The Washington times., 1928-09-17

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sun-bIistered bench beside it.
Joan grinned inpishly and
kissed .the sweet green wood Of
Che lilac tree. Joan was always
loving things-the little new
Kresn shoots in the old cypress
hedke. the swelling buds on the
rose bushes, the poor, rusty iron
deer. who stood for 50 many
years firmly planted in the mid
die 6f the garden.
" When you aren't allowed to
have real friends you have to
have make-believe ones. At least
Joan did. Major. the. deer, was
the best beloved Of them all.
Many were the warm kisses she
had pressed on his cold iron nose,
many the fearful secrets she had
poured into his deaf and rusty
carr
..Sillv thing! Mrs. Heeley, peel.
inR potatoes at the kitchen win.
dow watched her disgustingly.
s.Ghe,s been up to somethinI
The brown parings slid in thin
Npirals from her red, bony hands,
onto the newspaper-covered drain
hoard. wait till Miss Evvie gets
nftAr hAr Shell catch
itri
There was an odd exulting
.a@am An har HunkAn old eyes,
something vicious in the way she
handed she sharp little pairing
knife. "Old Crazy Heeley," the
saIisaifto children called her.
Thffty-seVen years she had worked
fof the Van Fleets. Workin,
NV fingers to the bone, taI<in'
Mis- EWES lip, and no decent
WAGES ~ they'll see when
I'm zone ~ 80 she was Al.
WAYS threatening TO quit. But
she never aid. She hated change.
she hated Joan, too. Joan
who was young when she and
the IVAN Fleet" girls were old.
Joan with the too red, too laugh.
ing mouth. Joan-with the fly
away golden hair, tonboy Joan.
always rushing and running and
tumbIing over things. never stop
ping to grow up into a proper
ycung lady.
Joan picked up her feet slowly.
Her heavy comnon-sense shoes
erraped on the patch. They
weren't dancing feet any more.
THE little secret smile had faded.
loan WAS. afraid of Aunt Evvie.
Aunt ETvie had found out. some
body must have told on her. She
might have known. Aunt EVvie
always found out.
Aunt Evyie ~ag waiting In the
very middle of the big red rug in
the library. She stood. square and.
crfsp IN her stiff white sEirtavaist
and ebIack alpaca skirt. black I
proved SxecutiOner, waiting for
the cu1pTat. @
Over In her corner; noar the
ugly. sair-tight stove. Aunt isabe
pulled herr pink ice-wool1 shawl
closer over. her narrow saSt o,dders,
and rocked very fast. The dis
ciplininG of Joan. though pleas
urably exciting. WAS nerve wfAck-
ing. and likely TO give her
headache. EvVie never knew when
20 stop.
80 you spent the af,srnOon
with the Sedgwick girls Aunt
Eyvie's voics twas heavy. bass
almost like p mans. 9
Joan's head went up. She had
fighting blood Yes. | dld"
out Liar a girl that will lie;
that will sneak, and"
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the. afternoon with Hilda. and
AHIne, and did"
At "a dancehall. a common.
public"
"a dancing class. Aunt EEvvie!
EFSfYbody at school goes-all the
nigN eglrie, Hilda and Anne, and
D6kofIEy Nailor. You can'r say
tha.s Sedgwicks and the NaiIors
aren't nice"
Every nice, Pm sure Evvie
folded her arms on her militant
chest, and dropped her voice to a
sueRry rumble. Sarcasm was one
Of her favorite weapons. Quite
IS nice AZ the riff.ran that at
tends. Maybe nicer. But--in tie
future you will have nothing more
10 do with these nice girls! ! for.
bid you to speak TO them. EXCEPT
a. may be necessary in school. Is
that quite clear? Let US not mis-
understand each other again"
Dinner is served Mrs. Heelcy
put her head in the doorway.
Her thin face was flushed with
excitement. Dinner is served,
ladieg.'
Aunt Babe got up and led the
way automatically across the hall
into the dining room. The others
followed.
Eyyie tasted her SOUP. Its
cold. Heeley--take IL outw ~
fHeeley fIounced out, muttering.
They heard her banging around in
the kitchen. talking to herself.
EyNie. was hardly conscious Of III.
She began on Joan again.
Ehis-thle dancing teacher
O heres she had, the eGfrcntery
here while you were dwad-
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