Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-23

. Dulc1e. III WOULD MAKE any Sul .
| self-conscious she'd be perfect han
5 dicap to us, and Madge, OF all girls
1t might make her mad and so stub
born that she'd cut off her nose u
. spite her face, and wouldn't even try
You'll have to do it subtly son1eway
Dot"
WE decided that the best way to ar
w range a meeting would be t.
have little bridge party. That WoulC
make asking Wells seem natural ant
imperSonal.
And we'll fix the tallies so They'll
play together" said Rosie.
Dulcie and I merely looked at her
For a girl who's been married for f1vt
years. Rosie seems to have learned the
least!
wen fix the tallies," I said, "sC
they won't play together. Well just
introduce them and then see that they
don't get together all evening"
Rosie looked baff1ed
Get him anxious to know her, anc
then keep him from it," 1 explained
patiently.
ious thoughP" Rosie persisted. Tel
him what a peach Madge is and how
attractive and everything?"
Dulcie and I exchanged glances l,
was plain to be seen that Rosie WASH
much of a help.
"Tve been at work already" Dulcie
explained to me. I've told him that
Dot is having girl to visit ner and
| that I'm so sorry it isn't Belinda Stew
ems. as I know he and Belinda would
have taken to each other so"
! I confess that for minute 1 was
dumb enough to try to think who Be-
| linda Stevens was, but it didn't take
me moment to realize that, OF course
| there wasn't any such person. =.
Il merely told him Madge's name,
Dulcie went on, land said was sorry
Robert Dexter had moved to New YORK:
! Said we wanted Madge to have a good
time and intimated that Robert was
the only man l could think of who
MIGHT interest her. You know Robert
Dexter is the one person Wells has
| ever been Jealous Of I could see him
pick right up at the mention of his
| name"
That was all the start we'd made
when Madge arrived Friday. Will AND
I were down to meet her. Madge looked
| the way 1 remembered her, just the
way I had been afraid she would.
| It was a lovely warm Spring day,
but Madge had on a heavy dark blue
suit. She came swinging down the
platform, carrying her suitcase.
Hello, Dot, you old dear! Hello,
Will" She kissed me and gave VIII
a handshake. MY, but it's great TO
see you both again."
It was great to see Madge, too. I
always did like her.
But to one who had taken it upon
her soul to marry Madge off, Madge
was enough to make your heart sink.
But I didn't know the worst till she
! took off her hat Her hair was cut
short. shingled right up the back, every
| bit of her ears right out in the open
not so much as one feminine Softening
| touch.
OF course, we'd all seen that style
| in the movies and in the expensive
fashion magazines, but nobody IN
Montrose had had the nerve to try 1t.
And Madge, of all people! She GER
tainly wasn't the one to carry it off.
| MY first impulse was to call up the
| girls and tell them cur plan was of
| But hope dies hard, and just couldn't
bring myself to give up without trying
Besides, as the afternoon wore on,
| found myself discovering what I'd SORT
of forgotten, how nice Madge really Is
I began to see that it was my actual
duty to do anything possibly could to1
| her.
But how much could I do? I could
inst see wells Prentice taking one look
and running for shelter. Still, If you
| try hard enough, it is amazing what
| ideas will come to you. In fact, the
one that came to me was little snort
of an inspiration.
/ ~ II y
IT had suddenly turned very warm
l. and, as Madge's trunk didn't come
| that afternoon, she borrowed bunga-
low apron of me to put on for break
fast the next morning. 1t was an
especially pretty apron, bright, clear
pink, with crisp white rick-rack braid
on it. I also lent her a pair OF soft
black mules And, seeing her standing
in the sunshine at the kitchen window
I suddenly realized that, dressed right
| Madge wasn't half bad looking. In fact
even her hair didn't look so bad. Il
was black and curly and, being SO short
it did make her head look very small
and attractive. Her eyes and nose anc
mouth weren't anything special, but
that she had such clear pink anc
white skin and such very white teetf
that, standing there in bright pinE
and the sunshine, there was something
very attractive about her.
,"My, but it feels good to get off tina
heavy suitl" she observed. THANH
goodness, I've lighter one in my
trunk"
Have you any light dresses?"
asked hopefully
Madge shook her head
your other suit" began, dubious
ly, sis it about like the one you wor
yesterday"
Madge nodded carelessly, as thougl
a suit that didn't fit right across tn
shoulders were mere nothing.
About the same" she said carelesslJ
except that it's light weight"
My mind was working like lightning
Madge was almost my size. had on
or two dresses that she'd look reall
awfully well in. A yellow linen and
clear blue pique. If only-it was the
had my inspiration.
1--WE got little marketing to do fc
, the party tonight" I said. II 70
wouldn't mind staying here and keepln
an eye on the babies, I'll do 1t befor
, the Saturday crowd begins"
"Of course" said Madge hearth,
9TH do up the breakfast dishes. Ski
right along"
, And I skipped! l stopped py &c
) Dulcie, confided my inspiration to he
, and we dashed to the railroad station
) There was Madge's trunk. Just tul
, as Dulcie said, of plain waists an
suits that didn't fit. We hunted u
! Seth, the baggage man.
Of course, Dulcie didn't explain any
( thing to Seth, just told him that W
. wanted to play a joke and wasn't ther
any way that trunk could be mislaid fc
: week or so? Seth, at first, wouldn
e have anything to do with the idea. Bu
S Dulcie swore we'd see that he didn
r get into any trouble. We could fe'
Seth weakening, and finally he admitte
that his helper had unloaded a trunk j
I the shed once, Just before he went on
t vacation and it stayed there wee
D before any one knew where it was. H
d said, of course, that could happe
again. Dulcie and I went home.