Evening star., 1928-05-16

~
pogtant business OF ordering their
first real party frocks. and to bow TO
the PartrilgeS. father and son, walk
ing their beautiful bays under the great
NAPLES Of tie bride path. Everybody
was so happy. so much occupied
Patricia. leaving the park and going
straight into the city. sighed. 1t was
Thursday afternoon. and there would
be people at the studio. No chance
OF seeing Sidney alone. Nevertheless
she turned in at the familiar doorway
beside the flower shop and climbed
mast the door that said "O'Cailaghan,
Robes" The artist had the upper floor
all to himself. and he and his sister
kept house in the two or three rooms
behind the big studio.
They were all making great deal OF
noise over the tea-getting. Patricia,
ioyously welcomed. was at once given
charge of the refractory samovar.
1T won't work" said Sidney Hutchin-
son, STRENGTHENING to his fun six feet and
two inches and shaking the black hair
back from his forehead. Il tell you.
Pat, this thing is no good We've had
no tea and the situation is getting very
tense"
IT works perfectly" she contradicted
him calmly.
The Studio Party.
Order emerged from the chaos. Pa
tricia's magnificent aunt, Mrs. Cecil
Throckmorton. contentedly settled her
self near the samovar; like them all.
she was extremely fond of Patricia
Roberta ThTockmorton tossing aside
the new white furs that Smotherec
her little figure in the new portrait. and
Lillian Talbot. another debutante, took
the dark angle seat by the flre and
were attended by two youths, Ticky
Rals.cn and Art Bruce.
A viYacious. taikative. well dressed
woman os IS. Miss Betty Partridge,
chartered to them all from draped
velvet armchair, and young Mrs Eyre.
. pretty mysterious little creature. Pa
tricia's cousin. and known to this group
as Dorothy" fiirted deeply and de-
lielssediy with Con Hamilton. one OF
Deerbridge's middle-aged bachelors. who
was something of a painter himself, and
Sidney Hutchinson's patron and friend.
Cutting bread at the long studio table
was the artists sister. Helena. dark.
rather plain girl. who had had q brief
theatrical career.
Finally, there was the artist himself
the lazy. charming. strangely cultured
and vet strangely barbaric person. who
had drawn these others together. He
was almost 40 now. but there was not
. gray hair in the thick mop above his
handsome and most interesting face
and the smile he gave Patricia. as he
brought his cup Of tea and sat beside
her. was boys happy smile.
He was the son of Spanish father
and an American mother. and upon the
- t4aff n
been left to make his living as he might.
through the goodness Of an us1cle. IN
Deerbridge, while his mother and infant
sister departed for the East. Patrieia's
friendship for him dated from her tenth
year. when the young man had chanced
to board at the hotel that sheltered the
old colonel and his exquisite little
motherIesS girl
The Chesebrougfg had liked him. and
had bsfriended him In these earlier
DAYS. as he never forgot. Patricia had
stepped at once into the position OF
his closest friend. his coniidante and his
adviser. and until the arrival Of his sis
ter. two or three months ago now. she
had been hostess at these Thursday
teas that al her world 50 much en-
joyed.
Ssaney,s Romantic Poverty.
Sidney was poor, OF course. But in
what an cnviable and simple fashion he
made poverty romantic. Dinner tables
everywhere listened and laughed when
Sidney explained his maneuvering with
landlord. tailor and florist. lie earned
little. and that little In Irregular sums.
snd money was the last subject 70 iIl-
teregt him
To Patricia poverty was always hate
ful, s0rdid and unrnanageable. She
could not owe money: the fact OF do
ing so seemed to paralyze her moral
senses. She had not the genius that
makes excusable haphazard meals.
homemade gowns, misEHatched bowls
ard plates. She paid si0 week for
the privilege Of living In clean and
odOTosas and commonplace boarding
house: she wore Aunt Annle's old hats
and the discarded garments Of her
younger cousins.
Seven years ago she had been Or
paaned at 20, the beauty and the beg
gar OF the allied families. They had
ali been kind 10 her 10 their various
ways. She had spent two years as Aunt
Louise Pages unpaid companion. year
travelling with Aunt Mary Chambers.
while little Eetty's eyes were being treat
&c by specialists In Germany. several
months with the P0meFQys during a
quiet Winter Of mourning. vacations
here, there and everywhere. She was
welcomed al all their homes and really
needed and wanted at none.
AND as the years went By she knew
that she interested them less. she knew
that tincles and cousins began TO ask
'How old is Pat noy2" and that answer.
Ing alIlts always gave her the disad'
vantage ~ an extra year or two. The
cousins. with whom she had PLAYED
games and gone 10 foot ball matches
we're married ard scattered. and vel
Pstr5cta's own Eumiiiati1g and burden
sgn1e problem remained the same.
Ene had taken a brief course IN
library work with their approval. But
here isg the studio nov we're three fief
go11en Annie and Dorothy and Betty
who l2sd never suggested that she pul
their own libraries into good shape. siis
cOa9id not ask them, bitter a. Was nei
nefd,
TO Aunt Louise. the family dictator
end head, she had indeed appealed ter
days sRo. PatTicias cool cheeks burned
st tils memory. THE odi0us house.
keepeF. 0ne Mrs. Chadwick. who en-.
tIfeiy controlled the old degpot bAc
snlil;nglg opsned that Mrs, Pags was To-
nervous for any distressing eoBseTsa,
fion, and Aunt Louise had eackled from
her nest o. shawIg;
Il don't hesf y0u, dear, Ask chaddy. :
The girl had come away fluiOnsla
resolved that she would beg from
strangers before she TUNED again u
Aunt Louise
Pats New Job.
She reused herself nov from deel
thought,
II didn't bear YOU. Aunt Annle2"
Il only said that ! hoped you didn'
&c 10 that dreadful womans house
deaf" Mrs Ti1roekmorton repeated
'Iile one who wrote your The drug