Evening star., 1930-11-30


they would have met the implication with loyal
and heated denial.
How could Sterling sec -.ly feel himself an
outeider in the Buhlow family, when not one
of the Buhlow children, although they had
quite simply been told when they each became
g. had an atom of consciousness that Sterling
was not blood brother.
AS a matter of fact, bending too far back
ward perhaps to achieve this end, Ann and
PToscow Buhlow took pains to see to it that
Sterling received more than their own
children of parental solicitude
The fact that Sterling had been adopted by
Ann during a previous marriage was as remote
in the minds of her present husband and
children as if it had never happened.
CTERLING belonged. AS the senior member
of a remarkably alert group of children. he
was the acknowledged leader Of the clan.
STERLING is too outrageously clever Ann was
won't to remark of her alleged eldest, treating
him in the colloquial young fashion of the
modern mother. "He sets dreadful example
to the rest of the children. They have to live
up to him"
STERLING is not clever" AIMS really eldest,
Shirley, would sing out on such occasions.
Hes a soulless misanthrope, an acid-hing1ng
cync, a misbehaviorist. and he passes of
among the unworldlings of my mothers gen.
Grafton as clever"
"Oh, Shirley be yourself" Terry, two years
below Shirley would retort on the fling Of a
sofa pillow. You know you'd give your sleepy
head to be as clever Sterling"
What Shirley can't be, she is not going to
bid for" remarked her father, dodg:ng in turn
the same sofa pillow, flung by Shirley toward
him, that had been flung by Terry to his
sister.
Father. it is a good thing you make it a
point to speak your true words in jest. Other
wise your family would never grant you q.
hearing"
Typical, all this, of the way Sterling stood
n the admiration of his so-called parents and
brothers and sisters. Not only the two older
of the Buhlow children vested him thus In
their full and enthusiastic approval, but the
stepladder OF younger ones followed suit with
hero-worshipping eyes.
STERLING this" STERLING that" "If had
Sterling's brains" Sterling is the genius Of
this family" eff only Sterling would take
the trouble he could be anything he set out
to bel"
Something undoubtedly there was in Sterling
The something that would not take the trouble.
Time after time, her sweet, anxious eyes scrl-
tinizing this youth, Ann tried to analyze that
trouble. Proscow, too And as Ann said
banteringly of her husband, a famous
alienist whose job it was to analyze the work.
ings of the human brain. Proscow ought to
be able to ferret out the way to attack the
streak of cynical inertia in Sterling.
Darling, with all your brains, isn't there
ANYTHING you want to be?"
st want my father to subSidize me with ten
thousand year guarantee against the hor-
rible thought of ever wanting to be anything"
Sterling, won't you be serious just once?
You're 20 now. The time has come when you
simply have to decide what you want to do
with your life. You're too talented Music.
Painting. Writing. I've suspicion you can
be a great person in any one of them"
Perhaps"
''proscow YOU talk to HIM"
CURIOUS, with any one of their own chill
dren this problem would have been treated
in quite another manner. In fact, the prob
lem of Terry had already been handled with
decision and the school for his medical train
ing selected. With Sterling, just because of
his equivocal position in the household, the
dilemma of stimulating him to acton was
subtle and troublesome one.
"You know after ALL Sterling, your father,
In SPITE of his wealth. could never be wealthy
enough to encourage a diettante in the family"
flush beneath the palior of the best
looking member of the Buhlows Ann had
struck in. Proscow and rightly, would not per-
init one Of his to live off OF his largess
much less Sterling, the outsider.
How to convey to these dear warm, dis
Greet people that gnawing, sickening sense of
his outsideness. The very coloring of the eyes
and hair Of his five foster brothers and sisters
was something Sterling could never look upon
through the lonely inner moors of his desola-
ton.
The Buhlows were blonde, every one of them,
blue-eyed, straw-haired. Dark, aloof, alone he
stood in their dear, kind world alien whose
isolation one dared mention. The alien,