Evening star., 1927-05-04

n
puffball units of time that
we plan and work for all
year long; then squash in one
short week or two SO that
we have nothing left from it but a
fiat purse, a tired body and lot
of fun gone up in smoke. When |
visit Aunt Cora take home a respect
able pocketbooS, a rested body and
enough to think about for another
year That is why. instead of going
up to camp with the girls, / am back
at Aunties this Summer.
/ just pulled in last evening, and
the very first question that popped
out of my head after I had hoped
off the train and kissed my waiting
aunt was. How are the Capertons?'
individually or collectively" she
bantered.
individually" laughed "Of
course, it is Mrs. Caperton that I
want to know about. Does she still
have the whole household dangling
about her like d chain of slaves?'
my dear" Auntie looked surprised
didn't ] write you that there is new
Mrs Caperton?"
You might have mistaken me for a
fiat tire, felt so suddenly depleted of
inward buoyancy. The Capertons
lived next door to Auntie. and l had
seen enough of them on my visit last
year to make me expect that the last
thing in the world that would ever be
new about their premises would be a
new Mrs Caperton.
did Roberta die?" I asked.
''No. she finally ran away with Reg
gle Wade. l don't believe she ever
thought her husband would divorce
her"
Such incredulity. I myself could
scarcely imagine such a possibility.
had watched these Capertons with
much curiosity last year and had
hated Roberta thoroughly because she
seemed atune to nothing in life but
her own selfish desires How could
the reins have slipped for her? Won
dered. Who on earth could Dory
Caperton have married? | begged of
Auntie to tell me, but she only smiled
and said. I'm going to let you see
for yourself. Do you remember what
told you one time about vamps?"
I did recall now, since / thought of
ii, the strange expression she once
made to me. She had told me that at
heart all women were vamps, but
that they were divided into two class
es, permanents and temporaries, and
if / wanted to know what made the
permanent ones permanent, it was be-
cause they were mothers at heart.
Evidently, then, Dory Caperton had
married widow with family of chill
dren. How would the Caperton kiddies
take that? / wondered. Such mix
up. Oh. well, they had never been
used to seeing their own mother, any
way: they had been brought up on
maids. And then / thought of Sybil
Gramer What had the change done
to her? To my notion, she was the
most pitiful one In the whole Caperton
regime. / had liked her better than
any of them, too. She used to talk to
me across the fence. 1T seemed that
! she and Roberta had gone to school
| together, and then, after Roberta had
| married Mr.. Caperton with all of his
wealth and the twins had arrived,
| SYPHILIS parents had both died and left
| her penniless. Roberta snatched al
| the chance and took Sybil in, making
| Of the girl a mat to wipe her own
pretty feet upon. Outsiders knew Miss
| Cramer for Mrs. Caperton's companion
and secretary.
! Whenever there was company, Sybil
was always about, quiet and 1tnassum-
| ing in some corner, waiting to perform
/ tile AtlIG uutlGS tlIhL the ttb5lGss
| shirked. / should have died at such
job. She was always wearing Ro-
| berta's cast-off clothes, too: and then
| there were the children. Mrs. Caper.
| ton was one of those women who
| think that their duty is completed
when their children are born. The
twins and Roberta were utter stran.
gers, but Sybil played with them
! nursed them, bound their fingers whei
they We're hurt and made ctEtard for
them when they were sick. The most
unbearable part of her, however. was
| the pretense of a love affair with Reg.
gle Wade Reggie was forever dining
with the Capertons. Roberta made the
excuse that he was devoted to her sec
| retary, but, of course, anybody with a
grain of sense could see through the
game.
over and over again used to say
| to AuHtie. why does Sybil Cramer
stay and make such q fizzle of her
life? She is bright and capable and
could hold down a position with good
| salary attached TO it and have some
| freedom and independence"
But Auntie. would never talk about
| Sybil, although noticed that she was
always extremely courteous and kind
to the girl whenever she had the op.
| portunity. All through my visit the
affairs of the Capertons We're a never
ending source of delight to me. Per-
| haps it was because they were so