The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-26

ment she no longer hates the thought of
Mabel urges sybil to tell her family,
and to tell Craig.
Right after Christmas" she promises.
II can't bear to spoil that day for them
But the very next day III tell.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER xxx
TNAD carved a monsTous turkey
l. and pulled on the wishbone with
Sybil. They had their gifts before
dinner on their chairs in the din
ing room, and ate among tissue
wrappings and red satin ribbons,
with cards scattered all about the
floor, and tinseled cord streaming
everywhere.
There were wreaths In the win
dows, and bay candles on the man
tel. And after dinner there was a
steaming plum pudding with rum
blazing merrily. Sybil had tried
very hard to make things festive.
But MS. Thorne wept salt tears
into he punch, and Valera sulked
because the little locket watch Tad
had given her was exactly like Lii
Billings.
''You know perfectly WELL" she
walled, "that wanted one Of those
French enameled things. Goodness,
I've talked enough about it! It's
Just that you don't even bother
trying to please me any more. Lii
will think I'm copying hers, and
shat would be bad enough If
liked the darn thing! But simply
despise platinum and diamonds!"
Tad looked darby at the neck
ties that were his gift from his wife,
and exchanged glances with Sybn.
She could have cried when she
saw the piteous little droop to his
mouth. She calculated the worth
of Valerie's despised trinket and felt
that murder was a thoroughly JUS
tif1able procedure.
Sybil had given her brother a
1ounging robe of brocaded satin,
and he had chosen himself his gift
to her-a crimson negligee of chif-
fon velvet, faced with palest pink.
Mrs. Thorne had the usual assort-
ment of scarves and gloves and
books, with a"gold lorgnette from
Tad, and a woolly afghan the color
Of young violets from Sybil..
Valerie had given her a bottle Of
exotic French perfume that limited
of dangerous trysts and dusky Sc
crets.
Mrs. Thorne would continue to
use her own brand all the days Of
her life, but the other would not
be wasted. After a decent interval
she would beg Val, a bit APOLOGIZE
cally, to use it herself.
A FTER dinner there were roses
IA delivered from Craig. and Eu-
charist lilies, blooming at Christmas
time, and great boxes Of bonbons
and sugared fruits.
After Sybil had arranged the
flowers, they drove to the cemetery
with laurel wreathS and red roses
and a small fir tree. Valerie went
out to Christmas tea, and Tad,
donning the brocaded robe, tuned
in on all the psalm singing uni
verse.
When Valerie came in, Sybil was
wearing the negligee Tad had given
her. She thought he had worn his
dressing gown to please her, and so
she had shaken out the crimson
folds of her flaming tea gown, and,
standing in front Of the mirror, had
wrapped it softly about her.
She was going to the library,
where he sat in front of the radio, to
show him, when she encountered
Valerie in the hall.
'iNTy goodness, Sybil!" Val stopped
her with outstretche darn. That's
q vampy looking outf1t-but, heav-
ems, Sib, you're getting fat! And
that red makes you look awfully
pale. You don't look a bit we'll
does she Tad?"
Tad looked up from his dials
you're Knockout, SIS" he
cried, and surveyed his gift
judiciously. THAT thing just suits
you. Val looks like bag in a
wrapper. She's too darn skinny. A
man likes a girl with few curves. "
Nonchalantly he bent to his dials.
"Just got Havana on her. Come
on in-I like to look at YOU"
"You w OIL" scoffed Valerie.
dressed up like a couple Of Christ
mas trees!
"Well, sib, Tad may like 'em
curvey, but if were you, dear, I'd
start dieting"
She hung down the hall to Mrs.
Thorne's room, and Sybl wondered
miserably if it were possible that
she could have guessed.
Tad drew a chair for her in front
of the fireplace, and she sat there,
with her elbows on her knees, gazing
wretchedly into the flames, and pain
like a solid thing wedg1ng up with
in and filling her body with a dull,
sitting ache.
And so the Christmas holidays
passed. And New Years came.
I'm the second of January Sybil
W went again to Wester House.
Mabel kissed her solicitously, and
Sybil saw the worried question In
her eyes.
ooh, it's all right, Mab," she said,
and hogan to pull off her gloves to
hide her confusion. ct told them
yesterday. Val was simply scan
dalized. I mean she said she was
You never saw a girl act up so in
all your life.
"Of course she was tickled to
death-but, my dear, you'd have
thought to hear her. the whole
thing was a personal affront. And
that I'd done it all just to embar-
rass her. Some day I'll kill that