Evening star., 1927-10-09

Wardly welding trout line. She ate
foods that brought hlotches out on
her face the next morning-blotche
/ almost as bad as the dose of poison
ivy she got on one of their picnics.
She learned not 10 shrek or run at
the sight of snakes, lizards or large
worms. And as the heat grew more
and more oppressive and the Summer
moon grew larger and more roman
tically golden, she knew that at any
moment
! OF course. all this necessitated her
gradual withdrawal from most of the
/ local festivities. She could not display
! her disfigured hands and sunburnt
neck or her roughened hair at parties
and at teas and lunCheons. Now and
then she and Edison would look in AT
dance. and she saw there what gos
sip had already intimated-that is. II
Rollo COnsoled by the charms of Nita
Baldwin. oh. we'll. let him go.
Yet it piqued Janie's resentment.
this complete detection of Rollo. She
would have liked him 10 suffer. to
pine. be inconsolable 1t was abomi-
nable that he should care so little
But men are like that, jamie told her.
self
She had been coming up from the
drug store. where she had gone to get
A large bottle of citronella. when sht
met them, Rollo and Nita. laughing to-
gether in most reprehensiblo. light.
hearted fashion. They stopped her.
though she would have hurriec. past
/ them with cool nod.
1t seems that there was to be n
Midsummer carnival night at the clu1
canoes decorated on the lake. A
masked costume dance on the veran-
das, entertainers from New York. "Of
course you'll come, YOU and your
heavy suitor." said Nita.
1t was exactly the sort Of thing
jamie adored
Come in your sports things" went
on Nita. and bring the camp stove
FOR stunt. l hear you two cook
everything from soup to nuts on it."
jamie longed to slap her. And Rol-
10. too. because he giGGled. She hur-
ried on, her cheeks flaming. This set
tied it. Edison Payne should propose
as soon as he liked. and he accepted
Shed show these two grinning idiots
They were to go on another picnic
soon. He should do it then. and after
they were engaged jamie would break
him of his obsession for the wilds.
She'd begin by making him go to that
dance--yes, and announcing the en-
gagement there. After that-well
he'd be regular human being. He'd
have to be.
She was not feeling very well-so
much hiking about in the heat and
eating coarse food was telling on her.
But when Edison came for her. she
was ready. They started very early
IN the atternoon-they We're going
clear to the shore, and it was a LONG
drive The sun was high. and so was
the humidity. 1t did not matter how
fast they went-there was no relief
from 1t. The air was like a scalding
bath. So they decided to go to the
woods.
There they found refreshing
breeze. There were also mosquitoes.
jamie soaked herself with citronelIa
and went to work helping Edison ger
the fireplace ready. He brought wood
while jamie wrestled with the pan and
coffee pot. She had insisted on bring
ing real one this time.
We're going to have special treat
tonight said Edison fondly. "Weu
COOK the bacon in the pan, then leave
the grease in and fry eggs in it. +
brought half a dozen. And look"
He held out a package beamingIv.
1t was selfraising flour. Wen inst
mix this up with milk-I got a bottle
of milk, and in a few minutes. Wen
have the finest lot of fapjacks YOU
ever tasted. l got maple syrup, too.
Wasn't L the thoughtful little boy.
thought"
AT this playful query jamie became
a very thoughtful little girl Flap
jacks on a night like this were mad. ,
ness. The breeze had grown discour.
aged and vanished. The mosquitoes !
were increasing in number.
EDSON went on with his prepara.
tions. Across the fire he gave her |
a fond, intent look. jamie" he said
Il dream of things being like this with |
us-always. / picture us. side by side |
in the wilderness. waking to the sun |
rise and plunging into the cold water |
of some mountain lake-then a little |!
campfire-like this-and the good /
smell of bacon and coffee. You're such |
q comrade, dear-I never thought to |
find girl like you. I think of us go |
ing on together-Nature's own chill
dren-forever. Janie-do you--" He |
started round the campfire, quite as
Sured as to her answer, ready to take |
her in his arms.
The accumulated miseries of the |
weeks rolled up their height before |
jamie and beat down her pride, her |
intention. She spoke out of the sick
ness of her stomach. the intolerable |
smart of mosquito bites. as we'll as
her loss of Rollo and her real senti- |
ment toward Edsons ideas of pleas |
ure.
You don't want to marry me, Ed. !
son." she said. You want to marry
n sort of mountain goat, as nearly as
can figure it,"
The words blew out a safety valve. |
The bacon Edison had left in the pan
began to burn. With a sudden ges-
ture jamie seized the pan and flung it
and the bacon as far as she could
throw it. She snatched the package
of self-raisinC flour and slung it into
the flames. She lifted the bottle of
milk and smashed it on stone.
Natures own children" she pant
cd. Natures own children. l hate
Nature. l hate bugs and dirt and
nasty messes cooked in nasty,
messy way! I hate these filthy knick-
ers and this shirt! hate these hideous
shoes. l hate burning my hands and
browning my face and looking at all
the flowers and birds In the country. |