Evening star., 1926-11-21

EDNA Sts tttCtut <uhidS
Y EE swung her hat bag defiant
iy as she neared the ram
shackle house. bleak in the row
~ of spruce Summer bungalows
where the Collins family livec
the year around, on Alki Point. She
conquered the impulse to fold bach
the corners of the bag, giving 1t the
appearance of some innocuous parcel
that might just possibly escape com
ment. There would be a fine fuss
about her buying another hat. Oh
well, what of 1t?
There's always fuss about some
shing. anyhow" thought Lee. And
this is worth row."
The scowl was wiped from her fore
head, her mouth was brushed by a
emile, her accustomed armor of hard
self-suffieiency fell from her. leaving
her wistful and. defenseless and very
young.
Kent Davis, music and life, a
Spring evening. a new moon-surely
these were worth any price the gods
might choose to ask.
Lee knew that the evening would
be no more than an inconsiderable
atom falling into the gay round OF
Kent's existence, that didn't prevent
at from being a flaming rose to pin
All the Collinses. except the mother
of the family, were in the shabby
living room, stridently ugly with its
SCARED woodwork and its stiff plush
chairs. Pa Collins, a small assertive
man. with the discouraged shoulders
and sour lips of failure, read the
paper. Edna, who had earned her
sown money for business course, and
was now good stenographer,e tight.
linn asuf Ha en% Ia A&~.<r
glove. Lou, an ironer in a laundry,
distinctly good looking in big.
blowsy way, was sliding THE Sheik''
on on the sQueaky phonogreph
Danny, 10, sprawled on the floor, alb
sorbed in comic strip, while 6-year-
old Lefty, earnestly discordant, tried
to sing her struggling kitten to sleep.
The room was pervaded by the smell
of corned beef and green's.
Lo. Kid! What you got there?"
demanded Lou.
My goodnessi" severely exclaimed
Edna. You don't mean to say you've
gone and bought another hat?"
oh. no, this is just twin six I
brought home In a bag retorted Lee.
Clothes, clothes, clothesr' Pa Col.
Inns groaned. over the top of his pa.
per. That's all a man ever hears
around here"
Lets have a squint at it, now
you've got It," demanded Lou.
X X +
EE drew a chic little tricorne of
soft black straw from the bag.
Under their critical gaze. she thrust
off the navy blue cloche she wore and
settled the new hat in its place The
effect was undeniably gallant Lees
eyes looked bigger and bluer, her
~
hair, with its boyish shingle, sleeker
than before.
How mucl?. asked Edna.
Six for the shape" Lee made a
reluctant answer. The little arrow
OF brilliants was a dollar
Seven dollars,'' Lou was honestly
scandalized. "Forathat plain ti1ing!',
II guess it's my own money! cried
Lee hotly. What do you know about
hats, anyhow? This is hardly any diff
ferent from a Paris model in our
French department that cost S25''
Pa Collins looked UP aghast from
his paper.
Let me catch any of my kids pay
ing SIS for a hat,' he CALCULATED
At this crucial moment. Mrs. Collins
pushed open the door that connected
the room with the dining ROOM Con-
sci0us of something strained in the
atmosphere. she peered in at them, a
small, faded woman with sugges-
ion of the impudent blitheness of q
robin about her poise, and in her blue
eyes a gleam of wistfulness like the
look in Lees own. Her house dress
sagged. her face was flushed from
the kitchen heat. her hair was a
little tumbled, her hands knotty from
hard work, and yet there was some
-
GUS about her smile.
''Take off your hat and stay a
WHILE she laughed.
TITS new hat., the others chanted
all together :
Its real pretty her mother an
swered. Lots of style. Well, take it
of. honey, and come in to dinner.
I'm dining out" inurmured Lee.
''Will you listen.y acidly commented
Edna. She doesn't eat any more,
she dimes"
Pa Collins folded his paper and
pushed his glasses farther down on
his nose. as If to let out the glare.
'I won't have this gallivantin'
around till all hours" he proclaimed.
I'm just going out to dinner and
to dance q while" Lee said.
with Kent Davis" she added re-
luctantly.
That's right-make fool OF your
SELF advised Edna crisply. Throw
over a nice, Woodworking boy who
wants to marry you, like Jim Garner,
for a lounge lizard who wouldn't dare
to speak to you when his own gang
was there
mo good to himself or anybody
else, that Kent Davis" Her father
suthoritatively joined the fray. Got
kicked out of Harvard Hasn't done a
lick of work since the war. You let
that Queen Anne Hill crowd alone,
Lee, do you hear?"
Let me wise you. Kid: you won't
get anything playing around with the
swells,' declared Lou sagely. Moth.
ing will ever come from stepping out
with Kent Davis; you mark my
words"
Twin flames leaped up in Lees eyes.
She stamped small foot in shabby,
too.high-heeled shoe.
'tOh. you-you make me sick" Her
voice trembled with shame and scorn.
Il don't want anything to come of It.
All / want is a little fun
CHE turned and ran into her room.
~ confronting her flushed image in
the mirror with blurred eyes. 1t was
always that way. When, at rare in
tervals, something simple and ex.
auisite, whose beauty little fed her
hungry soul, like the new hat. or this
evening with Kent Davis, offered IT.
self, the family had TO spoil 1t for her.
As Lee hurried downstairs in her
plain white crepe dress and the little
black hat, Lou sent her love to the
king; Edna advised her sister to re-
member that to Kent Davis she was
only a shop girl. that was all, and Pa
Collins snorted that any young feller
who didn't call at a girls house for