New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-08-01

me again." she said in high tri-
umph. sitting on Mr.. Peevey's empty
desk and fiuffing a powder puff
across her smooth little face.
WHY" asked Sally. Because OF
last night"
Mile nodded. "Of course. You
| know Beau was simply disgusting.
Telling him that he'd be around to
borrow some money from him by
and-by, and all that stuff. And
Mabel" Her mouth hardened At
the corners as she spoke Mabel's
name.
The laughter rippled across her
face again like the reflection OF sun
on water.
Il guess my Johnny must be
pretty keen about me-" she said
with great satisfaction. Last night
never made any difference to him
and he never even mentioned 1t
today
She fluttered down from the desk
all color and radiance and heady
perfume.
At the door she paused. He
hired a new girl today to help me
out" she gigged He said the work
was too hard for me. But what he
really wanted was someone TO watch
the phone and so forth, while he
and l go out to lunch every noon.
Isn't that rare?"
With another shower of laughter
she was gone.
A half minute later her gay voice
rang out in the hall as she and
John Nye set forth for their eve
ming of pleasure.
Sally stood looking out of the
window at the banners of sunset in
the evening sky. for long minute.
The telephone on her desk rang.
She answered it.
Sally" came her mothers voice,
what have you heard from Beau?
Did he really marry Mabel, or
what? And where are all his
clothes and things? They're all
gone"
IN be right home, Mother"
Sally's voice was slow and SO was
her step as she left the office and
started down the long white hall to
the elevators.
The long evening at home stretch
ed ahead of her like an eternity.
Mrs. Jerome crying over Beau's
marriage. The clock ticking mourn
fully on the green-tile mantelpiece,
the melancholy sound of piano
three doors down the street.-The
most melancholy sound In the
world.
She sighed as she squared her
shoulders and turned towards the
German delicatessen on West Ninth
street. She would take a loaf of
Bohemian bread and a pound of
bologna home to her mother.
Mrs. jerome could always be
cheered up by some kind of food
that she was particularly fond of.
And she fairly loved bologna and
Bohemian rye bread.
On the next Saturday night Sally
and Ted carried out their usual Sat
urday night program.
They went to dance at the Blue
Lagoon, among the golden lights
and the excited pleasure-loving
crowd of people as young and poor
as themselves.
It was one of those close hot
nights that often mark the begin
ming of autumn. Heat Redeemed the
cheeks of the dancers and polished
their flesh with perspiration.
Lets get out of here and take a
drive. What do you say" Ted asked
toward II o'clock, when the crowd
was at its thicllest and noisiest-
when the blare of the jazz music
seemed to be splitting Sally's ear
drums.
I'm ready to go home, il you
are" she said. without any of the
sparkle that usually frightened her
speech.
She wondered. waiting at the
edge of the great blue-and-gold
room for Ted to get their wraps,
why she had suddenly lost her
sense of enjoyment in the Blue
lagoon For the first time in her
life she had found no pleasure at all
in dancing. that night.
For months the Blue Lagoon had
been sort of rag-time Paradise to
her and Ted Sloan. They had
Charlestoned and one-stepped and
waltzed there. and had wanted
nothing else in the way Of enter
tainment.
But now it seemed tawdry and
SNOWY to her. The crowd struck
her as being a silly, childish sort of
crowd-evcn though she knew she
was younger than most of the girls
dancing around her.
Want to dancer" a voice asked
in her ear. and. she turned sharply
to find a large, blond. good-looking
man standing just behind her.
His smiling face was familiar, but
she WAS sure she did not know him.
"Probably he's Just somebody who
has seen me in the building down
town" sh" thought. and was on
her dignity in an instant
II don't know you" she said cold
ly. and swung around from him.
Then she felt his hand on her
shoulder. Don't you remember me, !
Miss Jerome?" he asked. MY |
names Davidson. l used to be
friend of your sister. Mile"
Sally remembered him then, and |