Evening star., 1929-12-19

lists hands If he and Ellen talked BIZ
cycles when they were alone.
So Missile watched Harry surrepu-
tiously from the kitchen window, which
overlooked the tennis court, lay IN wait
and watched him again from the front
door. When he glanced in her direction,
she would shrink back, her heart beat
ing. her face flushed.
Then one day she learned that his
name was Harry. Aye, and spoke to
him, face to face. She was in the yard.
and he was looking for lost ball. She
heard somebody open the gate.
Hello! Seen tennis ball hiding
anywhere around here?"
mo, I haven't" she said, breath
Little devil! told it, If it ran of
again, what I'd do to it,
She looked at him shyly.
What would you do?"
"Stick pin in it. That's all you can
do. They're used to spanking"
Then somebody called: Harry
Hareee!"
That was how she knew his name was
Harry.
After that. if he saw her, he waved
his racket to her, and she took to In
venting small businesses in the yard, 50
she could look at him. She began to feel
less lonely. Often she sat on the steps
to see him go by after the evening
games, and he would look for her and
smile and take of his cap. Once or
twice he came alone, and one wonderful
evening he sat down on the doorstep ana
talked to her. But Stella heard the
voices and came creaking down the
stairs. She was in loose wrapper.
THAT you, Missile? Who's there?"
Missis's heart sank.
"Il be In in a minute, MON" !"
But Stella was curious, curious and
perhaps a little jealous. I'm coming
out. It's dark; nobody can see me, and
it's hot inside"
She slumped down on the shallow
doorstep, gathering her wrapper about
look.
And what's your name? Missie seems
to think I'm mind reader"
His name was Sloane, it turned out,
and Stella warmed bit. 1t developed
that Stella knew his mother; had in
deed sold her her Winter coat. "She
wanted something quieter, but said to
her, Now, Mrs. Sloane, you take my
advice and take that one. Once q lady
always a lady, and a bit Of color can't
change that"
Harry was his mothers own son. He
listened. politely. and, at the first lun
in her loquaciousness, he picked up his
racket.
well, guess I'll be going on"
"Give my regards to your mother"
Stella called after him, airily.
He never failed to wave at Missile after
that, but he did not stop at the steps
again. Nor did Missile wait for him.
She had her own intuitions, her own
delicacies. But never once did she ad-
nit to herself that Stella had unwitting-
ly destroyed something that had been
very precious to her. never once, then
or later, did she acknowledge that
through all those ea-ly years her mother
had borne down on her with a crushing
weight, and that the weight was growing
greater day by day.
For something queer was happening
to Stella. Not Mr.. Taylor. Mr. Taylor
was only a mirror. before which she
proved to herself that her attraction for
men still existed. This was something
else. something that would hardly bear
thinking about.
There we're things coming into the
house, which Stella's pay envelope could
not account for. Not much; a bolt of
ribbon, a pair of fine Isle stockings,
gloves occasionally. And now that Ellen
was filling hope chest towel or two.
or pair of linen pillowcases. After
the free and easy manner of those days.
SdIcoWUulCu CUulu Ldkc pIG1CKTSu GUS
toners through the store, and Missile
knew it.
The small tragedy Of Harry Sloane
was almost wiped out In her anxiety.
She had almost decided to go to Ellen
when one night 1t flashed on her that
Ellen knew, knew and was saying noths
ing.
Stella came down after supper and
laid some yards Of lace before Ellen.
There" she said. put that on your
pilloy slips. Let those W.!kinses see
that you've got decent things, too
Thanks" said Ellen calmly.
But when Tommy rang the doorben
she hastily thrust the lace into drawer
of the old walnut sideboard. There was
something furtive about it. something
that made Missile want to jerk the
drawer open again, confront them both,
rend them in her anger, to say:
cts stealing, nom. stealing and moth.
ing else. And you, Ellen, you're as bad
as she is: You know she hasn't any
money. YOU"
Stella had sat down heavily. There
were bags under her eyes, she had let
down her hair.
Missie said nothing. Something in
her, new and desperate, was longing for
live at all II I stay here, just she and
I. Ellen going and just she and T."
And at the same time she felt passion
ate tenderness for her mother. She
would never 60. She would see her
through. Poor nom.
Continued in T-'-'orrow's Starr