The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-03-18
Sue and Her Sun
Bath
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS

the Dag green mousse Thdl nufIQfeQ
the tropical plants of the park, with
the air Of one who performs an act
that could be held as suspicious. In
other words, Sue sneaked in.
She found a spot where the sun beat
mercilessly down from its great blue
dome of mid-July and sat down on
her small camp stool. She then fum-
bled in a bag for a tidy package of
sandwiches and sketch book and
pencil. She managed the lunch quite
naturally but the sketch book and
pencil seemed unfamiliar tools in her
slender hands,
In removing her blue and gold hat,
Sue released mass of curls that a
baby might envy so soft and silky they
were.
Sue began idly sketching a tropical
tree. She selected it because there
were clumps of fruit hanging about
and very large leaves. 1t looked fairly
easy to draw.
The only other occupant of the grill
ing dollhouse was young man who
had crept into the coolest fern corner
he could find and was hopping his
brow and longing for the refreshing
sensation Of an iced shower bath. He
was sketching, however. some details
of tropical plants with the fineness
and the gifted touch of an artist.
Sue had crept In so quietly that Pen.
as he was called in artistic circles, did
~ Iy~aox Of hov- ,r4u T. fc-
agreeable, hacking little cough, reach
ing his ears from time to time that
told him that another soul was shar
ing his enforced roasting in the tropi-
cal plant house
Then he peered from among the
ferns and saw what he supposed to be
a child of fifteen or so. Sue didn't
look a day older Sue was, however.
fully twenty-one.
Had Pen realized that Sue had
reached that advanced age he would
not have approached her so carelessly
to have chat.
Sue looked up with great blue eyes
as he stood beside her. and would have
hidden her sketch had he permitted it.
I'D like to see it," said Pen much
as if he were talking to very young
child.
Sue smiled her more or less wistful
smile which made Pen think of the
Greuze girl with the lamb Its not
very good she said, and handed him
the drawing
Sue had never spoken a truer word.
Pen bit his lip in an effort not to smile
outright.
81 think you have made the figs a
bit too big"
''They happen to be bananas" ex-
planned Sue with dignity and turned
her back completely on Pen.
And poor Pen felt keenly the fact
that he had hurt the child beyond for
giveness. He was essentially kind by
nature and knew not what to do. He
cast a hopeless glance at the edge of
pinky cheek and slightly heaving
shoulders and patted the same Shout
ders very gently.
She turned on him then and instead
of anger her eyes were full of laugh
ter. The nasty little cough, however,
came between smiles.
Il know don't know the first thing
about sketching," she told him shyly,
"but in order to get in this sunny hot
house, had to get permit to sketch"
but why sit in this boiling sun,
child? Aren't you afraid of sunstroke
or heart ache or something like thar"
"In the first place." said Sue. "you
may as well be put straight as to my
age. / am twenty-one p
"What? Great Scott You look like
child You must think me fright
fully rude"
"Well-I don't think it was exactly
polite to take my good bananas for
figs" She looked swiftly at her watch.
"Oh, must hurry. I have to be back
at the Office"
Pen, dimly conscious of the stirring
of something deep within him, realized
that the dollhouse was going to be ut
terly impossible after Sue left.
"Are you coming again." he ques-
toned swiftly
II have to come every noon hour"
said Sue. 1.-THE doctor told me must
get away into the sunshine and bake
this cough out of my system. But since
that is quite impossible am doing the
best l can" She looked so wistfully
up at Pen, that, big man though he
was, he positively quaked in his boots
He had most awful desire to pick
Sue up bodily and carry her off to the
sunshine OF California and to health
However, If she intended coming each
noon hour there would be time to work
up gradually to this pirate business.
Its fine idea. summing yourself
here" Pen told Sue. Il must be here,
too, to get the details for big frieze
I'm working on for Mrs. Goldchunk's
dining room. suppose" he looked
straight into Sues blue eyes, "I-hope
you won't mind my speaking to you
tomorrow"
Sue looked up at Pens nice honest