Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-30
low beautiful she was.


She had taken off her cap and her
hair was a little wet. 1t curIed dis
traCtingly. Even here in the hot
sun of noon his thoughts were say
ing Darling. darling"
She held her head raised a little.
The outline of her nose against the
hot sky was patrician. He had never
seen such a beautiful girl in his life,
but it wasn't that. He had seen
other girls nearly as beautiful. but
none with her spirit. A thinking
mind went on behind that miracle
of flesh, and he had wanted her-so
much. Why couldn't he have had
her?
Helen's voice sang out. Almost 1
and time for lunch. Is every one
starved? Come on, children"
Betty Marsh and Jack Stillman,
the other guests of the Sheridan
household, got to their feet promptly.
Compared with Betty, who was a
normal. husky girl. bronzed with sun
and water, Nan looked like a little
girl.
AS she trudged ahead OF him In
the sand he thought she walked as IL
she were tired. But afterward. when
she was dressed, and had powered
her small face. and touched 1t with
rouge, and put on lipstick, he de-
cided. manlike, that he had been
mistaken.
They We're all laughing and talk
ing when they reached the house, and
Nan began to feel better.
When luncheon was announced
she was ravenOus. How wonderful
to eat meal one didn't have to cook!
Was she made for a Ritzy life. after
all? She was sure that she could
cook lima beans just as we'll as they
had been cooked today, if not better.
and yet she had had two helpings.
At home, after she had stood over
the gas stove for an hour or more
cooking dinner for Tom, her appe-
tite had been gone.
She was very quiet at lunch. con-
centrating. She must buck up and
get n lot of rest out of this vaca-
ton. Think of poor Tom in the city,
concentrating on his work. Heat
how she hated it. and, more than
anything else, how she hated it in
the city.
Down here everything was so
fresh, even the air was a challenge.
She looked up from her tomato
salad to meet Martin Lees eyes. The
expression in them was strange; she
wondered why she couldn't have
loved him. Life certainly was
strange.
Wasn't it strange that Tom had
interrupted just at the crucial mo-
:1ent that night? OF course. she had
already told Martin Lee that she
didn't love him. but still 1t was
strange that Tom had arrived just
then. He had never come to see her
before.
Over her salad she thought of Tom.
His dear funny head, his gray eyes
smiling into hers, passionately. ten
derby. She could see him now at the
easel.
Her perfect little face was
thoughtful, pensive. Martin Lee
knew that she was thinking Of her
husband. 1t made him furious, and
yet what reaon had he to be furious?
Betty Marsh and Jack Stillman
were carrying on a typical cOnversa-
ton. Younger set stuff! Why on
earth had Helen invited these per-
fectly normal youngsters to visit her
at time when this girl was to be
here? He couldn't help thinking that
Helen was usually so certain of what
she was doing. These kids were
| all right. of course, but so typical
of the younger generation. And then
| he happened to think that Betty
| Marsh was rich and so was Jack
| Stillman.
Nan was just a poor little model.
| Helen was a nice person., but she
| had no judgment. Perhaps. though.
he was misjudging her. She might
| have asked Nan at the last moment,
which was. after all, the truth.
Martin watched Nan eat.
She pecked at her food.
In her own estimation she was eat
ing very good luncheon, but she
never finished a course. She had
| taken two helpings of lima beans,
| but she had hardly touched her
| outlet.
| He wanted her. But she didn't
want him. When she thought Of
love she thought of that boy hus-
| band of hers.
| Copyright 1927
| Continued in Mondays Star)