Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-11-19

ITF 1855 Aa@A
assuring her that he would call her
up in a few days
After he was gone she climbed the
stairs to her own room-and present
ly found herself standing before the
mirror OF her dresser, without any
clear recollection Of coming upstairs.
With quick, nervous fingers, she
began to take off the gypsy dress
the thin, scarlet silk, the gay. below
cred with bright brass bells.
cred with bright brass bells.
Then, slipping into her faded old
cotton kimono, she rolled them all
into y ball-all the bright, gay-look-
ing garments-and carried them 10
the trunk-room az the head Of the
attic stairs.
Her own trunk stood In a M
behind the barricnde OF bedsteads.
boxes, old rockers and d~ressers that
Mrs. Jerome had brought to the
house months before.
Sally climbed over these things
with the quick, smooth ease Of q cat,
and dropped down to the dusty floor
beyond them She flung up the lid Of
thrust the roll OF silk and calico
aVW4 at LuU NGAI DVLLULMn UuQEI UAAEE
Of her winter clothes.
"Therei" she said aloud, and with
great satisfaction. "There!" She
felt as If she had closed the door
upon one whole period Of her life, ms
she slammed the lid Of the trunk
down, and climbed back over her
mothers dusty household goods, and
locked the door Of the trunk room
behind her.
At 10 that night, when Aunt En-
came running up stairs 90 find out
why she wasn't doing the dance that
she did every night about that time,
Sally was in bed
But she was not asleep. She was
sitting bolt upright, with a mending
basket before her on the bed. and she
was darning the sleeves Of her old
black serge office suit.
The frown on Aunt Emily's face
~deepened.
what under high heaven ARE
you doing, Sally Jerome" she
asked in wonderment, and Sally held
up the dress to show her what she
was doing.
intending my old office dress,
Aunt" she said meekly. "Im going
out to look for a job in the morning
-an office job"
Aunt En- was thunder-struck, fab
ber-gasted. . Here was a pretty
kettle Of fish, she seemed TO be think
ing. Her star attraction suddenly
showing a streak Of temperament
and refusing to dance at q moments
noticel And for no reason st all,
so far as Aunt Emily could see.
what on earth ails you, girl?" she
asked, in a voice that cracked like q
whip, and Sally mildly answered
| that she would rather talk IL over
| when aunt En- had more time.
And later that night, when the last
automobile had driven away from
| The House by the Side Of the Road
| they did talk IL over.
whats come over you, Sally ri
/ Aunt En- asked the minute she came
back 10 the neat white little room,
with he windows wide open to he
windy October night. "Thss after
noon you were telling me that you
hoped this new costume would last
for "A long time, and now you've nd
| denly made UP your mind not 70
dance in IL ever again. Is II because
| VI dVAAEhAfAk rs
said to you tonightg'
Davidson ?" repeated Sally, in 8
tone that meant that Davidson was
less than nothing in her life. mo,
indeed-but John Nye said something
~ me that set me to thinking"
Aunt Emilv's face stiffened.
~And what did he have to say"
she asked, in a voice tina twas all
sarcssm. (.
swell. after I finished dancing ]
went out into the hall through the
kitchen door" Sally began her story,
she asked, in a voice that was All
"and he was there, just getting ms
hat-nad when he saw me he grabbed
me by both arms and said: That's a
fine thing for you 10 be doinR--dane-
ing in public, OK something IKE
that w.
Aunt Emily grunted. "You should
have worn your mask" she said
tartly. "Then nobody would have
known il was YOU"
She sat still for a minute on the
edge OF Sally's bed, her thin face
turned toward the open windows,
with the nighttime bIackness be-
vcnd them like black velvet curtains.
"But I can see his point" she add
ed. soberly. at isn't the thing for
YOU to be doing-a nice young girl
dancing in n roadhouse. For that's
what we've got on our hands, Sally
without knowing II Until now. a
roadhtuse; I saw two or three spec-
RE with liquor TASKS down stairs to-
I night. and / made up my mind that
something would have to be done
about IL right away. Funny that
all OF this should happen at once
isn't itT"
Stfli with her face turned towards
the darkness, she went on. I'VE
didn't know what we were gettinr
into. did we. Sally. when we started
this thing" We thought we'd have
n nice, hirh-ciass tea house. or
lovely southern-style dining room
serving chicken dinners And instead
~ that, what we've wound up with
II lust a common r~oadhouse, as bat
as The Lark down the roadl o.
course. It's my fault ! never should
have hired that jazz bandi"
Sally laid down the black serge
dress and went over 20 her aunt
side. putting her young, strong arms
around her.
SITS my fault, too, Aunt Emmy
she declared. 81 never should have
let Ted Sloan talk me into danelni
like those Spanish dancers that Inc
Lark had. But / was like you-l
didn't know that IL would cheaper
rot only you and me, but the res
taurant Itself Well, now that we've
learned u lesson. what are we 60
ing TO dof ] haven't said anytninf
70 YOU about IL, but I've noticed thai
this dancing crowd we have all carry
TASKS. Do you think we ought not
II have the hand any moref Just
stick 10 the sober sort OF folks who
come here for n good, substantial
meaI37
Aunt En- shrugged her slende'
shoulders. ~T0u know we didn't have
hnv business until we did have some
inEE music" she reminded Sally