New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-11-06
NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1928

smile-a quick, friendly smile. that
tilted up only one corner OF his
mouth. Sne remembered all the
things about him that had reminded
her of Robb, without realizing that
those were the only things about
him that attracted her.
And when she woke in the morn
ing to Thanksgiving day Of snow
and sunshine she found herself
thinking of. him again.
whats the matter with me?" she
wondered. I can't get him off my
mind. it seems. What's happened
to me?"
What had happened to her was
thing that happens to many girl.
She had fallen in love with Robb
and had deliberately put him out of
her life. But she could not put him
out of her hea1t. and SO she had
become infatuated with the first
man who came along and happened
to look the least bit like him.
1t was very simple.
But it was not at all simple or
clear to Emmy She made up her
mind that she must be very tickle
person.
wild about Robb last MONTH
she said to herself. taking an icy
bath in the chilly little bathroom.
lend thrilled to pieces now about
this Jim Spaulding man. If I'm 60
ing to be like this. it's a good thing
! didn't get myself engaged to Robb.
all right!'
She found herself wishing that she
had told Jim Spaulding he could
see her again if he really wanted
to. She wished she had told him
her name. What was the use OF
being SO prim and proper, anyway?
With all the blindness of limo
cence, Emmy could see no use at all
in it.
Nobody was prim and proper any
more. . The girls at the I.ar"h-
mont School of Business made eyes
at the young men who were students
there At least most of them did,
and there quite a bit Of flirting
went on in the big bright classroom
high above Euclid avenue. So far
Emmy had held herself calmly
aloof from all this.
Marianna's crowd certainly was
not the pink of propriety, either,
Emmy went on thinking as she
brushed her har and twisted it into
a flat cleaning coil at the nape of
her slim neck. They all smoked and
pais ted and. if what Mariana said
was true. they took and gave care
less kisses. and thought very little
about it, Theirs was a free-and-
easy. light hearted code.
On the white wall beside Emmy'c
toilet glass hung an article tat
Mrs. Milburn had clipped from a
magazine and tackled there fully a
year before.
1t was a little sermon to young
women and its title was "The Bloom
on the Peach" Emmy knew the
opening paragraph by heart.
'In these new times of ours when
Sweet Sixteen goes with her skirts
knee high, her face thick with paint,
and the brassiest of slang phrases
upon her young lips, we seem to
have been swept away from the old
ideal OF modesty in womanhood-'
Emmy gave it half-amused,
half scornful glance now from her
gray eyes, put out a hand, and tore
it from the wall.
Il wonder who wrote that thing"
she said to herself. Somebody as
old-fashioned as Mother. I'll bet! If
girl wore long skirts these days
and went around saying 'prunes and
prisms' somebody would catch her
and put her in a museum!'
She tore the offending paper into
bits and stopped at Perry's room
on her way downstairs to toss them
into his waste basket
Perry Was solitary sort of crea-
ture. and he often got up early in
the morning to go for long. lonely
walks-especially on Sundays and
holidays. And SO it did not strike
Emmy as peculiar that his room
was empty. although it was only
half-past seven.
But just as she was going out Of
the door, she saw that his bed had
not been slept in. The counterpart
lay smooth and white as a drift of
virgin snow, and some pajamas were
neatly folded across the foot where
Mrs. Milburn doubtless had laid
them the night before.
Emmy's eyes flew to his dresser
Nothing seemed to be missing from
it. Brushes, tin of talcum, shaving