The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-06-14

4 dows. and bay candles on the man
tel. And after dinner there was a
steaming plum pudding with rum
blazing merrily. Sybil had tried
very hard to make things festive
But Mrs. Thorne wept salt tears
into her punch, and Valeria sulked
because the little locket watch Tad
had given her vas exactly like
Lii Billings
you know perfectly we'll" she
walled. that | wanted n of those
French enameled things. Good
ness. I've talked enough about it!
It's Just that you don't even bother
trying to please me any more.
Lii will think I'm copying hers.
and that would be had enough If |
liked the darn thing. But |
simply despise platinum and
diamonds"
Tad looked darkly at the neck
ties that were his gift from his
wife. and exchanged glances with
Sybil. She could have cried when
she saw the piteous little droop to
his mouth. She calculated the
worth of Valerie's despised trinket
and felt that murder was a thor
oughly iustifiable procedure.
Sybil had given her brother a
lounging robe of brocaded satin,
and he had chosen himself his gift
to her-a crimson negligee of chif-
fon velvet, faced with palest pink.
Mrs. Thorne had the usual assert
ment of scarves and gloves and
books, with a gold lorgnette from
Tad, and a woolly afghan the color
of young violets from Sybil.
Valerie had given her a bottle
of exotic French perfume that
limited of languorous trysts and
dusky secrets. Mrs. Thorne would
continue to use her own brand all
the days of her life, but the other
would not be wasted. After a de-
cent interval she would beg Val,
a bit alphabetically, to use it her
self.
After dinner there were roses
delivered from Craig, and Euchar-
list lilies, blooming at Christmas
time, and great boxes of bonbons
and sugared fruits.
After Sybil had arranged the
flowers. they drove to the GENET
cry with laurel wreaths and red
roses and a small fir tree. Valerie
went out to a Christmas tea, and
Tad. donning the brocaded robe,
tuned in on all the psalm singing
universe.
When Valerie came in, Sybil
was wearing the negligee Tad had
given her. She thought he had
worn his dressing gown to please
her, and so she had shaken out
the crimson folds of her flaming
tea gown, and, standing in front
of the mirror, had wrapped it soft
ly about her. She was going to
the library, where he sat in front
of the radio, to show him, when
she encountered Valerie in the
hall.
my goodness. SybiI," Val stop
per her with ~outstretched arm.
That's a vampy looking outfit
but, heavens. Sib. you're getting
fat! And that red makes you look
awfully pale. You don't look a bit
well-does she Tad?"
Tad looked up from his dials.
you're a knockout. Sis" he
cried, and surveyed his gift jul
diciously. THAT thing Just suits
you. Val looks like a bag in a
wrapper. She's too darn skinny.
A man likes a girl with a few cur
yes"
Nonchalantly he bent to his
dials. "Just got Havana on here.
Come on in-I like to look at you"
you two! scoffed Valerie.
Dressed up like a couple of
Christmas trees"
"Well Sib. Tad may like EN-
curvey. but if ] were you, dear,
I'd start dieting"
She flung down the hall to Mrs.
Thorne's room, and Sybil wonder
ed miserably if it were possible
that she could have guessed. Tad
drew a chair for her in front of
the fireplace, and she sat there,
with her elbows on her knees, gaz-
ing wretchedly into the flames,
and pain like a solid thing wedg-
ing up within and filing her body
with a dull, sitting ache.
And so the Christmas holidays
passed. And New Years came.
On the second of January Sybil
went again to Wester House.
Mabel kissed her solicitously, and
Sybil saw the worried question in
her ewes.
ooh. it's all right, Nab" she
said. and began to pull off her
gloves to hide her confusion. 81
told them Yesterday. Val was
simply scandalized. I mean she
said she was. You never saw a
girl act up so in all your life. OF
course she was tickled to death