Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-04-24
CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER IS
zinnie Confrey had given Elanda
the address of a fashionable lunch
con club On the East Side. She
had just driven up in her own
clever little green sport roadster
when Elanda got out Of her cab.
Zinnie hailed her with a bright
smile:
MY wordl You're on time. I
thought I was the only girl IN New
York who kept her appointments
on the dot"
She Rugged Elanda and grinned
UP at her:
Il was afraid you wouldn't come"
"Because-why?" Elanda return
ed her embrace.
Il thought perhaps you'd think
because Whoopee played you such
a dirty trick that We were all alike.
I'm happy you have some faith left
n human nature"
The head waiter greeted the rich
Zinnie Confrey with such effusive
welcome that Elanda envied her.
There was q sinking In her own
heart when she remembered that
not one OF these famous places
knew her. She was an outsider.
Elanda smiled across at Zinnie
when tlasy were seated.
II trusted you the minute I saw
you at the beach party. Carmel had
stacked the cards against us. and
told me. oh SO sisterly, that you
had been engaged to Greg and had
been drowning your sorrows and
would no doubt get engaged to him
again now that you had met-ac-
cidentally."
Accidentally" Zinnie's musical
laugh was fluted with amusement.
Il suppose she told you she didn't
know / was coming. ! was the first
person she called. I helped her
plan the party. she said there
would be an outsider. But that
Greg Du Pont had insisted on you
and she supposed he wouldn't come
unless you did and he was a lot
Of fun and she waited him along"
Elanda shook her head despair
ingly:
She surely I'd have It In for
poor little me, didn't she2 And to
think I didn't see through her.
I've always known Carmel was
hard and jealous and spoiled. But
! didn't think she would so COM
pletely lose her head as to do an
unbelievable thing like that Just
because YOU got the job she wanted
at WWBC."
That isn't ALL" Elanda added
knowingly. That's only half Of it.
She did it because she wanted to
marry Greg"
Zinnie's eyes widened. In a min
ute she dropped her hands heavily.
"Ohl Why didn't I think OF thatl
I can understand a lot Of things
she did and said 70 me last year
now. Can you beat ii? ! didn't
think OF that That goes to show
you how suspicious ! am OF people"
Where is Carmel now?"
Haven't YOU heard?' Zinnie ex-
claimed with amazCment. Why I
thought YOU must know about Ii.
Her parents came back from Eu-
rope On the next beat and put her
into a sanitarium. Nervous break
down and all that stuff. Hal Hal
Nice way TO cover uD a nasty
disposition. They'd rather have
people think too many cocktails
and cigarettes had broken her down
and made her 90 off her top. If
she'd been anybody but Carmel Pre-
vOst she would have gone to Jail.
She sure has cooked her young
goose. All OF is girls are through
with her"
Elanda al amazed.
"Zinniel Aren't any Of you going
70 be friends with her any more?
Just because she did that to MEl'
Exactly the dark-eyed little
Zinnie shifted. You're as good as
any OF us-even II you haven't got
money. IF she hadn't told it no
one would have known. Don't you
think our crowd will let that hurt
YOU any? We're all for YOU sinc-
She hurt you 50. wv. she'd do the
same thing TO any Of us. I wouldn't
trust her as far as I could throw
an elephant by the suitcase"
How was Elanda 70 know she had
so many friends because she was
/ engaged TO Greg Du PontP she
took IL all as Zinnie had said IT,
IL added considerably to her con-
| ceit. They liked her for herselfl
Perhaps Zinnie herself didn't
know it was because Elanda wa