New Britain herald., 1927-01-04
CHAPTER NXII

Betty's hand suddenly had slipped up and pushed Freddie Lawrence's face away.
 It was not a gentle push. Into 1t she had packed a good deal of the muscular power of her strong little body, and Freddie's face went back with violence.
 Pardon me, MT. Lawrence" she said sweetly. but this is where the action stops,' and she slipped away and out of his hands.
 "Haw, Haw!" The youth named Phillips was guffawing heartily, and suddenly seized with inspiration, he started a salvo of handclapping.
 John Clayton smiled broadly. That was the best I've seen Tn long timc," he confided to Prof and Mollie. "Freddie's little game didn't work that time.'
 Freddie was rubbing his nose. Il was a tender nose and it had been rudely treated by Betty. It began to grow red, and it looked as If it vas getting ready to swell.
 One of the girls sympathehcally offered her powder puff. Freddie although it was plain to be seen that his ego had suffered terrible wal lon. moved over to Betty and very graciously congratulated her on nav ing bested him at his little game.
 You see," the sweet young thing in red was explaining to Rusty, The has worked this so many times on different girls that We have enjoyed this immensely
 But" Mollie Elwell protested to John Clayton, wont he think It rather rude of Betty? Won't the other young people be displeased?'
 Nothing of the kind, my dear,' he assured her. You must remem- Der that people who have money very often fail to worry about their manners. The jokes on Freddie, and Betty has nothing to be sorry for As a matter of fact, with the pos sible exception of Freddie Lawrence, everyone here owes the your- lady a debt of gratitude for entertaining them."
 Nfolie Elwell's first peep under the shell of the smart set' she had heard so much about was some- thing of @ disappointment to her. She had thought to have her ears regaled with epigrams of sparkling wit, scintillating repartee and dis quisitions on art, literature and music. Instead she heard a continu- ous flow of spicy scandal and a line of slang that would have made Jim at his best seem like a church deacon.
 Also she had overheard q flapper of eighteen summers demand 10 know of a young man, without any attempt whatever to make her question secretive, whether he had anything on his hip.
 And upon being told by this young man that he was very sorry to re- port that nothing was doing, she had turned up her nose in disgust.
 That night after the party for the twins John Clayton brought up the 
 T shouldn't wonder" he said, eff your mild little touch of high life last night would last you for some time. Sill, noticed that you seemed to get some enjoyment out of the party. You were smiling most of the time.'
 "Oh," answered Mollie. smiling still, "I was rather interested-in way. And I had to look cheerful, you know, whether l felt that way or not"
 Prof, sitting close at hand and contentedly smoking one of John Clayton's fifty-cent cigars, couldn't let that one go by, He had to sink q harpoon into it.
 At that, John" he remarked calling the girls uncle by his first name for the first time, anyone can smile and keep on smiling and still not get red in the face about fl. Wasn't it the well known Cheshire cat that tried to look cheerful and even grinned at the antics of the kings fool?"
 John Clayton laughed. He liked Prof's quaint way. Your compart son is not badly chosen" he mad' reply, and the Cheshire cat, l dare say, Prof, was wise old cat that knew sweet cream from curdlet milk And even so you'll remember that the kings fool was just an actor on the stage of his day. He played his little part, as we all play