Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-26
RAINY EASTER
DIMS HOPEOF
BONNET SALES
Charlotte Chattert o n
Begins To Look For
Romance; She Pom
ders Human Affairs
CHAPTER I

The most dangerous people in
this world of ours are le gossips.
Not the wicked, biting kind
of gossips who deliberately try to
harm other people, but the ordinary
busy bodies who go around telling
things they never should tell-sim-
ply because their tongues are hung
in the middle and wag at both ends.
This world is full OF them, too!
We all know people who take us
aside and whisper Nov promise
me you won't repeat a WORD of
what I'm going to tell you
Or: Il know I shouldn't tell this
to a LIVING soul, hut I'm going
to, anyway
All of us have been talked about
behind our backs by just such peo-
pie, too, at some time or another
by the human neWspads who don't
mean to stir up trouble" the
common garden-variety go S ip S
whose chatter 0ften does stir up
trouble of the very worst kind.
Behind a good many quarrels and
divorces and lawsuits-yes, and be-
hind some of the murders md sui
cides, too-is some Of the murders
and suicides, too-is some careless
talker who dropped the wrong word
to the wrong person at the wrong
time.
And that is the kind of gossip
that Charlotte Corday Chatterton
was. One of those people who talk
from the teeth out, who poke their
noses into everybody'S business
and then tell everything they know
about it and a lot that they don't
know.
This is her story, and the story
of the people whom she brought
disgrace and disaster-the helpless
victims of her sharp, busy little
tongue.
1t is the story of 6 born gossip
and mischief maker.
It was the Saturday before Eas-
ter Sunday-the one day in all the
year when women's hats should GER
tainly have been selling like hot
cakes.
But the weather was wet and
wild. The win( shrieked like a
lost soul as it ran up and down
the streets. The rain came ham
mering down on the pavements.
The cutters ran water. In short,
it was anything but Easter hat
weather.
And there vas not a single Gus
toner in Mrs. Mayberry's little
Mode Millionery shop or West
River street.
Moreover, there had not been a
single soul in it all day long but
Mrs. Mayberry herself, and Char
lotte Chatterton, who worked for
her.
1t was almost noon now, and the
two Of them STOOD at the wide rain
splashed show ,-indoW, watching
the passers-by who went hurrying
along with their heads down against
the high wind.
I'VE surely are cut of luck today,
aren't we, Mrs. Mayberry?" Char
lotte Chatterton asked, t',rning her
eyes away from the street for a
moment to loo. gloomily at the
dozens and dozens of gay new Eei-
ter hats that were perched every
where in the brightly lighted mir
ror lined showroom behind her.
You just can't imagine any wom-
an being silly enough to want to
buy a spring hat in weather like
this, can you? It makes me just
sick to think how we've slaved for
weeks to get all these hats ready
for today, and ther to have it pour
down like this! It's cold as Green
land outside, too, isn't it?"
Mrs. Mayberry did not answer.
Il wonder why Easter Sunday has
always been the day for women to
wear their new summer hats?" the
girl went on, in her sweet, high
pitched voice. And isn't it funny
the way men always start wearing
their new straw hats on Decoration
day and stop weari'-g them on La
Dor day?"
Mrs. Mayberry said nothing.
nothing at all
But that did not seem to worry
| Charlotte Chatterton. She turned
around to the window once Lore
and went on talking just as if she
had been answered
The flower shop seems to be do
ing LOT of business today" she
said. Just look, Mrs. Mayberry,
there goes their wagon again. That's
Continued on page three.)