Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-24


Everett Waters to call upon
II her that evening. They were
Il IL very old friends in that casual
way which is pleasant with
out being provocative. Everett wa,
tiers had once proposed to Helen ana
she had put him off gently, ieaFihE
him to hope that IL he ever asked neF
again she would probably accept MN.
But he had not asked her again
although he continued to can upon
her regularly, to write TO heF whe'1
he was away, to send her ents a.
holiday time or upon her blrthdaE'
MeanwhiIe Hulda was very content.
She was too comfortable as she was
to care to change the condition OF
her life. Her father had left her well
provided for. She had her OWN
home. a mother who bore the cares
OF the household and plenty %
leisure to paint charming niue pc
lures that she never sold. ANA sils
was still Young. attractive. graceful
Lots of time yet for marrying. foS-
sibIv. too, somebody might appear
who was more like the lover OF neI
dreams than the plain. quiet id"Hei
who had been her schoolmate anu
now managed her few business al
fairs She did not stop to thlnk
ing him dangling she might be smut
ting him out Of happiness and some
other woman out of home ana
comnanjonship. AS far as that went
she was not afraid of any other Woin-
an She was absolutely sure or EN-
erett Waters. 800,
TTnon this Summer day she was
painting In the large northern room
which she called her studio Whell
the door opened softly and young
girl entered. Hulda numbered no
Young girls among her trlends ana
she stared at this one IN surprise
Then she recognized the lovely piooln'
ing face under the stern little PACK
hat-such hat as Huloa "o"lo nut
have dared to wear
sswhy. it's Ethel she exclaimed.
"yo,Ir own niece Ethel, Aunt HUI
"a " The girl kissed her. Il knew
vor'd be crazy to see me. Dad ana
/ lust got back from Paris last week
and here l am. I've been gone two
whole, wears. do you know it?'
"Of course. / am glad, deat-l sup
nose those clothes are French!
ENTIRELY So" Ethel spun around
to show them. dad ioosened up his
purse strings just before we sailed
But you must see what I've got III
my trunk. I brought my trunk,
auntie. You see. I'm going to stay
a while. How we'll granny is look
ingi You. too-only you are getting
gray, did you know it? What nice
little picture! Oh. how is dear ola
Everett Waters? Is he just the same
constant thing as ever?
Hulda flushed and bit her lip. she
arose from her easel and took OF
her apron. Downstairs she couid
hear her mother at the telephone or
dering from the grocer. the peace
f1,l current of life had suddenly be-
come a brisk torrent owing TO the
arrival of this gay young visitor.
Twenty years before Hulda's broth
er had married a girl whom Hulda
and her mother did not like. Ethel
was like her mother. Somehow Earl
Lewis had been able to acquire
good deal Of money, which he spent
in leading a careless. rowing life. Two
wears before he had snatched up
Ethel and gone abroad. Now here
was the girl developed into something
so beautiful and altogether fascinat-
ing that Hulda felt curious pang
OF jealousy.
Ethel took possession of the house.
The trunk came and she appeared
in pink and black. Hulda, who had
grown a bit careless in dress, prompt
~ made a toilet. Ethel laughed at
the blue crepe. But when Everett
Waters came up the steps in the
moonlight she did not laugh at him.
Instead, she ran to him, hung her
arms about his neck and kissed him.
Holding her at arms length, Ev-
erett studied her through his glasses.
Hulda, looking on, grew cold. She
suddenly felt old, ugly, questionable.
And while Ethel chartered gayly she
sat silent, not listening, but thinking
strange, inexplicable thoughts of her
own.
Afterward Ethel came into Hulda's
room clad in astonishing silken pa
jamas, which, with her black bobbed
hair, made her look like a surprising
" adorable Pierette.
"Everett's a DEAR" she said. Hes
improved so much while I've been
gone. That gray hair makes him
look very distinguished. He reminds
me of a great diplomat / saw in
Paris. I'm quite wild about Everett,
auntie. Did you know that he re-
membered every one Of my birthdays
while was away? You did not,
but he did. He sent me this bracelet
] am wearing" She turned the cir
clet round her wrist.
Hulda did not sleep much that
night. She lay awake thinking. 1t
was true. Everett had improved,
while she-it had never occurred to
her that she was not as young and
pretty as ever. She had been SO
seif-assured. Now, compared with
real youth such as Ethel's, she
realized that she was but a faded
flower. To Ethel she was old and
uninteresting. Suddenly she buried
her face in the pillow and Gept.