never let Kent
guess the fact. The sheer novelty of
work was beginning to eyaporate a
little for him. Lee suspected; he was
less of grind. He never spoke of the
long hours, or bewailed the heat, or
mentioned the fact that almost every
one he knew was out of town, in the
mountains orHat the seashore; but Lee
felt guiltily conscious that these
things must sometimes be in his mind,
despairingly certain that there must
be moments when he longed for the
old life of freedom. Oh. well, it would
soon be over-for him.
A ND then. almost at once, Summer
had gone The first of the rainy
days had come. It was Fall, and
Kent had said that he would stay on
at the store till Fall. .....
Against their better judgment, they
risked one last picnic dinner the fol-
lowing Sunday. 1t was a lowering
day from the start The little beach
fire that Kent tried to start couldn't
be made to burn, although he was
wise in beachcraft now Just as they
were ready to eat their luncheon a
slow, malicious drizzle began.
You can't stay out in this Kent
said authoritatively. Lets go over
to the lunchroom pavilion. and eat.'
We'll take the sandwiches and
just order coffee" Lee suggested
thriftily. Kent's pay check was big
ger than her own, of course, but SHE
knew that 1t seemed small to him.
The pavilion was a quarter of a
mile away. long quarter of mile.
The paper bag of luncheon that Kent
carried grew soggy and queer. looked
as if it might disintegrate at any
moment. Lees white dress hung
Imply about her; her hat. the treas
ured tricorne, became f1abby and
shapeiess. Breathless and disarrayed.
they dashed into the pavilion-almost
into the arms of a smart group
which included Kent's mother and a
dozen of her friends.
Look what the rains brought inn
cried Gay Alternately
They were all immaculate, their
raiment unspotted by drop of rain,
each girl effective in gay-colored
sports clothes, the men trim In
knickerbockers. Lee knew how shab-
by she must seem to them in her un-
seasonable white frock and her shape
less hat. Her heart sank.
'I'll have to be introduced to them
all" she thought
But she had reckoned without
Kent's mother. Mrs. Davis had been
In the middle of sentence when
Kent and Lee hurried into the pa
vilion; after the briefest disconnected
pause she went on without a. sign of
recognition. The rest of the party
took their cue from her, although
most of the men furtively nodded at
Kent and the girls smiled dIscreetly,
In his direction. Head up, face fiusi1s
ed and rigidly set, he led Lee to a
table
"Coffee~ he snapped to the hover
ing walter
Listen. Kent: maybe we'd better
not eat the sandwiches, after all,',
Lee suggested timidly. Your friends
will think
"A lot l care what they thfnk.''
Kent cut her short.
He did care, and Lee knew it. She
could see that he was living through
an agony OF humiliation as he DELHI
erately bit into the damp sandwiches,
~ v,,rv.> nnAP>n
up a steady stream Of rather discon-
nected talk. A solid wall of misery
seemed to shut Lee off from his
words
IT'S gone, our shining .palace'r"
she thought. desolately. They've top
Piled 1t over. all In a breath, those
strangers there, Well never see II
again"
Kent took her home, hardly speak
ing on the way, and telling her good
by with pafpable air of relief. All
night long Lee lay and listened to
the rains '.drip-drip-dr1p upon the
caves. 1t told her what she already
her shining palace" lay
in ruins, that everything was over
now. ~
CHE was 50 sure Of II that she
wasn't even SURPRISED the next
day after work when Kent asked IL
he might walk along with her to the |
car and tell her the news. ~
"Gobs Of it"' he said, excitedly. az
he took her arm. Two pretty i'm. |
portant things happened to me today: |
Old Girls offered me a raise and my |
mother offered me that trip around |
the world! And what I want to talk |
to you about, Lee. Is this-whlch one !
am going to do?"
He was asking her what he was |
going to do. Lee could hardly believe !
In the glory of that moment. Shed |
tell him, of course, to take his raise |
and keep on in the store there, where |
she'd see him every day. And maybe, |
after while. Kent would come to |
see. as she had. that bungalows didn't
ha,e to he the prosy things they |
seemed, not II, you furnished them