Evening star., 1928-12-30

always pretty short. Louise might not
have got far with just them. But I
had a real inspiration. This was get
ting Mrs. Curley to play the accompani-
mentS for the chorus Of Betty, Mind
Your Step"
The Christian Endeavor was putting
on an amateur musical show, and, as
Mr.. Pawling was one of the principals,
he didn't have to rehearse with the
chorus. Mrs. Curley was to play for
the chorus, so she had to be at all
their rehearsals. That left Louise with
lot of free evenings, and, though she
| and Mr.. Pawling would always come
around afterWard to take Mrs. Curley
home, they had had three or four hours
alone together first.
Things were really working like a
charm. Mr.. Pawling was at the Cur
leys' most of his spare time. He bought
himself two new suits, and began comb
ing his Scanty locks to cover as much
of his badness as possible. All of us
girls were fairly hugging ourselves with
pleasure at how well things seemed to
be going.
4 ND then-trust Grille Whitaker to
"A do the one wrong thing at
critical moment-everything changed
We were all walking home from the
Oasis together, Louise and Mr.. Pawling,
a little ahead, I with Mrs. Curley.
Girlie caught up with us and walked
along with me and Mrs. Curley. We
hadn't taken Grille into the scheme, as
she's so tactless we hadn't dared.
And tonight If she didn't look ahead
at Louise and Mr.. Pawling, and then
laugh knowingly, and say to Mrs.
Curley, well, it looks like wedding
in your family"
must confess that, at first, I didn't
realize what a terrible thing this was
to have said. It had never occurred to
us that Mrs. Curley would be against
proachable as Mr.. Pawling, who
wouldn't even take her away from
Montrose. Why, there wasn't chance
that he would mind having Mrs. Curley
live right with them.
But, when Girlie said this, we hap
pened to be under a street light, and
saw Mrs. Curley's face. It was
startled, amazed. We passed out from
under that light and, by the time that
we reached the next one and could
see Mrs. Curley's face again, it had
taken on new look. Angry. outraged.
1t was quite little way between that
light and the next one and by the
time We had walked that distance and
I got another look at her. Mrs. Curley's
face had settled into an expression that
fairly turned my heart cold. 1t was a
look Of hard. set determination.
In that look, I read the truth. 1t
hadn't been Denis alone she had op-
posed that other time. She didn't
mean to let Louise marry anybody,
1aar oh cIH
was going to keep her always, just for
herself.
AS said, 1t just turned me cold. I
suddenly saw the whole affair Of Denis
in a new light. Remembered every
thing Mrs. Curley had done, even her
getting sick. Remembered how, though
Louise and her mother had always
spoken Of pneumonia DR.. Horne had
said it had just been very bad case
Of grip.
remembered every detail-the sweet,
patient way Louise had taken care of
her, looking like poor forlorn little
ghost herself, her lips white, and her
face all queer and drawn.
And how, as soon as Louise had torn
her own heart out and given up Denis,
Mrs. Curley had got better right away,
seeming younger and gayer and more
blooming every day.
And now she was going to do the
same thing right over again. I knew
It, Shed keep Louise from marrying
Mr.. Pawling, just like she had kept her
from marrying Denis It was terrible
shock to me to realize that woman
could devote her life to daughter,
and still be bad mother. But 1t was
true.
I thought of it all that evening, and
while was bathing the babies the next
morning. I've been trying to teach the
twins to be polite, and. when was
lifting Jill out of the tub, she put her
fat, damp little arms around my neck
and said:
81 want to give kith on mother
pleathe!"
Some way 1t made me think of
Lou:se's always being the first one to
come to see the new babies. of her
mothers getting Old some time, and
dying and leaving Louise all alone.
Without ever having had home or