The Washington times., 1930-12-30

what, inevitably, would be p Sc
riouS error.
These thoughts gave q fic-
titiouS value to the time Connie
waited; when Kitty and Jim re-
turned it was only 8 o'clock, yet
it seemed hours later. They had
been delayed, it developed, by. q
flat tire,
I'VE happened to be right
close to a little roadhouse, so we
thought we'd stay and eat while
the man fixed the tire" Kitty
explained.
Apparently, neither Of them
had thought to phone Connie;
this, in itself, indicated an lln-
visioned absorption, one with
the other. Comics gaze, grow
ing acute. noted an indefinable
change in Kitty. The girls
eyes were brighter, there was
a new warmth in her manner;
the faint spark Of rebellion in
her seemed to have been extin-
guished by a winSome quality.
How did the driving lessons
come along?" Connie asked.
Great, for beginner" Jim
answered. "Of course, no girl
can learn to drive a car in one
afternoon. It will take q week
at least, before I'd feel safe to
trust her on the road alone"
There was an exchange Of
glanceS between Jim and Kitty.
About Jim, too, Kitty detected
a faint exhilaration. Only a
few days ago, he had imagined
himself heart-broken and crush.
ed because Connie had refused
to marry him, but now his
spirits seemed feather-like light.
II say, Connie, your sister is
a peach!" he explained. Spon-
taneously. "She'S a great little
package of heart balm. You
don't mind If rush her around
a bit, do you?"
Just A Kidder
PAY no attention to him,
Connie" Kitty commanded
Connie, with a trace Of EN-.
barrassment. Hes just q
kidder."
mo, I mean it, honestly"
Jim announced. II was low as
the devil and needed q new
personality to stir me up and
take my mind off my troubles.
don't think either Of you
realize what a shock it was to
me to be virtually kicked out
of the house on my alleged
wedding day. I'm sort Of the
family responsibility and you
can't dodge me. Somebody has
got to look out for me-"
He was smiling, but his tone
was half serious. Kitty was
looking at him with q concen-
trated gaze. ...
II refuse absolutely to get
myself heart-broken over your
situation" Connie told him.
you're not one-tenth as strick-
en- as you pretend to be.
You're having the time Of your
life"
"You made me what I am to-
day, I hope you're satisfied"
Jim responded. I'm only o
shell Of my former self, and it's
all your fault. # it weren't
for your very nice sister, I'd be
a wretched outcast. My hair
would probably turn white in O
night and I'd get to talking to
myself. It's a work Of mercy
that Kitty's doing"
Who's he kidding-you or
me?" Kitty asked.
Himself, I think" Connie
said. Pay no attention to
him, deaf, he's a wretch"
You're a funny one," Kitty
commented to. Jim. II never
met a fellow before that could
talk that way. You know what
he was doing this afternoon,
Connie, while the man at the
roadhouse was getting our din
ner ready? He was reciting
poems to me, all from right out
of his head. They must have
amounted to pages"
II know-Keats and Shelley"
Connie responded. 1--WE heard
them q dozen times"
''Well, they didn't make much
sense, but they certainly used
up a lot Of language" Kitty
said, careleSsly. "Jim's the first
fellow I ever met that could
reel off that stuff. You got to
hand it to him-he knows his
onions along that line. I won-
der if all these society fellows
talk that way, do they, Con-
nie?"
mo, I think poetry is Jhn's
private speciality" Connie Uoid
her.
"I spent four long years mem
orizing those poems, and what
credit do Ilget?" Jim exclaimed,
facetiouSly. I'm not appreci-
ated here and I'm going home"
He picked up his hat and
paused a moment-"but I'll be
back tomorrow"
When he had gone the girls
sat smoking and looking out
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