Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-05-22
Janice of Lost
River Z.
By H. LOUIS RAYBoLD


(6l 1881. Mcclure Newspaper syndicatsl
(WNU Servicel
XN7HEN Janice Makepeace received
w letter from her aunt offering
her bit Of pocket money IN return
for serving in her tearoom on the Lost
River highway, Janice very nearly
jumped for joy. She did not feel that
she could afford a vacation without
pay and here was an opportunity to
go to the mountains and earn money
at the same time. She sat down i'm
mediately and wrote a letter of ac-
ceptance and gratitude so mingled that
when her Aunt Bertha read it. she
smiled.
Poor JANICE" she said to herself, IF
the girl thinks this is u gay resort,
she's in for sad disappointment"
And Janice was disappointed, for
Aunt Bertha's tearoom was literally
in wilderness for all it was on a
main road from one popular summer
ing place to another.
Aunt Bertha was woman who had
known a troubled life and undoubted-
ly she was ready for the peace and
comfort brought by solitude, but
Janice was young and naturally
yearned for the bright lights and
crowds to which she had been accus-
toned Or for other company than an
elderly aunt, two tame porcupmes and
a bear cub chained to stake.
Perhaps that was why, after three
weeks, Janice was ready for adyen-
ture--and mischief-when it arrived in
the shape of one Lancelot Neale, a
slender young man with tortoise shell
glasses, portfolio. and runabout.
He came for sandwiches and stopped
to chat with Janice in whom he imme-
diately saw a resemblance to the title
role of his new play. Accordingly, he
sought out Aunt Bertha and asked per-
mission to remain for few days to
study her niece. at is rare to find
girl so unreached and unspoiled by the
effects of our hectic civilization" he
said.
Aunt Bertha thought him very In
genious young man. Nor did she con-
slider it necessary to tell him that
Janice was, for most Of the year, typ
list in a brokers' office on Broadway,
Janice could do as she pleased.
As a matter of fact, Janice would
probably not have begun deceiving the
young man, had it not been for GER
tain unfortunate sentence. you In
terest me, if may be personal, Miss
Makepeace," he told her, "by those
very qualities which life in a city
would inevitably tarmsh and destroy.
There is a freshness of soul, dewy
innocence of your eyes-forglve me,
but somehow, when I see you, / see
you in terms of my heroine"
And Janice meanly took every ad-
vantage of him. as 1t true" she
would ask naively, shat in New York,
after the play, the people do not go
home. but go out to eat and dance
until the small hours of morning? How
glorious that would be-" And she
would clasp her hands In apparent
ecstasy.
at would spoil you utterly" Lance
lot would say.
Lancelot stayed on. Some days he
worked on his play. Some days he
threw it restlessly aside and waited
until Janice was free for walk to
the hilltop behind the house. There
they would sit while Janice, careful
TO keep any tell-tale illusions out Of
her conversation, would draw the man
on to tell about life in what he called
"the big city" She was realizing that
she had put herself in the same pre-
dicament as the man who had hold Of
the bulls tail. She was anxious to
escape without knowing just how she
could do so. What had been started
as n bit of fun now threatened to In
terfere with all her future happiness,
for what Janice hesitated to admit to
her aunt she freely confessed to her.
self. Namely. that she was as much
in love with the playwright as she sus-
pected he was with her.
It was with sickening sensation
that one morning she saw Neale come
| down the stairs with MS Sultcases
hacked and strapped. He came
straight over to her. looked at her
wistfuly a moment without word,
then gripped her slender hand. i've
got to 90. Janice" he said, land
ought to go without another word
But, yes, hang 1t, II you'll come up TO
our hilltop. III tell You why and what
a cad am"
"Tm all sorts Of cur, Janice" he
! ' 80, - -. -,