Evening star., 1926-11-21
Shining Palace on the Sand
BY BLANCHE BRACE
Happiness in the Balance With Serious Opposition to Conquer

pleased with her appearance. although,
OF course, he didn't offer any of Jim
Garners blatant compliments. But
hts smile paid Lee compliment that
brought flush to her cheek.
Like the new moon / ordered for
you?' he asked.
Il guess it will have to do laughed
Lee. with sidewise. teasing glance
IF You aren't@pleased with it, I'll
have 1t changed
Nonsense of course. but. nonsense
| that fell like music on Lees ears.
None of the men she'd ever known
had talked to her like that. The
others limited their conversation to
| long recitals of the tiresome details OF
their daily lives. clumsy lovemaking.
heavy-handed OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES In
their own vernacular. Lee felt as II
she were living in story as Kent
Davis helped her into the gray road
ster and took his place at her side.
They flashed down the boulevard.
Lee leaned luxuriously back and
unused upon the chance that had
tossed this evening in her lap. She
had always known who Kent Davis
was, of course. As a child, she had
stared jealously at the printed picture
of Kent on the paving, pedigreed
steed that had been given to him on
his tenth birthday.
She had been a freshman in high
school when Kent Davis, captain of
the foot ball team. star of the dra-
matte club and most popular boy in
school, was president of the senior
class. Then she had to leave school
to go to work, and Kent had gone to
- ~.,I q fn ~
France.
Later still Lee had seen his name
frequently in the papers again. had
thrilled to the account of his decora-
tion for bravery. had known when he
returned after the armistice, had read
of his sailing for Japan, his discreetly
limited engagement.
Then one day she had looked up
from her book counter in the Big
Store into his face. And their friend
ship began at that moment.
n
ULIoW you chatter!' laughed Kent,
L turning his head so that he
could look into her dreaming face
Going too fast for you?"
1T can't be done" said Lee.
Dinner was perfect. They danced,
and danced again. Their steps match
ed as well as their ideas on the uni
verse. 1t was hours later. in the vel.
vety, sequined blackness of after-mid-
night when they got out of the car
at the end of-the boulevard road. Late
as IL was, it seemed to both that the
evening had been unfairly brief, and
they sat down on the sand to prolong
it with talk. unconsciously timing
their sentences to the rhythmic roll
nf the waves.
You're funny kidv' Kent Davis
told her after a while. You make
me ashamed of myself for great,
lazy lout! Look here-hasnt any one
warned you against me?"
Lee didn't know what to say. Kent
laughed. A young laugh, hard and
cynical on the surface, with an OBJ
vious hurt beneath.
Its trues' he boasted. I'm no
good Lee; that's a fact. got kicked
out of Harvard. You see, mother had
made me promise not to enlist till |
was through with college, so / fixed
it so college would be through with
me. And 1 haven't been worth my
salt since college. I'll tell the world"
He brooded, sullenly. Lee sat very
still. She wanted to contradict him,
wanted to comfort the hurt that his
voice betrayed. but the words would
not come.
"oh. well, what of it?" Kent chaI.
lenged the world. I'm going to loaf
for a few years. and after that-who
can tell? So you see, Lee, I'm not
worth wasting time on, eh? And a
pretty girl like you can't afford to
waste time, of course. She has to be
getting things settled for her future.
Whaf?''
TT s..,~- x.1rt.~~ 49,. ~. -. e.. =. ~.
had done, that nothing would come OK
it. that there was nothing serious
about his intentions. He was making
it clear to her on what understa nding
their friendship must be based, il they
were to be friends. Lee ought to re-
sent it, perhaps, but
!. Settled things? i hate them" cried
Lee. Getting in the Winters coal
in July, saving money for ugly bum
galows instead of spending 1t on
punches of vioIets, marrying and
washing dishes. taking care OF croupy
kids-not men'
"Attagirl, Lee"... Kent Davis lightly
approved.
Lee remembered couplet in the
book of poems he once had given her,
and quoted the words:
Safe upon the solid rock their ugly
houses stand
Come and see my shining palace built
upon the sandr'
Kent Davis put big paw over the
slim hands folded in Lees lap.
Let's play in 1t together. just this
Summer, your Shining palace on the
sand! he urged.
THREE or. four times a week after
that the roadster waited at the
end of the boulevard road to whirl
them away to hours of riotous gayety
Sometimes they dined in state at the
new Hotel Olympic or at the Arctic
Club: sometimes they danced the eve-
ming through at gay cabarets; some
times they ate in rather furtive-eyed
roadhouses off the boulevard roads,
opening their hearts to each other TO
a blaring accompa niment of jazz AL
ways, no matter where they were or
what they did, they talked and talked
as II, they could never have enough
talking.
1t seemed to Lee at first that she
had nothing to tell that could pos
sibly be of interest to Kent. But she
made him hear the whirr of the
alarm clock that rang so relentlessly
for her every morning. She made him
listen to the tales of the big store and
the fellow clerks who were her friends.
And she sketched her home and the
various members of her household for
him with an unsparing hand. II he
wanted to be ashamed of her, let him,
thought Lee. squaring her soft little
chin.
But the only thing that made Kent s
brows knit was her account Of Jim
Garner. and Lee smoothed them out
again with her spirited reiteration of
her preference for shining palaces in.
stead of bought.on-time bungalows
q relative estimation with which her